A new deal secured between Miami-Dade County and a local developer is the first step in launching a long-anticipated project on a prime real estate site caught in ongoing litigation.

GRP Grove Metro Station LLC, an affiliate of Grass River Property, signed a long-term lease for about 5 acres of county-owned land at the northwest corner of Southwest 27th Avenue and South Dixie Highway, near the Coconut Grove Metrorail station. In doing so, the developer agreed to settle a lawsuit that has left the site untouched for years.