Beckham’s Miami Freedom Park plans unveiled

Article posted by Coliseum, July 13^th, 2018

Image: AP

The David Beckham-led investment group revealed the first images of their proposed stadium Miami Freedom Park this month, the Miami Herald reported. The stadium complex and park will be built at the present city-owned golf course, Melreese Country Club, to provide a home for a future Major League Soccer franchise, being promoted by David Beckham and his partners, which include local business tycoons Jorge and Jose Mas.

A meeting will be held soon before a City Commission where Miami’s elected officials will put the proposal on a referendum in November.

The complex and park will comprise a new venue design of a 25,000 seat stadium, 600,000 square feet of restaurants, entertainment and retails space, 400,000 square feet of office space, a golf entertainment facility, underground parking space, hotel rooms and 110 acres of open green space. This redevelopment plan will cost around $1 billion according to the owners.

The images show the stadium on the northwest of the site with the hotels and office complex on the east side of the stadium. On the south of the stadium are the retail and restaurant space with the public soccer fields on the west end of the area. Along the east side is a park with a lake.

An estimated $44 million in new annual taxes spanning all jurisdictions will be paid by the owners of the team with approximately $4million-$5 million rent to the city per year and duty on 73 acres of rezoned property to the state, county, city and school board.

Soccer fans are all in favour of the proposed stadium plan but a group of golfers and supporters of green areas are showing opposition to the project. Some of the concerns of the opposition are whether public property should be leased to private developers for profit and lose the only city-owned golf course forever.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on stadium business news. Coliseum is a global series of stadium and arena business conferences and a sports venue news online-platform dedicated to the various challenges of designing, constructing and operating of sports venues all around the world.