David Beckham may finally get his soccer stadium and MLS franchise in Miami.
According to the Miami Herald, Audrey Edmonson, Miami-Dade County commissioner for the Overtown district of Miami, where Beckham wants to build his 25,000 seat venue, has endorsed a proposal to sell a three acre plot of land to him for $9 million. The legislation she backs would allow the county to sell a Water and Sewer department-owned truck depot to Miami Beckham United, completing the acquisition of land necessary to get the stadium project off the ground.
If the deal is approved by the rest of the county, the Beckham group would have 60 days to put down a down payment on the land as it seeks official approval for a franchise from Major League Soccer.
This moves Beckham ever so close to the finish line of bringing an MLS team to Miami once again.
This isn’t the final legal victory, however. He may have the land, but he still needs to fight for approval to build the privately financed stadium. That will involve battles with the city of Miami and the Spring Garden neighborhood, which has already voiced concerns over heavy traffic in the area.
There is also the issue of parking. Beckham’s current plan doesn’t involve new parking spaces near the stadium. Instead, he is coming up with creative ways to gets fans into the facility. The group is promoting the use of Culmer Metrorail station about three blocks from the site, building new parking lots in surrounding areas, which would be serviced by shuttles to and from the stadium, as well as a ferry down the Miami River from downtown Miami. The ownership group is also promoting the soccer fan tradition of marching to the stadium from nearby bars and restaurants.
Overall, this is another piece of good news for an ownership group that has been trying to get an MLS team to Miami for many years.