David Beckham’s dream of building a stadium for his soccer team in the city of Miami is one step closer to being a reality after it cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday by winning the final zoning vote that will allow construction to begin on the $1 billion stadium complex for Inter Miami CF.
Dubbed the Miami Freedom Park, the billion-dollar project includes a 25,000-seat stadium, a luxury 750-room hotel, a retail center, and an office park. Miami city commissioners voted 4-1 to preliminarily approve a “special area” on the current site of a golf course to accommodate the proposal. Commissioner Manolo Reyes, a consistent opponent of the project, was the sole no vote to the zone plan.
The process will now move to begin an extensive environmental cleanup of contaminated land under the golf course that is the site of the project, which is expected to radically transform the largest swath of taxpayer-owned park land in the city.
David Beckham, who along with his wife Victoria Beckham boasts a $24 million penthouse in Miami in the elite One Hundred Museum building, co-owns Inter Miami along with billionaire Jorge Mas.
As part of the deal, which has drawn significant opposition, Inter Miami has committed to providing $20 million for Miami to use on park improvements and a “living wage” for future employees at the site, the outlet reported.
Another area of concern that was previously raised by Miami-Dade County’s Aviation Department, was the proximity of the new development to the Miami International Airport. It is unclear if the airport issues will be another obstacle for the project.
The city still needs to sign the series of lease documents that commissioners approved in late April that allow Inter Miami’s owners to use the land for the next 99 years. New land appraisals were ordered to determine the final annual rent, but they have not yet been finalized, according to a city spokesperson.
