Miami Beckham United‘s pursuit of a new MLS stadium in Miami is moving forward, thanks to a vote by Miami-Dade County commissioners.
On Tuesday, the 13-member board voted 9-4 to move forward with the sale of a three-acre, county-owned land parcel to the group for $9 million. Led by David Beckham, Miami Beckham United has been seeking to build a privately-financed 25,000-seat stadium on a nine-acre site in Overtown, part of which includes the land that was owned by Miami-Dade County.
Miami Beckham United has worked for years to establish an MLS expansion franchise in Miami, only to see stadium proposals at three different locations fall short before proposing Overtown in late 2015. The vote on Tuesday definitely helps to move the process forward, but Miami Beckham United still needs to gain additional approval from the City of Miami before the project can begin. More from The Miami Herald:
Now Beckham must win approval from the city of Miami to actually build the privately financed venue. Among other hurdles, that process that will pit the retired soccer star against opposition from residents in the adjoining neighborhood of Spring Garden, who are warning of major disruption from Major League Soccer’s arrival.
“I want you to consider me and think of me when I’m not able to sleep at night because of the lights and the sounds from the crowd,” Meredith Vey, a Spring Garden resident, told commissioners before the vote.
The group will also need to secure formal approval from MLS for the process to move forward. Estimates have suggested that the stadium, if constructed, will open in 2021, but the franchise could launch by 2019 and play its initial seasons in a temporary venue.
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