David Beckham and his partners just bought the private land required for a Major League Soccer stadium in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood.
The announcement marks the first time Beckham has closed on land for a soccer stadium in Miami, following more than two years of failed attempts to find a location. A price was not disclosed.
The soccer star and his investors had also looked at Little Havana and downtown Miami.
Now, Miami Beckham United needs approval from the county to buy government-owned land and city approval for the required zoning changes. As proposed, the nine-acre stadium site would be between Northwest Sixth and Eighth streets, north of the Miami River in Overtown. That includes the roughly six acres of privately owned land that the group just closed on at 650 Northwest Eighth Street, according to a press release.
Property records show Windsor Investment Holdings LLC, a private company managed by Roland DiGasbarro of Coral Gables, was one of the sellers.
Beckham’s current plans are light on parking and rely on public transportation, which has drawn criticism from county officials. It would have stadium-goers walk from the nearby Metrorail station about three blocks away, plus use existing parking lots and garages in the area that total about 7,000 parking spaces.
Regardless, the Overtown location has already attracted other investors. Just last week, a 47,000-square-foot plot across the street from the stadium site sold for $6.7 million, The Real Deal reported.
“We have the right site, the right ownership group, and a loyal base of fans counting down the days until our first match,” Marcelo Claure, a Beckham partner and the CEO of Sprint, said in a statement. “We’re all-in on Overtown, and we couldn’t be more excited about moving forward with plans to deliver the most responsible stadium in Miami history.” — Katherine Kallergis