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South Florida

Beckham’s mixed-use Miami soccer complex scores final zoning OK

Commissioner Manolo Reyes was the sole ‘no’ vote

Jorge Mas, David Beckham and rendering of Miami Freedom Park (Getty, Arquitectonica)
Jorge Mas, David Beckham and rendering of Miami Freedom Park (Getty, Arquitectonica)

Miami Freedom Park, the sprawling, mixed-use soccer stadium development planned for the Melreese Country Club site, secured its final zoning approvals.

The Miami City Commission voted 4 to 1 in favor of the planning ordinances, allowing the developers to move forward with the project planned for 1400 Northwest 37th Avenue, near Miami International Airport.

MasTec billionaire Jorge Mas and his brother Jose Mas, retired soccer player and part-time Miami resident David Beckham, and Los Angeles-based Ares Management are partners in the development and the soccer team, Inter Miami CF.

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Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes voted against the ordinances at Tuesday’s commission meeting, calling the decision to move forward with the project a “mockery.”

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Commission chair Christine King, and commissioners Ken Russell, Joe Carollo and Alex Diaz de la Portilla voted in favor of changing the land use designation of the property, rezoning the land for the Miami Freedom Park Special Area Plan, and approving the development agreement between the city and the developers for the 73-acre portion of the 130-acre property. The latter required a 4/5 vote.

Beckham’s previous attempts at building a soccer stadium in Miami failed, though the Miami Freedom Park project is a much larger mixed-use development that includes a 25,000-seat stadium.

Overall, the partners plan to build a 750-key hotel, 400,000 square feet of office space, 600,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space mostly within a “soccer village” near the stadium; and nearly 5,000 parking spaces with rooftop sports fields. Arquitectonica, led by Bernardo Fort-Brescia, is designing the plans.

The development agreement also calls for the remediation of 58 acres into a public park.

Greenberg Traurig attorney Iris Escarra, who represents Beckham and his partners, was not immediately available for comment.

Miami Freedom Park’s developers scored final approval of a 99-year lease for the site in April, nearly four years after voters approved that the city and the developers negotiate the lease. Inter Miami has been playing at the temporary home it built over the old Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

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David BeckhamJorge MasMiami City CommissionMiami Freedom ParkSoccer StadiumStadiums