Well, that didn’t take long for David Beckham’s latest proposed soccer stadium site to turn up with some problems: Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado notes that unlike the proposed Marlins Park site, in Overtown there would be nowhere for fans to park.
Neisen Kasdin, a Beckham lawyer, replied, “There are ample parking resources in the area — 6,800 spaces within a half-mile proximity, to be exact.” To which Regalado shot back of the notion of fans walking from their cars or mass transit, “I don’t think there is that kind of culture — even the fans that used to walk in their country, they’ve gotten used to their cars.”
A half-mile walk doesn’t seem all that far to me, but then, 6,800 spaces really isn’t enough for a 25,000-seat stadium. A bigger problem is that the proposed site is only 4.2 acres (CORRECTION: actually 9 acres, since Beckham would acquire the block to the south as well); by comparison, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. sits on more than 12 acres:
That might work if you move some streets, maybe? I’m a fan of stadiums squeezed into tight spaces, but still, this looks an awfully difficult fit, even without getting into the parking issues. Which is Beckham’s problem if he goes ahead with it, but still.
It seems like usually when these remarkably precise parking figures are given either 1) the fact that full-time residents might be in some/many of these spots or 2) spectators may be forced to cross dangerous (traffic patterned) streets is overlooked. I suspect both may be true here.
The mass transit plan seems to have similar eyewash–beyond if the station can handle surge traffic of 8,000 folks within a short time. Seems to require crossing over from the transit station would require walking under I-95 (with all its access ramps) and over two large, high-speed avenues, with the most direct route appearing to be a tunnel. Not really a formula for pedestrian safety.
Having “done the walk” at some European grounds, I don’t really see what’s in it for the neighborhood.
Hi, clearly we stated in the press release that we will be buying the block to ghe south from the county/city at fair market calue and will request to close the road on 7th between tge two. Who does your research Neil?
(Unless David Beckham is posting from Canada for some reason, that’s not really him.)
I was going off of the preliminary press reports linked above (NextMiami, in turn cited several places elsewhere), and had missed that Beckham plans to get the block to the south as well. That’d still be a small footprint (9 acres), though obviously way better than 4.2.
Its approximately 9 acres.
The plan also calls for the abandonment of NW 7th Street between the vacant parcel and the industrial parcel to the south – which I believe has yet to be purchase by Beckham Miami.
Of course, NW 7th provides the only direct connection for that part of town across the Seybold Canal. But I’m sure Miamians will be happy to take a few extra left and right turns for Beckham, yes?
Yep, I’ve updated the item, sorry for the acreage confusion.
Neil, anyone who follows soccer knows two things: that Luis Suarez is Barca’s best player and that David Beckham is an expert in location anonymizing applications. You owe David B. an apology.
Do we know how comprehensive the public transit options are? I was just taking a look at Portland’s Providence Park and the adjacent parking options are extremely limited, but they seem to make it work.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Providence+Park/@45.5212787,-122.6931365,567m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x54950a1d983920d9:0xffc461bc589cc5ce!6m1!1e1
The housing to the north is straight out of the last past of Training Day. Should be a fun walk from the nearest light rail station.
Walking to and from the stadium will be more exciting than the soccer matches.
David, we have 166 acres in San Diego that will go vacant in 4 weeks and I bet you can get the city to own the stadium and throw in some other tax breaks as long as you let SDSU football rent the place for 6 or 7 games a year.
I don’t think you can compare Portland and Miami. Portland’s MAX system is one of the best light rail system in the US. While this site does appear close to a Metrorail station, Miami is a very car-oriented city.
Fans are a lot less car dependent than some think. And there will be 3 different forms of rail transit dovetailing at the currently being constructed MiamiCentral Station….
https://m.facebook.com/groups/868454306547722?view=pinned&ref=bookmarks
Teleporter?
“What if we put a giant inflatable stadium in the middle of the ocean?”