David Beckham's Miami soccer group has already made it clear that the southern tip of PortMiami is their preferred location for a new soccer stadium, and with the release of the first batch of artistic renderings this morning, it's clear why. The stadium, as they envision it at least, would have spectacular views of Miami's skyline through a futuristic roof.
Beckham's group also answered a number of lingering questions about the project in a interview with the Herald published this morning, including announcing plans for a new footbridge so fans could park downtown and confirming that the University of Miami is in talks to play football at the stadium.
Among the biggest questions about Beckham's proposal have been how thousands of fans would get to the park for every game and where they would park. Beckham's group partially answered that question with Arquitectonica's plans for the stadium plaza, which would include a pedestrian bridge along an unused drawbridge already connected to the site.
That would allow fans to park downtown and make a 10 minute walk to the stadium. The planners also claim that since games would be at night, there would be minimal conflict with cruise ship traffic and would allow some parking on the island; they also promised not to schedule games the same nights the Heat are playing.
The soccer group also confirmed to the Herald that they've been in "active discussions" with UM about possibly sharing the stadium for college football games, though they'd have to find a way to bump capacity up from 20,000 to 40,000 for college game days.
Beckham and his principal investor, Bolivian-born billionaire Marcelo Claure, have pledged to pay for the stadium themselves, but as usual, there is one bone for taxpayers to chew on: Since the stadium would be built on county-owned land, Beckham's group would ask for a tax break like the Heat and Marlins have on their properties.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
