MIAMI (AP) - The mayor of Miami-Dade County asked David Beckham and his investors late Monday to consider a new site for their proposed soccer stadium.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez sent a letter to Beckham’s real estate adviser asking the group to consider filling a massive boat slip downtown between Museum Park and AmericanAirlines Arena, The Miami Herald (https://hrld.us/1fLx0qQ ) reported. Gimenez said the stadium could be linked through a bay walk to other attractions.
“Miami is blessed by a natural oceanfront location and we must work together to beautify it and open its use for enjoyment to all,” he wrote.
Beckham’s team has been pushing to build their Major League Soccer stadium at PortMiami, but the plan has provoked considerable backlash. An alliance led by Royal Caribbean Cruises argues a stadium there would adversely affect cruise and cargo operations at the port.
In his letter, Gimenez acknowledged that other sites were still under consideration and being studied, including the one at the Port of Miami.
John Alschuler, a consultant for Miami Beckham United and a New York real estate adviser, said Tuesday that the Beckham team was “very excited” about the PortMiami site but that the new one proposed by the mayor, “may prove exciting as well.”
He said having a second downtown site to consider was “a significant step forward.”
Miami is known as the “cruise capital of the world” and the “cargo gateway to the Americas.” The port is currently undergoing several capital improvement projects totaling more than $2 billion in preparation for the expansion of the Panama Canal.
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Information from: The Miami Herald, https://www.herald.com
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