Is that a spaceship I see or is that the Marlins New Ballpark ? ?

THE BOTTOM LINE: The design doesn't bother me as much as that the ballpark is going to be totally surrounded by parking decks . . . Your not going to really be able to see the ballpark because of it . . . I guess Jeff Loria (Marlins Owner) is going to make a killing off parking ($20 per game at least). Im sure the folks who live around the stadium will still make a little bit of money of street side concessions and parking . . .


Marlins New Ballpark Website


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Vote on Florida Marlins' stadium coming Feb. 13


Published by: MiamiHerald.com
Written by: CHARLES RABIN AND JACK DOLAN

Posted: Jan. 28, 2009

Miami and Miami-Dade leaders are poised to cast rapid-fire, historic votes that could end the decade-long search for a permanent home for the two-time World Series champion Florida Marlins.

If approved Feb. 13, the partially glass-encased, 37,000-seat facility with a retractable roof would rise to face the downtown skyline from the Little Havana grounds where the revered Orange Bowl once stood.

The votes, required for five contracts that must be approved before ground can be broken, could be vindication for team owner Jeffrey Loria, who, like the two owners before him, suffered through a series of broken last-minute deals at the hands of government.

Passage is not guaranteed, as construction and management agreements require a two-thirds majority vote by county commissioners. And, even if approval comes, critics question whether the dire economy could derail construction and cause the county's borrowing cost to jump. Yet the team has never been closer to having its own stadium, with renderings and final contracts released Tuesday, and supporters saying the public-works project will infuse the economy with jobs.

As County Manager George Burgess released the terms of the five remaining contracts, city of Miami staff members unveiled previously unseen stadium renderings.

The stadium would be surrounded by garages and parking lots that could fit up to 6,000 vehicles, intersected by walkways, with a grassy open field to the northwest just above home plate. In between the field and home plate is the stadium's ``Grand Entry Plaza.''

Total cost, including parking spaces: $609 million, with almost two-thirds coming from the county, and the city donating land. The team is contributing $120 million, and will repay the county another $35 million via rent payments.

TEAM CONCESSIONS

Burgess said the Marlins -- who would become the Miami Marlins -- agreed to a host of contract concessions, moves likely to help shore up support of the two contracts requiring a two-thirds County Commission approval. The other contracts to be approved involve an assurance agreement and deals for parking and nonrelocation. ''We got more because I felt like we needed to get more,'' said Burgess. Among the changes:
• If Loria sells the team next year, the county would get 18 percent of the profit, a share that diminishes annually until year eight, when the county would no longer share in the profit.
• The ball club's $2.3 million in yearly rent will go up by 2 percent each year.
• Extra costs incurred due to scheduling or problems between the contractor and subcontractors will now be paid by the Marlins.

The Marlins or any potential buyer would be obligated to play at the Little Havana ballpark for 35 years, the team will give away 10,000 free tickets to youth groups each year and 1,000 seats for each home game will go for $15.

''He's [Marlins President David Samson] probably throwing darts at our pictures as he speaks. He's made a lot of concessions,'' said Burgess. Not exactly. Reached Tuesday, Samson called the deal fair and said he will meet personally with the 18 commissioners from the two boards over the next two weeks. ''We had very strict marching orders from Jeffrey,'' Samson said. ``That was to save baseball in South Florida.''

GOVERNMENT PAYMENT

The county's share of the stadium's cost is likely to rise. That's because Miami and Miami-Dade have agreed to split the cost of moving electrical lines and road improvements, expected to be as high as $10 million each. Both governments will also pay $1.7 million to keep the Little Havana ballpark green. Also, because of rising interest rates, the county's ultimate cost over the 35-year-agreement may rise by millions of dollars. To pay the yearly nut, the county will rely on tourist taxes. Its most recent budget predicts growth in tax revenue but acknowledges that the stream of money ``could be affected by economic conditions.''

Tourist taxes already pay for the Performing Arts Center, the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Homestead Miami Speedway and the AmericanAirlines Arena. Any of the three parties -- city, county or team -- can kill the deal by July 2009 if bonding is in jeopardy. The county gets more days to use the stadium, with 50 percent of the profits going to yearly stadium capital improvements. The county and city each get use of a suite for 40 games. The team gets all the revenue from the stadium, including the naming rights, which could exceed $2 million a year.

BARRIERS & INCENTIVES

The question now is whether the team's contract changes will be enough to persuade a County Commission that barely passed a series of votes a year ago to keep the stadium deal alive. Because there was no bidding for the construction or management groups -- both hired by the Marlins -- a two-thirds majority of the 13-member County Commission must vote to accept. County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, a stadium-deal skeptic, said the Marlins aren't paying enough. He also fears that the souring global economy could undermine the county's plan to pay for its share through loans and hotel bed taxes.

''Last I heard, tourist revenues were down,'' he said. As for interest rates to be applied to bonded money, ``Are we just going to roll the dice and hope they are not too bad?'' Commission Chairman Dennis Moss, a stadium supporter, agreed that the current economic climate is tough but said it can't last forever. ''Clearly, there's risk involved,'' Moss said, ``but it's kind of a leap of faith.''

In contrast with earlier approvals, which critics felt were rushed with little public input, Moss insisted that commissioners get at least two weeks to review the new proposal, which includes more than 350 pages of contracts, budgets and artists' renderings. ''I hope by then we have enough information to vote this thing up or down,'' Moss said. ``That's going to be the big day.''

To sweeten the pot, Major League Baseball agreed to pay $3.2 million to build a youth baseball academy in Hialeah. It comes with a caveat: Commissioners must pass the vote before the academy is built. County Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz said MLB's input goes a long way. ''I think they're generally interested in helping the kids in our community,'' he said. Loria and Samson believe that a new ballpark, with money from concessions and corporate suites, will keep the franchise in South Florida.

FACE TO THE FUTURE

Annually ranking near the bottom of baseball in payroll and attendance, the Marlins have long cried foul about the team's lease agreement with H. Wayne Huizenga at Dolphin Stadium. That lease ends after the 2010 season, but the new ballpark will not be ready until Opening Day 2012. Team officials hope to work out a one-year lease with soon-to-be Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

Samson said Loria has good relationships with the banks ''that are eager to do business with us.'' The team doesn't have to pay its $120 million until construction is almost complete -- giving it the benefit of accumulating cash through ticket sales before it borrows money. County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, trying to sell the deal in a county with a skyrocketing unemployment rate, said Tuesday that the stadium was being built for the community -- not the Miami Marlins.

''Let's not forget -- right now a stadium means jobs, thousands of jobs,'' the mayor said.

Miami Herald staff writer Larry Lebowitz contributed to this report.

 

Looks neat, but expensive. I can't imagine that a ballpark vote will pass in this economy.

 

What's with all the creepy, translucent people?

 

Yeah, and it's so unrealistic. There's no way that many people go to Marlins games.