January 7, 200719 yr I have to run, someone post the whole thing and maybe later a mod can move it to "stadium" but this appears quite promising. http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/...sp&c_id=fla
January 7, 200719 yr It is sooo becoming a reality I just woke up to the news...Here is the article Miami ballpark deal progressing 01/07/2007 2:29 AM ET By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com BEVERLEY HILLS, Calif. -- Major League Baseball is closing in on finalizing a new ballpark deal in downtown Miami that would keep the Marlins in South Florida for a generation, the sport's No. 2 official said on Saturday night, just prior to the annual dinner held by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation at a local hotel. The ballpark, replete with a retractable roof, would be located in a redevelopment district just miles inland from the American Airlines Arena, which is located on the banks of Biscayne Bay. "Our highest priority this winter is to get a ballpark deal done in Miami," Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball's president and chief operating officer, told MLB.com. "We've had tremendous cooperation from the county manager and the mayor. There have been several meetings and we are really optimistic we can get this done. There's a will to get this done. It's necessary for the Marlins. We're committed to baseball remaining in South Florida." The ballpark is projected to be funded in a 60-40 percent public-private partnership between the city of Miami, Dade County and the Marlins, DuPuy said, with the public funding coming from hotel-motel, facility and redevelopment district taxes. A sales or income tax that would directly affect Dade County citizens is not contemplated nor is state money at the moment. The deal wouldn't have to go to a public vote, but it would have to be approved by the Miami City Council and the Dade County Board of Supervisors, added DuPuy, who has become the point man for MLB and the Marlins on the project. In South Florida, after a deal in Miami to build the facility on land near the Orange Bowl fell through several years ago when a $30 million gap in the project's cost couldn't be closed, the Marlins were allowed to explore moving the franchise to another state. But a possible shift to San Antonio was essentially nixed by MLB, which has decided to keep the team where it is. A ballpark proposal from nearby Hialeah seems to have stimulated resolve in Miami for building the stadium there. Asked if a deal was imminent, DuPuy stopped short of that assessment. "Imminent is a difficult word," he said. "Everyone is working very hard and I do believe everyone is committed to getting it done. So I would hope that this winter we could finally bring it resolution." Since 2002, MLB's stadium efforts have been bifurcated, to say the least, between Montreal/Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Oakland and Florida. But each of the first three situations now seemed to be resolved. Since the Marlins expanded into the National League in 1993, they have played in what is now called Dolphin Stadium, an open-air football facility that is home to the NFL's Miami Dolphins. The baseball team has a lease to play there through 2010, but has been told it must find a new venue by 2011. The Marlins have won the World Series twice in their short existence (1997 and 2003), but three separate ownership groups have found it nearly impossible over the past decade to fund and build a new ballpark in South Florida, until now. Jeffery Loria and his group of minority partners purchased the Marlins on Feb. 15, 2002. Loria had previously owned the Expos, but he and president David Samson failed to get a new stadium in Montreal to save that franchise for Quebec. At the same time, MLB purchased the Expos from Loria, John Henry, the previous Marlins owner, became part of a group that bought the Red Sox. Despite defeating the Yankees to win the 2003 World Series, Samson claimed that the Marlins were losing in excess of $30 million a year. After the Miami stadium deal collapsed in 2005, Loria ordered player payroll cut, and it was reduced to $15 million this past season. Though the Marlins were surprisingly competitive, they drew a National League low 1,165,120 at home, well below the league average of 2,598,741. They attracted a high of 3,064,847 during their inaugural 1993 season, but since then have only exceeded 2 million once -- in 1997. The current stadium is located north of downtown Miami not far from Fort Lauderdale. DuPuy said the Marlins need a ballpark that has a retractable roof, giving fans certainty that games will be played during summer months in South Florida when the heat and humidity is a constant and showers are always expected. "It's a vertical audience in South Florida," DuPuy said. "In order to draw fans down to Miami from (Broward County) they need to know that the game is going to start on time and be over in two to three hours. That's the opinion of MLB and that's the opinion of the Marlins. A retractable roof is essential in making this situation work."
January 7, 200719 yr I really believe the Marlins finally got their gift on " El Dia de Reyes" (Three Kings Day). The deal only requires approval of the City of MIami and the Dade County Board and those are a given! Should we be expecting an official anouncement by March? If that is the case Let me start Bob Dupuy's campaign for baseball next commisioner right now!
January 7, 200719 yr Author There are some interesting tidbits here. 1. If 60/40 and assuming $500 million, with interest, the Marlins contribution will be in the vicinity of $265 million which probably translates into $50-75 million upfront the remainder in rent. It really depends on how much is available in CDT, RDA and PSFT, which has been accumulating since years before this whole thing started with the current ownership group. 2. Yes, a retractacle roof. Was there ever any doubt? 3. "...would be located in a redevelopment district just miles inland" implies it is NOT either of the two downtown sites most talked about (south of Miami Arena or on government land adjacent to the County Hall) which are both less than a mile from the AA. Caveat: this could just be the reporter's lack of understanding of the city of Miami, the actual site or its proximity to downtown. On the otherhand it could be (WILD AZZ GUESS) in fact a couple of miles inland which would place it as far away as the airport vicinity or more likely north of McArthur Causeway in the most blighted area of the city (near Rinker's cement plant) where local real estate developers poured bazillions of dollars in to buy up land in hopes of building mega $ housing before the bubble burst and are now stuck holding the bag. (This perhaps could bail some well-connected sorts out of trouble) Think roughly just north of 395 at 2nd/North Miami Avenue for several blocks east and west. The area can only be described as "Desolation Row". Having a stadium project that could be an anchor to a legitimate redevelopment of the area (as opposed to another Crosswinds project) and is just what that area of Overtown could use as well as Wynwood (another potential area). Alternatively, it could even be west of 95 into Allapata which needs all the help it can get.
January 7, 200719 yr Being in a redevelopment district also opens up funding from those special tax districts but I don't think they are going to have trouble with the funding plan put forth in that article. I wonder how MLB caved in to let the Marlins pay 40% though. I believe that is a new high for a public-private partnership not in San Francisco. I am wondering if they will still come to Tallahassee to try and milk the rebate possibly for capital expenditures down the road.
January 7, 200719 yr Wonderful news to wake up too...now we just need to know the exact site....too bad i won't be in downtown to see it but I will be in downtown to support it!!!
January 7, 200719 yr Being in a redevelopment district also opens up funding from those special tax districts but I don't think they are going to have trouble with the funding plan put forth in that article. I wonder how MLB caved in to let the Marlins pay 40% though. I believe that is a new high for a public-private partnership not in San Francisco. I am wondering if they will still come to Tallahassee to try and milk the rebate possibly for capital expenditures down the road. Any idea of the exact site cape? It is great news and sounds very interesting indeed. Would these extra finances make it so there would be no funding gap at all?
January 7, 200719 yr Wow why does this seem to good to be true. And as for as the "Desolation Row" thing.......no worries..........you should see the area that surrounds Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Its a freakin war zone and there are plenty of other major sports teams that play in bad areas.
January 7, 200719 yr The Marlins aren't really paying 40% here. As Marlins2003 correctly pointed out, the majority of that is rent payments. Maybe 50-75 Million upfront. Of course, there are some here(RFerry) who insist MLB would never allow this. Perhaps MLB and Loria have come to terms on what to do with the money involved in that loan forgiveness thing, as in, "ok, you've got your loan forgiveness, now put up some real upfront dough towards the stadium".
January 7, 200719 yr i've been really impressed with DuPay so far and am cautiously optimistic that this time it will all work out I one day want to travel for opening day in a beautiful new stadium
January 7, 200719 yr I've said all along.. I don't care where they put the stadium.. From Palmetto Bay to Pompano Beach.. I don't care, as long as the team remained in South Florida... I live in the Cooper City/Davie area, so the current location is ideal for me. But I would most definitely drive down to downtown Miami to catch some games.... And I've been telling people for years, once MLB takes an active role in the stadium negotiations, it will get done. I know it's not a done deal yet, but this is the best news we've heard in regards to the new park to date. I am friggin thrilled to hear this. And to hear DuPuy say that they'd like to resolve this in the winter gives us an actual timeline to look forward to. Up to now, we'd just been hoping that it would happen at some point. I get the feeling that they want this crap resolved before the season starts.. I really hope that I'll be taking my son to Marlins games in downtown Miami in a few years...
January 7, 200719 yr :hat i'm getting pumped.this is great. if bob dupuoy feels this way,we MUST be close.vie the MIAMI MARLINS!!!!!!
January 7, 200719 yr This article is great news. It would be very surprising if this doesn't get done. Marlins2003, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the reporter's likely lack of understanding of Miami lead him to write "miles from the American Airlines Arena." I think we are clearly dealing with the Government Center site here.
January 7, 200719 yr Fine with me. The only thing that worries me is traffic. Imagine if there's an event at AAA and a Marlins game starting or ending at the same time. Yikes.
January 7, 200719 yr The Marlins aren't really paying 40% here. As Marlins2003 correctly pointed out, the majority of that is rent payments. Maybe 50-75 Million upfront. Of course, there are some here(RFerry) who insist MLB would never allow this. Perhaps MLB and Loria have come to terms on what to do with the money involved in that loan forgiveness thing, as in, "ok, you've got your loan forgiveness, now put up some real upfront dough towards the stadium". The rent payments will go towards the debt on the ballpark. So they would be payments toward the ballpark and a contribution. The "down payment" up-front is not all they are giving.
January 8, 200719 yr The Marlins aren't really paying 40% here. As Marlins2003 correctly pointed out, the majority of that is rent payments. Maybe 50-75 Million upfront. Of course, there are some here(RFerry) who insist MLB would never allow this. Perhaps MLB and Loria have come to terms on what to do with the money involved in that loan forgiveness thing, as in, "ok, you've got your loan forgiveness, now put up some real upfront dough towards the stadium". Never once have I said that MLB wouldn't allow anything. I've said that MLB's interests are linked to Loria and any role they'd have would be with Loria's blessing and any plan they'd propose would accomodate Loria. What I believe I said MLB would not allow or do is the betrayal of one of their members in response to some of the proposals by members of this board, such as forcing ownership change, eliminating the relocation threat or forcing him into a deal he found disagreeable. That aside, rent payments have been a fundamental part of MLB's latest stadium boom. In many cases, teams have contributed funds up front. This is hardly new in baseball. In fact it's hardly new to the Marlins. Loria has been offering up front funds dating back to 2004 ( http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/baseball/ar..._25_archive.htm ; http://capefish.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_ca...sh_archive.html ). Sorry if you were too busy moaning about Loria's contributions that you chose to distort rather than acknowledge that fact.
January 8, 200719 yr We've been here before, multiple times. I'll believe it when I see it. Only thing that I find of interest in this article is that MLB believes it can find a way to get financing without state money.
January 8, 200719 yr We've been here before, multiple times. I'll believe it when I see it. Only thing that I find of interest in this article is that MLB believes it can find a way to get financing without state money. I'm with you on only believing it when it....however, the fact that a high ranking MLB official is that optimistic that something will happen soon is encouraging news.
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