http://www.bizjournals.com/sou...9/03/30/daily48.html

Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 4:26pm EDT | Modified: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 10:03pm
Planning board approves Marlins ballpark
South Florida Business Journal - by Oscar Pedro Musibay

The city of Miami’s planning board on Wednesday night voted 6-1 to approve the design of a $640 million, 37,000-seat ballpark for the Florida Marlins.

The approval came with a couple of conditions, including one from the planning department and one from board member Ernest Martin to keep plazas around the ballpark open to the public year-round. Martin worried that if the large, open spaces around the ballpark were fenced off when the team wasn't playing, it would limit public access to those areas.

City and Miami-Dade County commissioners recently approved five agreements that would define how the project is financed, who is going to build it and how it will be managed.

The city now begins the process of refining how the site will look and work.

In addition to the ballpark's design, the city’s planning advisory board will consider issues related to retail space, residential units and parking.

The board’s role is advisory and can be rejected by the city commission, which will have the final say on all the issues related to the construction of the ballpark.