Once the city signs off on the planning, the big item left is the bonds. If that hurdle is reached, we can officially cross off this team from the relocation list, for all practical purposes - Transic

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Thursday, April 2, 2009, 8:42am EDT | Modified: Thursday, April 2, 2009, 9:31am
Miami planning board approves Marlins ballpark permit
South Florida Business Journal - by Oscar Pedro Musibay

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

Project architect HOK Sport Venue Event, now doing business as Populous, made its presentation prior to the vote.

The ballpark's design involves the merging of two themes that are integral to South Florida, the Everglades and the ocean. The themes are represented by two crescents meeting together in the four-corner shape of the retractable-roof stadium, explained Gregory Sherlock, a Populous principal.

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.

Construction on the project, at the site of the former Orange Bowl, is slated to begin this year and be completed by spring training in 2012.

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 on April 23.

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.

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

According to the permit, there will be nearly 62,000 square feet of retail and 96 residential units that will allow a transition between the park and residences along Northwest Third Street.

Longtime area resident Rick Hernandez raised concerns about an area along Fourth Street and Northwest 22nd Avenue, near Citrus Grove Elementary, which has no stop signs and might allow heavy traffic to speed through the neighborhood. He suggested calming circles, an idea park officials said they would consider.

Board member Charles Pruett also raised concerns about the sustainability of some of the plants and about the repetition of the garage's exterior design. Board member Paul Mann asked city officials about the height of the ballpark, which still has to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mann also raised questions about the project's financing and its potential to tap into the city's general fund if money – which is tied to tourist and sports taxes – comes up short. City officials counseled him that the city and county had already voted on the project's financing and that the planning board was only considering the project permit.

Despite the questions and concerns, all of the commissioners, except for Mann, voted for the project permit.

Holland & Knight attorney Ines Marrero-Priegues referenced the role the Orange Bowl, which was demolished to make way for the ballpark, had played in the area since 1937. She said the city planning board was laying the groundwork for the future.

"We're here tonight to build a landmark," she said.