David Beckham has finally achieved his goal of bringing Major League Soccer (MLS) to Miami, but the prospect of a stadium without parking that drives up housing costs in a low-income neighbourhood is no hit with residents
David Beckham
David Beckham has finally achieved his goal of bringing Major League Soccer (MLS) to Miami, but the prospect of a stadium without parking that drives up housing costs in a low-income neighbourhood is no hit with residents.
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The former England captain was formally awarded an MLS franchise on Monday, but key details remain up in the air, such as its name and logo and when it will debut. For the 25,000-stadium, the investor group led by Beckham has acquired land in an area called Overtown, a working class district between downtown and Little Havana. They still need to buy one more piece of land, but for now the deal is held up in court by a lawsuit. The investors are confident they will prevail.
But Ernest Martin, a member of the Miami River Commission remarked: "One problem is that Miami is already choked with traffic and the stadium will not have its own parking lots. People in the neighbourhood fear housing costs that are already rising will force them to move away as they keep going up. Our voices are not being heard sufficiently."
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