The plans for the $250 million revamp of the Dolphins Stadium are discussed in the Miami Herald. Plans include:
- 400ft green and blue glass wall at club level with panoramic city views
- 360,000 additional square feet
- Large open air deck for outdoor events
- Cocktail stations
- Fantasy Lounges “trimmed in American walnut and brimming with high-definition TVs, the Club Level promises to rival the action on the field.”
- Kohler-designed restrooms
Miami Dolphin officials claim that that stadium is being positioned to be “at the crossroad of Disney with magic, Ritz-Carlton with service, Google with technology and innovation and Broadway with live performance.”
This is all very exciting and will definitely provide a much needed boost in economic activity in and around Miami Gardens, Carol City, and Miami Lakes. This major renovation, however, seems to accentuate the Marlins’ no-ballpark plight. As it is, Dolphins Stadium is impersonal and excessively large for a baseball stadium. Now with the Fins getting their act together and the Marlins stadium plans still in limbo, Loria will probably feel even more itchy about getting the plans for his franchise’s stadium expedited. The problem is, there is no clear plan for funding construction, no site officially selected, and a State Legislature that is becoming increasingly hostile to the notion of tax payer funds being used for ballpark construction, which boggles my mind considering the tremendously positive impact these facilities have on job creation, property values, tax revenues, and the overall local economy.
Images Source: The Miami Herald
