Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez said on Monday that the county should consider using the site designated for Miami United's new arena for affordable housing as David Beckham's planned MLS franchise bid stalls.
Beckham had his franchise plans, tentatively called Miami Beckham United, cleared in 2014, but has struggled to reach a deal with Miami-Dade County over a new stadium and his plans could be delayed until 2019.
Last year, the ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy midfielder's ownership group purchased land in Overtown on which to build a stadium, but still need to acquire more.
According to the Miami Herald, Suarez made his comments during a meeting of the county's Housing and Social Services committee. He suggested the land be used to address Miami's housing gap with projects for middle-income buyers.
"How long are we going to negotiate for the use of that [county-owned land] before we decide that maybe that ought to be made available for some affordable housing?" he told the committee. "Are we going to wait for these folks forever before we use that property for something more?"
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez told the Herald that he is ready to negotiate the sale of a three-acre vehicle depot for the stadium complex there. This is the land Beckham's group need to complete the stadium. But county officials claim they haven't heard anything from Beckham's team in months.
"Are they bringing a stadium there?" Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, whose district includes the proposed stadium site, said to the newspaper. "I haven't heard anything.
"They would have to get the residents in that area to agree to it," Edmonson said in an interview. "I'm going to follow the lead of my Overtown residents."
Beckham's group also includes his agent Simon Fuller, and businessmen Marcelo Claure and Tim Leiweke, who brought Beckham to the Galaxy in 2007. They are still seeking the investor dollars needed to build the facility expected to cost more than $200 million to develop.
MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed over the weekend that Los Angeles will be the only expansion team to debut in 2018.
"We're making progress toward our goal of fielding a team in 2019," the ownership group's publicity firm said in a Feb. 28 statement. "And we appreciate the strong support of our fans as our kick-off draws closer."