The New Marlins Park is leaking, and the outfield grass is dying, but apparently thats par for the course for new retractable roof stadia, and they're waiting for it to rain to see where leaks appear, according to Marlins management. Oh, and it's not the immediate real estate catalyst some hoped it would be. This was originally the rationale for why it received that $515 million in public money, covering the majority of construction costs. That $515 million is probably going to waste, because sports stadia rarely affect local real estate. Apparently people go for a three or four hour game, eat a hotdog, and leave. Remember how much the old Miami Arena and Orange Bowl changed things? Well, they didn't at all.
While we're feeling pretty down about the whole situation, Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic of the New York Times, sees the progressiveness of the building despite the flaws (although he admits to the flaws right away), and says "Major League Baseball has its first unapologetic 21st-century stadium." He makes what many architects see as a fiasco seem a little more optimistic. And it's so easy to be pessimistic about half a billion dollars of debt. Thanks Uncle Mike.
· Miami Marlins Working to Plug Leaks in Marlins Park Roof [Miami Herald]
· Real Estate Sales Around Marlins Park off to a Slow Start [Miami Herald]
· The Stadium Gambit and Local Economic Development [Cato Institute]
· A Ballpark That May Be Louder Than the Fans [NY Times]
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