With Miami Freedom Park set to open in April 2026, city officials have set a final timeline for the 58-acre public park promised as part of the development, ensuring the first phase opens alongside the stadium and phase two, which delivers the bulk of the greenspace, finishes by next fall. The Miami city commission voted Dec. 11 to amend the construction agreement with Miami Freedom Park, establishing the phased schedule and directing the developer to invest the remaining $10 million of its park contribution directly into park enhancements rather than as a second payment to the city. The updated agreement aims to guarantee that the public park’s core features will be ready by next spring, giving the community usable green space in coordination with the stadium’s opening. When voters approved Miami Freedom Park in 2018, they included a 58-acre public park as a key public benefit of the 73-acre soccer stadium and commercial development. At a Nov. 20 commission meeting, Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who represents the area where the park is located, expressed concern that delays could leave residents facing “a construction site between the stadium and the parking lot and no greenery” once the stadium opens. He proposed a six- to nine-month phased delivery for the park’s core features – including grass, utilities, trails, and small and large pet areas – while leaving additional enhancements, such as extra pickleball courts or bathrooms, for later. City Manager Art Noriega explained that the new plan allows the city to deliver a more user-friendly park and avoid redoing work later. “Originally, as part of the agreement, there was a baseline part with a very limited scope of work that the developer had to deliver back to the city, and then subsequent to that, we would have actually engaged in making the improvements ourselves,” Mr. Noriega said in a Dec. 10 video update on the project uploaded to the city’s social media channels. He continued, “With the new plan, we’re going to extend the timeline for that deliverable and actually deliver a number of the improvements with the park delivery, so that the actual park can be activated in a manner that is way more user-friendly. It also keeps us from having to re-dig back out and make redundant changes to the park physically at a later date. This allows us to do all of this up front.” Under the amended agreement, the public park will progress in four phases, with the first two delivering the bulk of the greenspace by September 2026. Phase One includes key greenspace areas with irrigation, lighting and a dog park totaling about 15,000 square feet with water connections through the existing clubhouse infrastructure. The city expects to complete it by April 2, 2026, or by the stadium’s temporary certificate of occupancy, whichever comes later. Phase Two adds more greenspace, walkways, wellness loops, a playground and fitness area totaling about 48,000 square feet, and the 14th Street parking area with roughly 126 spaces, with completion scheduled for Sept. 15, 2026. Phase Three focuses on sports and recreation, including a one-story, 7,500-square-foot sports center with 5,000 square feet of air-conditioned space and restrooms, 16 pickleball courts, two tennis courts and two basketball courts. Phase Four involves the Woonerf roadway connection spanning east-west from Northwest 17th Street to Miami Freedom Park Drive. The updated agreement didn’t specify a completion date for phases three and four. The updated plan also amends funding terms. Miami Freedom Park LLC, the developer, has already deposited the first $10 million of the $20 million required park fund into a restricted account for park improvements. In lieu of a second payment into the fund, the developer will invest the remaining $10 million directly into constructing the enhanced park. Additionally, the company must contribute at least $7.5 million to cover the cost of baseline improvements required under the original agreement. The post Soccer stadium will open before most of Freedom Park greenspace appeared first on Miami Today. ...read more read less