Homestead council approves ground lease for $275 million sports complex at Homestead Regional Park

The Homestead City Council on July 30 approved a resolution authorizing a ground lease and development agreement with VSGS Facilities LLC to develop a multipurpose sports facility, stadium, sports academy and related improvements at Homestead Regional Park.

The 7-0 vote followed presentations by the city administration and the developer team, public comments from nearby property interests and community groups, and a brief council discussion about park hours, naming-rights restrictions and school access.

The lease and development agreement — described in the resolution read into the record — commit the developer to provide guaranteed public access to specified fields and park amenities (listed in Exhibit H of the draft lease), pay rent under a schedule included in the lease, share certain event and ancillary revenues with the city, and pay applicable taxes, permits and impact fees. Developer representatives said the investment will total about $275,000,000 in improvements and is projected in the packet to support approximately 4,084 construction jobs and 513 permanent jobs after stabilization.

Dennis Scribe, counsel for the developer, said the plan "is going to be, an excellent project for the city" and highlighted guaranteed city use of the stadium for up to three days and seven days of guaranteed use for the Homestead Rodeo. Scribe and other project representatives also told the council they expect naming-rights revenue, hotel-room surcharges and ticket surcharges to be shared with the city.

Council members pressed for clarifications on public access, hours and sponsorships. Several council members asked that the contract include language to prevent certain types of sponsorships; developer counsel indicated the proponent would not solicit "adult entertainment" sponsors. Councilman Davis asked for a formally stated restriction on morally objectionable sponsors; the administration said it would work with the city attorney and the developer to insert appropriate language.

Key operational details discussed on the record include: - A guaranteed minimum public-access schedule for multipurpose fields, courts, playground, restroom facilities and certain parking parcels (identified in Exhibit H of the lease packet). The administration and developer said the schedule will be managed to preserve nonpeak public access and to accommodate school and youth programming when practicable. (Exhibit H is referenced on the record; the packet was made available to council.) - Specific event-use guarantees: up to three days of guaranteed city use of the stadium and up to seven guaranteed days for the Homestead Rodeo; the Rodeo Association told the council it will bear operation and maintenance costs for rodeo days at the stadium. - Revenue-sharing sources listed by the developer: ticket surcharges, hotel-room surcharges, naming rights and participation in capital events. The lease also contemplates payment of building permits, impact fees and taxes.

Public commenters raised concerns about two issues the council discussed at length. Viking Investment Group counsel Jason Bass asked the council to reconsider a developer right-of-first-refusal that currently applies to a 160-acre parcel connected to other city-owned mitigation property, saying it "diminishes the value of the property greatly" for other prospective projects. The developer team said the right of first refusal would not be triggered unless the developer paid the required fee by a commencement date and that the parcel remained available during the inspection period.

Representatives of Keys Gate Charter School and AYSO sought assurances about continued access and student safety. Daniel Verdier, head of schools at Keys Gate, asked how the school’s nonexclusive parking and access rights would be preserved and whether construction-site safety and worker vetting would protect students during school hours. City staff and the developer said the site plan was drawn with the school's leasehold interests in mind and that the build-out would not encroach on areas where the school has exclusive rights; they also said access and security details will be refined in construction-level plans.

Other items on the record: the developer and city noted a draft memorandum of understanding with the Homestead Rodeo Association is attached to the lease packet; city staff said the MOU had been executed and included in council materials. The administration confirmed it retained a feasibility consultant (CES Consulting LLC) earlier in the process to study rodeo-site options and clarified that the consultant is not the deputy city manager.

Before the final roll call, the council approved a motion — made by Vice Mayor Fletcher and seconded (second not specified on the record) — to adopt the resolution and amended the motion on the floor to delegate authority to the city manager and the mayor to make nonfinancial, ministerial adjustments before signature. The mayor described the deal as a "world class park with no real outlay on the city's part." The roll call vote recorded all seven members voting yes; the motion carried.

Council and staff said next steps include finalizing any nonfinancial legal descriptions and naming-clause language during the inspection period, coordinating scheduling with Keys Gate Charter School and AYSO, and moving through permitting. On the record the mayor said construction was expected to begin "in early March or earlier" (as part of council remarks about timing). City staff and the developer said they would continue stakeholder outreach, including with the Homestead Rodeo Association and Miami-Dade County and would work on public safety planning with the police department.

The action approved by council was a resolution authorizing execution of the ground lease and development agreement between the City of Homestead and VSGS Facilities LLC for development of the Homestead Regional Park site.

Ending: The council adjourned after the unanimous vote and expressions of thanks to staff and community partners; staff said they will return with finalized documents and proceed through the inspection and permitting steps described on the record.