Orlando city leaders yesterday approved an agreement that "provides the closet look yet of the features" of a new $84M soccer stadium, according to Mark Schlueb of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. The construction agreement was "approved unanimously by the City Council" and "spells out the process for building" the facility. The city will own the stadium, while USL Pro club Orlando City SC, which is set to join MLS in '15, "will act as the developer." It is "the same arrangement" the city and the Magic "used to build the Amway Center." Mayor Buddy Dyer said the team "will be on the hook for any cost overruns." Orlando City COO Brett Lashbrook said that a lot of consideration is "going into the design of what will be a more intimate stadium than the Citrus Bowl, where the team played last season." Schlueb notes Populous will design the stadium and "be paid from the team's portion of the funding, avoiding the need to go through the city's public bidding process." There also will be "a 4,000-square-foot team store, corner terraces and a lot of fan amenities." The stadium will contain "about 2,500 club-level seats, where premium ticket-holders will also have access to a 4,000-square-foot club with a buffet and bar." Between general admission, club level and suites, there "will be roughly 18,000 seats." The field "would be open to the sky, but the seating bowls on the east and west sides would be under a roof." Team owners have said that they "would like to begin playing in the new stadium" during the '15 season. But the agreement approved yesterday "pegs the completion date as Feb. 1, 2016" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/1).
