MIAMI -- For 70 years, the Orange Bowl has been synonymous with football. It's been the home of the University of Miami, the Miami Dolphins, numerous college bowl games and a half dozen Super Bowls.

In the not so distant future, the grounds will begin a baseball tradition.

Several months ago, officials from the city of Miami, Miami-Dade County and the Marlins were able to hammer out a binding stadium agreement that will eventually make the Orange Bowl site a big league baseball destination.

A 37,000-seat, retractable-roof park is slated to open on the grounds in 2011, and behind the scenes representatives of all sides are working diligently to accelerate the $525 million project.

Marlins president David Samson says the month of May is focusing on how the stadium will look -- outside and inside.

Representatives for the stadium are working with HOK Sports, the world-renowned, Kansas City-based architectural firm that is designing the facility.

"We've spent many hours going from room-to-room with HOK, and figuring out exactly what is happening with the stadium," Samson said. "We're looking at different seating areas. How the offices are going to look. How the suites are going to look. How the clubhouses are going to look. How the press boxes are going to look. Literally, we're going room-by-room from the top level of the stadium, all the way to the bottom. That's taking up a lot of our time right now."

HOK is dealing with a design committee, comprised of people from the city, the county and the ballclub, to come up with the overall look of the stadium, and how it is going to fit into the Little Havana neighborhood, where the Orange Bowl is located.

Little Havana is about 1 1/4 miles from downtown Miami, and there will be views of downtown from the new ballpark.

"We want to incorporate downtown because it is not very far," Samson said. "If you think about it in New York City terms, our stadium is going to be on 85th [Street] and Park Avenue, and downtown is on 60th and Park Avenue. That's how close it is to downtown. We want to make it a whole feel, not only of Little Havana, but of downtown."

The final drawings remain months away from being unveiled, but the building will have a modern design, complete with shapes and forms. Team owner Jeffrey Loria, an art dealer, envisions a state-of-the-art building that will lure in visitors globally.

"It's going to be very colorful," Samson said. "Something Jeffrey thinks about, with his incredible eye, is how things look. It's really an exciting project, and I can't wait for the unveiling of this project, which will come soon.

"We want to have the culture of Miami. For example, we can picture having a place to drink coffee, a place to smoke cigars, a place to have Cuban food. It's really to capture the diversity of our population. We want something for everyone."

The Marlins also are open to fan input and suggestions. Samson encourages e-mails to his D.Samson@flamarlins.com address, offering ideas.

Already the team is incorporating a fan's request for better seating sight lines. So plans are in the works for every seat to be angled toward the infield.

The stadium itself will be among the smallest in the league. It is projected to be 960,000 square-feet, and the team is seeking to create an intimate atmosphere, where fans are literally on top of the action.

Also in the works is an area behind home plate that typically is designated for Major League scouts.

"We know that fans are interested in scouts," Samson said. "So we're going to have a seating area where fans and scouts can sit together. Like the scouting area behind home plate, there are going to be season-tickets sold there."

An objective is to have different areas for each type of fan. Party suites for groups will be included, and they will be able to accommodate gatherings as small as 10 or as large as 200.

A recent e-mail suggested renaming the highway that runs by the stadium. The fan inquired about changing the "Dolphin Expressway" to the "Marlins Expressway." Samson called the concept interesting, but he isn't sure if it is possible to get local leaders to move forward on the name change.

"To the extent that we can incorporate people's suggestions, we will do it," Samson said. "That's a hard one."

What the team can control is affordability of tickets at the park.

"We already are the most affordable ticket price of all the South Florida professional sports, and we will remain so in the new stadium," Samson said. "There will be thousands of seats that will be extraordinarily affordable. Let's put it this way, fans won't be unable to go to the new stadium because of price.

"Now there are going to be fewer seats, and there will be a higher demand for tickets. Fans will have to buy them earlier, but there will be affordable tickets available. The fans are going to be right on top of the action. That is one thing we want to promote, which is being part of the game."