Stadium thread

[PurpleKoolaid]

And if you file a lawsuit I'm not going to be able to move ahead on getting that land and building a stadium until it is settled one way or the other. Which means even if they get everything else done they'd still have to wait until the lawsuit is settled one way or the other. which was probably why he used the words "this year".
He's set on getting a stadium deal done. He supported Arden Hills until the Legislature shot it down. Last week he supported Linden Avenue (over the metrodome site...) and a councilman came out against it, and now word of a lawsuit. It's clear he's doing what he can to get a deal done and isn't the one throwing up hurdles.

No its clear he wanted to do the least amount to get the least amount of plitical heat. He never planned on Arden Hills. Minneapolis was where he always wanted it. And He thinks he can save money on the Dome site. Either way its going to take tax payers dollars cause he cant come up with anything that will work. Hes set on failare. He should take a page out of Bill Clinton's pagebook and learn how to get things done(and no not the Lewinski thing), not blame everyone else. Its politics. Just cause you love the man doesnt change that fact.

[Demi]

No its clear he wanted to do the least amount to get the least amount of plitical heat. He never planned on Arden Hills. Minneapolis was where he always wanted it. And He thinks he can save money on the Dome site. Either way its going to take tax payers dollars cause he cant come up with anything that will work. Hes set on failare. He should take a page out of Bill Clinton's pagebook and learn how to get things done(and no not the Lewinski thing), not blame everyone else. Its politics. Just cause you love the man doesnt change that fact.

I could care less about the man. But at least be honest about the situation. He backed Arden Hills trying to get it done until the Legislature refused to allow the tax increase without a vote. He backed Linden Avenue until he was threatened with a lawsuit and had the city council up in arms. Why is this all so difficult for you to understand? He's trying to get something done regardless of where it's at, or how it's paid for. And being stopped at every turn by another group that's opposed to it.

[CalVike]

It's really pretty simple. The NFL sent in VP Grubman to say words to the effect, "Get this done now or Minnesota will lose control of the situation and the team may well leave." Dayton took the threat of losing the team seriously and is trying to get it done within the next month. The legislature is either taking a calculated risk that the NFL is bluffing on the possibility of relocation or they truly have other priorities and simply do not care what happens to the Vikings.

[PurpleMustReign]

http://finance-commerce.com/2011/12/sta ... metrodome/

Looks like it's that adjacent building. So that's a good question seems like something they'd either already have considered, or get to once something gets going. But would add desperately needed parking and allow Vikings to continue to play in the Dome while it's being constructed?

I believe the problem is who owns the land. The StarTrib owns some of it, and at one point was rumored to be willing to sell it to the Vikings. I'm not sure if that is still the case or not.

[bigskyeric]

I was looking at the Metrodome site on Bing Maps (I don't know Minneapolis) and was wondering if there was even a remote chance that a new stadium could be built there on _adjacent_ land, then turn the current spot into parking. This is essentially what they did with Mile High stadium in Denver, so that they didn't have to play elsewhere while the new stadium was being built. This was logistically a bit easier in Denver, as they were building the new stadium in what was mostly the old Mile High parking lot.

I see a large block of land immediately to the north of the Metrodome, approximately the same area of the current Met site (six city blocks), occupied by only about 8 or 10 older buildings. This would be the area north/south from South Washington Avenue to South 4th Street and the RR tracks, and east/west between South Chicago Avenue and South 11th Avenue. South 3rd Street (shown on the map as the one-way westbound lane of Rt 122) runs through the middle, and would have to be re-routed.

There's also the smaller block to the immediate northwest of the current stadium, occupied by just a single building. This would be needed for rerouting South 3rd Street, and/or for parking.

The plan would go something like:

1. Tear down the structures on the northwest block.
2. Reroute/combine westbound 122 along S 4th St., through this block. (Or else make S 4th St two-way, if feasible).
3. Tear down the remaining structures in the six block area where the new stadium would be built.
4. Build new stadium. The footprint may be slightly smaller than the current one, and it would need to be oriented more east/west. Since this would be a football-only stadium I think this could be easily done, something like the rectangular footprints of the Colt's Lucas Oil Stadium and similar new NFL football fields.
5. Immediately following the final game of the 201x season, tear down the current stadium and begin to build parking in the space. This should be doable in the time frame between January and August, meaning that parking would be available for opening day.

Just from looking at it, this should even give about three times the amount of parking currently available at the Metrodome, which would make a lot of people happy. The key would be being able to acquire the land and buildings on those seven city blocks. And logistically, being able to reroute streets and perhaps the railroad tracks. From the looks of it, those streets and tracks were rerouted a bit when the Met was originally built, so that looks fairly minor.

Here's a pc of the new Mile High Stadium while it was under construction. You can just see the southeast corner of the old stadium, which was still in use at the time.

If you look close at the map (google/bing) you'll see that those parking spaces are all filled. Knowing Minneapolis (which has some of the worst traffic I've seen for a mid-sized city) they'll jump on the chance to make traffic and parking worse. Only because this looks like the worst possible solution to getting the Team a new stadium, I'm confident it will get done. The way they tucked Target Field into what seemed like an impossible space actually impressed me. Minneapolis is not a huge city, but the mindset there is to make it seem bigger then it is. "If we pack a lot of stuff into a tiny space it will seem more bustling". You mentioned the new stadium would have a smaller footprint. The Metrodome already has the smallest footprint in the NFL. And Target Field has the smallest footprint of modern Baseball stadiums. Whatever happens, it will be interesting to watch.

[Juice]

Jeff Goldberg @jgoldbergfox9
Zygi Wilf: "the process has been long but we're working very hard to ensure we have a people's stadium we all can be proud of"

Jeff Goldberg @jgoldbergfox9
Rybak: "we want to score a big one for Minnesota. I think we've made some real progress. We're a lot closer than we were a few hours ago"

Jeff Goldberg @jgoldbergfox9
Dayton: "we made excellent progress today. We plan to meet again next week. In the meantime work will continue"

Tom Hauser @5hauser
Zygi Wilf says all sides are working hard on stadium issue. Sen Julie Rosen says making progress, but no commitment to single site yet.

Jeff Goldberg @jgoldbergfox9
Rosen & Lanning talk of the concerns about the Dome site but won't specifically say what issues are.

Jeff Goldberg @jgoldbergfox9
Wilf: "Arden Hills is not out of the picture.. We are open to the Metrodome..optimistic this will get done"

Jeff Goldberg @jgoldbergfox9
Mayor Rybak: votes will be tough @ Mpls city hall & @ Capitol, but "we think it's a doable deal".

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Well it sounds good, but will the ends justify the means? Only time can tell.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Question: Is it feasible to put the Stadium in the St. Paul area?

[thatguy]

Question: Is it feasible to put the Stadium in the St. Paul area?

Not if there's no local partner willing to put up money...which I haven't heard any yet.

[bigskyeric]

Question: Is it feasible to put the Stadium in the St. Paul area?

There is a pride/superiority thing going on in the cities. I don't ever see it happening. The area would rather it be in an un-heard of suburb then St. Paul. Maybe if the Team left and St. Paul pulled out all the stops to get a new team.....Like what happened with the Wild.

[novellahub]

No move to LA for Vikings in 2012:

http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_19823777

[dead_poet]

Zygi Wilf 'optimistic' on stadium at Metrodome site
But the Vikings owner, who met Dayton and others, isn't giving up on Arden Hills as talks continue.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/sta ... 94413.html

[purple guy]

It seems the team has little or no leverage left. LA ruled out completely. It'll either go where the state wants it, whenever they feel like addressing it, or it wont go anywhere. So, with the Vikings about leverageless, Im betting the state puts it off another year. But hey, at least Dayton will talk about it al lot.

[Cliff]

It seems the team has little or no leverage left. LA ruled out completely. It'll either go where the state wants it, whenever they feel like addressing it, or it wont go anywhere. So, with the Vikings about leverageless, Im betting the state puts it off another year. But hey, at least Dayton will talk about it al lot.

They're reportedly had interest outside of LA so it's tough telling. Hopefully they don't approach it with that attitude.

[purple guy]

They're reportedly had interest outside of LA so it's tough telling. Hopefully they don't approach it with that attitude.

You mean a city other than LA has interest in an NFL team??