Vikings "very, very close" to stadium deal

[FSUViking 184]

Minnesota Vikings 'very, very close' to Arden Hills stadium deal

By Dave Orrick

dorrick@pioneerpress.com

Updated: 05/06/2011 06:07:30 PM CDT

 

The Minnesota Vikings are "very, very close" to reaching an agreement with Ramsey County to build a stadium in Arden Hills, a Ramsey County commissioner involved in negotiations told the Pioneer Press on Thursday.

 

Also Thursday, Hennepin County Board Chairman Mike Opat abandoned his pursuit of a stadium at the site of the Minneapolis Farmers Market, according to a letter he sent to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton.

 

With backers of a new stadium on the site of the Metrodome scrambling to put together a financing proposal as the Legislature's session approaches a May 23 adjournment, the developments appear to make the notion of the east metro landing the team — originally presumed to be a long shot — a real possibility.

 

Their hope appears to be getting a thumbs-up from Dayton and key lawmakers that the state can pay for at least some of the needed transportation improvements.

 

"We are very, very close to coming to a full proposal with the Vikings," said Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega, one of two commissioners who have been in talks with the team for months. "We have a few i's to dot and t's to cross. The big nut to crack, so to speak, is the transportation issue."

 

http://www.twincities.com/ci_18003590?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

 

SOURCE: St. Paul Pioneer Press

 

Arden Hills is about 10 minutes north of St. Paul, FYI. I would have preferred the proposed site next to Target Field & the Target Center, but as long as the fucker gets built!! Gah....we're so close! Sorry, L.A. There's always Jacksonville!

[Trinatas 8]

SOURCE: St. Paul Pioneer Press

 

Arden Hills is about 10 minutes north of St. Paul, FYI. I would have preferred the proposed site next to Target Field & the Target Center, but as long as the fucker gets built!! Gah....we're so close! Sorry, L.A. There's always Jacksonville!

True dat.

 

I am just curious as to whether or not we're looking open air or closed roof.

[FIDDYDEUCE 81]

FINALLY. Those winters are brutal but if the Bears and Pack can deal with it then there shouldn't be an issue with an open stadium in Minnesota. It would be great to see.

[BigBen07 285]

FINALLY. Those winters are brutal but if the Bears and Pack can deal with it then there shouldn't be an issue with an open stadium in Minnesota. It would be great to see.

 

Yeah, no roof means no worries about literally getting snowed in.

[FSUViking 184]

Another sign that the deal is immanent, the Star Tribune reported the Vikings are going to up their contribution from 33% to 40% which makes several stadium opponents quite happy.

 

 

True dat.

 

I am just curious as to whether or not we're looking open air or closed roof.

 

It will have a roof. Whether it's retractable or fixed is the issue. The state wants a roof because they want other events there and the Vikings want a retractable roof. One reason is because the Wilfs want to get an MLS team.

[BigBen07 285]

Another sign that the deal is immanent, the Star Tribune reported the Vikings are going to up their contribution from 33% to 40% which makes several stadium opponents quite happy.

 

 

 

 

It will have a roof. Whether it's retractable or fixed is the issue. The state wants a roof because they want other events there and the Vikings want a retractable roof. One reason is because the Wilfs want to get an MLS team.

 

A fixed roof would suck. I understand the MLS and other events angle, but what's the big deal about playing football outdoors? Many Northern teams do it and most of them have open-air stadiums.

Edited May 8, 2011 by BigBen07

[Trinatas 8]

A fixed roof would suck. I understand the MLS and other events angle, but what's the big deal about playing football outdoors? Many Northern teams do it and most of them have open-air stadiums.

We're talking about more usage should it have a roof. I mean whats so hard to understand about that? Does the state or county give a shit whether or not its more macho to play a football game outdoors in December? No. Dropping millions on a new facility, you can bet they'll figure out a way to maximize usage, year-round.

[FSUViking 184]

Now Minneapolis decides to get in the mix.

 

 

Minneapolis leaders propose Vikings stadium plan, Target Center upgrade

Article by: KEVIN DUCHSCHERE and STEVE BRANDT , Star Tribune

Updated: May 9, 2011 - 3:34 PM

Mayor R.T. Rybak and City Council President Barbara Johnson proposed that the city pay about 22 percent of the cost of a new football stadium on the Metrodome site.

 

Minneapolis officials announced a plan Monday that not only would build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings on the Metrodome site for $895 million but also renovate the city-owned Target Center for $95 million.

 

Mayor R.T. Rybak and City Council President Barbara Johnson made the announcement at an early afternoon news conference at the State Capitol, two weeks to the day before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.

 

The city plan would charge an admission tax on stadium events, raise the cost of parking during NFL game days and expand a downtown hospitality tax on hotels, restaurants and liquor to go citywide. It also would impose a 0.15 percent sales tax, similar to one that Hennepin County established to help pay for Target Field.

 

The city's share of the stadium cost would be $195 million, or 22 percent of the total. The Vikings would pay $400 million, or 45 percent, while the state of Minnesota's share would be $300 million, or 33 percent, the officials said.

 

The plan also would create a public authority to own and manage the Vikings stadium and the renovated Target Center, home of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball franchise. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor expressed support for the plan at the news conference.

 

Rybak called the plan "a game-changer,'' saying it is "sensible, affordable and builds on the investment we already have here'' at the Metrodome site. He said the project would create up to 9,000 construction jobs.

 

Rybak said the Vikings are aware of the city's plan but have not made a commitment to a site. The city is competing with Ramsey County, which wants to lure the Vikings to the northern suburb of Arden Hills, to partner with the team and the state on a new stadium.

 

The Vikings have said repeatedly that they would pay a third of the cost of a stadium. But late last week Ted Mondale, Gov. Mark Dayton's chief stadium negotiator, said the team understood that it would have to raise its contribution to roughly 40 percent. Previous estimates have put a new stadium cost at an estimated $700 million to $900 million, depending on whether or not it has a roof.

 

The plan unveiled Monday likely would require approval by the Minneapolis City Council, a body of 13 members that includes several opponents of public financing for sports facilities. Some general opponents of public financing on the council, such as Gary Schiff or Lisa Goodman, have been more open to user fees paid by sports fans or stadium users.

 

Council member Robert Lilligren also has been skittish about public financing, while members Betsy Hodges and John Quincy are declared opponents.

 

Rybak opposed city subsidies for a ballpark while running in 2001, only to change course weeks after the election under the threat of league contraction eliminating the Minnesota Twins.

 

Using special taxes now devoted mostly to financing the Minneapolis Convention Center's building debt and operating deficit will pose opportunity costs. Such a move would make future improvements less likely at the center, and could cut into the transfer of money to the city's general fund and other uses such as Target Center.

 

The Legislature also would need to override the Minneapolis voter-approved 1997 city charter amendment that prohibits using more than $10 million in city funds for a pro sports facility without a referendum.

 

That includes $10 million in a variety of forms, including tax-increment financing, loans and site preparation that includes needed infrastructure.

 

Restructuring the Target Center's debt likely would require approval by the city's Board of Estimate and Taxation. Carol Becker, one of that board's two directly elected members, said she won't vote for a stadium unless the team is publicly owned.

 

"There's no reason we should be paying for every freaking stadium," she said. "The suburbanites say, look at how high their taxes are. Then when a proposal comes along, they want us to pay for it."

 

Meanwhile, a group is planning to meet Sunday at the downtown Minneapolis library to organize against any taxes that would be imposed to support a new stadium.

 

 

SOURCE: Minneapolis Star Tribune

[WindyCitySports 407]

I really wish they wouldn't put a roof on it. In my opinion, football is much better when played outside. Plus, it would help the Vikes be more prepared when they have to come to Chicago or Green Bay, having been playing all their home games outside as well.

[BLUE 1,026]

Posted May 10, 2011 @ 5:06 p.m. ET

By PFW staff

 

The Vikings and Ramsey County announced a deal Tuesday for the new Vikings stadium to be built in Arden Hills.

 

The new stadium's site will be on the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant property. It will be a 1.6 million-square-foot retractable-roof multipurpose stadium.

 

The project will cost a total of $1.057 billion. The Vikings will commit $407 million and the state of Minnesota has committed $300 million. According to the press release from Ramsey County, the county will finance its $350 million share with a half-cent sales tax increase.

 

The city of Minneapolis had proposed a stadium at the site of the Metrodome, projected to cost $900 million. The Arden Hills site costs more because of improvements to transportation options for fans heading to the stadium.

 

"We are going to bring back the old traditions of tailgating. This is what our fans want and this is what everybody wants to experience," Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said at Tuesday's press conference. The site is estimated to have 21,000 parking spaces.

 

The Vikings' current home, the Metrodome, is having its roof replaced after it was damaged by a December snowstorm. The Vikings had to play one home game at Ford Field in Detroit and another in TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

 

Source: ProFootballWeekly.com

[WindyCitySports 407]

Interesting that it isn't going to be in Minneapolis.

[BigBen07 285]

Posted May 10, 2011 @ 5:06 p.m. ET

By PFW staff

 

The Vikings and Ramsey County announced a deal Tuesday for the new Vikings stadium to be built in Arden Hills.

 

The new stadium's site will be on the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant property. It will be a 1.6 million-square-foot retractable-roof multipurpose stadium.

 

The project will cost a total of $1.057 billion. The Vikings will commit $407 million and the state of Minnesota has committed $300 million. According to the press release from Ramsey County, the county will finance its $350 million share with a half-cent sales tax increase.

 

The city of Minneapolis had proposed a stadium at the site of the Metrodome, projected to cost $900 million. The Arden Hills site costs more because of improvements to transportation options for fans heading to the stadium.

 

"We are going to bring back the old traditions of tailgating. This is what our fans want and this is what everybody wants to experience," Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said at Tuesday's press conference. The site is estimated to have 21,000 parking spaces.

 

The Vikings' current home, the Metrodome, is having its roof replaced after it was damaged by a December snowstorm. The Vikings had to play one home game at Ford Field in Detroit and another in TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

 

Source: ProFootballWeekly.com

 

There we go! The roof questions are answered. WINTER FOOTBALL IS COMING (BACK?) TO MINNESOTA!!!

 

Cost of the stadium is unsurprisingly high, due to the improvements.

Edited May 10, 2011 by BigBen07

[badgers 380]

I really wish they wouldn't put a roof on it. In my opinion, football is much better when played outside. Plus, it would help the Vikes be more prepared when they have to come to Chicago or Green Bay, having been playing all their home games outside as well.

 

Historically, I think the Vikings did better when they're home stadium was outdoors.

[FSUViking 184]

Ramsey County Announces Partnership With Vikings For New Retractable-Roof Stadium

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

County and Team Reach Agreement on Site, Financing Plan for New Stadium (Vikings Official Release)

 

Eden Prairie, MN (May 10, 2011) – Ramsey County officials announced today they have reached an agreement with the Minnesota Vikings to be the team’s local partner in the effort to secure a new stadium in Minnesota. The site of the publicly-owned stadium – a new retractable-roof, multi-purpose facility – will be the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant (TCAAP) property in Arden Hills. The agreement reached by the team and the County calls for an $884 million stadium and an additional $173 million for on-site infrastructure, parking and environmental costs, bringing the total project costs to $1.057 billion. The Vikings will commit $407 million to the project - 44% of the stadium costs and 39% of the overall costs. The team and the County are currently working with State legislative leaders and the Minnesota Department of Transportation on identifying costs and funding options for off-site road improvements, estimated to be $7 million per year.

 

“Reaching an agreement with Ramsey County as our local partner is a major milestone in our efforts to finalize a long-term stadium solution, and we are pleased to have found such a strong and forthright partner,†said Zygi Wilf, Vikings owner and chairman. “While we certainly appreciate the proposal by the City of Minneapolis, as well as the recent efforts by Hennepin County, we believe the Ramsey County site offers the most benefits to our fans, the team and the State and is the ideal site for a new stadium.â€

 

The 260-acre Ramsey County site is only 10 miles from both Minneapolis and St. Paul, providing easy access to fans from the entire metro area, as well as the team’s many fans throughout Minnesota and the upper Midwest. The location and the retractable roof will also make the new stadium an attractive option to potentially host large-scale events like European and Major League Soccer, the NCAA Final Four, college football Bowl games and a Super Bowl. Finally, with an estimated 21,000 parking spaces, the site will bring back the long-time tailgating tradition, give the team and its fans a “Vikings destination†and make NFL games a day-long fan experience with friends and family.

 

“With a local partner and a site locked in, we can now focus on working with legislators and the governor to pass a stadium bill that secures the long-term future of the Vikings in Minnesota and supports thousands of much-needed jobs,†said Mark Wilf, Vikings owner and president. “We look forward to working with State leaders to determine the State’s contribution.â€

 

Not only will a new stadium support thousands of jobs, it also will spur significant new economic activity at a time when the State desperately needs it. The stadium project is estimated to support 13,000 full and part-time jobs, including 7,500 construction jobs during the three-year construction period. Nearly $300 million of the overall project costs will be wages for construction workers, who currently have an unemployment rate of nearly 20%, and approximately 95% of the total materials and labor costs are expected to go to local tradespeople in Minnesota.

 

The stadium bill was introduced in the House and Senate in April by lead sponsors Representative Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead) and Senator Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont), and the first committee hearings are expected to be scheduled soon.

 

SOURCE: KFAN

 

 

 

Vikings move forward on plans for Arden Hills stadium site

NFL.com Wire Reports

Published: May 10, 2011 at 03:40 p.m.

Updated: May 10, 2011 at 04:43 p.m

 

The Minnesota Vikings announced a plan Tuesday to abandon their longtime home in downtown Minneapolis by backing a proposed new stadium site in a suburb about 10 miles away.

 

In a news conference, team and Ramsey County officials said a "new stadium proposal in Arden Hills" will feature a retractable-roof, multi-purpose facility on the site of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant property in Arden Hills. The agreement reached by the team and the county, calls for an $884 million stadium and an additional $173 million for on-site infrastructure, parking and environmental costs, bringing the total project costs to $1.057 billion. The Vikings will commit $407 million to the project -- 44 percent of the stadium costs and 39 percent of the overall costs. The team and the County are currently working with State legislative leaders and the Minnesota Department of Transportation on identifying costs and funding options for off-site road improvements, estimated to be $7 million per year.

 

"While we certainly appreciate the proposal by the City of Minneapolis, as well as the recent efforts by Hennepin County, we believe the Ramsey County site offers the most benefits to our fans, the team and the State and is the ideal site for a new stadium," Vikings owner and chairman Zygi Wilf said.

 

The stadium project is estimated to generate 13,000 full and part-time jobs, including 7,500 construction jobs during the three-year construction period, the team said in a news release. Nearly $300 million of the overall project costs will be wages for construction workers, who currently have an unemployment rate of nearly 20 percent.

 

"With a local partner and a site locked in, we can now focus on working with legislators and the governor to pass a stadium bill that secures the long-term future of the Vikings in Minnesota and supports thousands of much-needed jobs," Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said.

 

The announcement comes just a day after Minneapolis officials pitched a plan to keep the team downtown, where the Metrodome is located. It also came just hours after Gov. Mark Dayton said fixing up roads near the Arden Hills site would likely cost at least $175 million and up to $240 million if it includes restaurants, hotels and other amenities.

 

Still, Dayton said he could support either site as long as the state share doesn't exceed $300 million -- about a third of the estimated cost of building a new $900 million stadium. Ramsey County officials have suggested a half-cent county sales tax increase to pay the local share.

 

Under a bill pending at the Legislature, the state share of $300 million would be raised by a 10 percent state sales tax on sports memorabilia, a sales tax on luxury seats at the new stadium and on digital video recorders, and proceeds from stadium naming rights and a football-themed state lottery game.

 

The Vikings would pay the remainder of construction costs. Team officials did not return calls Tuesday in advance of the afternoon announcement, but Ramsey County commissioners Rafael Ortega and Tony Bennett have said negotiations appeared close to finished.

 

Ortega said the transportation costs released by Dayton were not the final hangup. "When we come out with our proposal, you'll see how we deal with those costs," he said.

 

Vikings officials were cool Monday to the Minneapolis proposal, saying the proposed team share of $400 million was too high for that site.

 

The Vikings have been seeking a replacement for the Metrodome for about a decade, saying the venue is no longer sufficiently profitable. While team officials once expressed a preference for staying at the Metrodome site, recent weeks have seen a growing emphasis on the Ramsey County proposal, which would offer the possibility of a much larger stadium and entertainment complex.

 

Dayton said he believed the whole deal could come together in the less than two weeks left in the legislative session.

 

"I think it's very possible and very doable," Dayton said. "It's also possible that it won't."

 

SOURCE: NFL.com

[BigBen07 285]

Historically, I think the Vikings did better when they're home stadium was outdoors.

 

Question: when was the last time the Vikes had an outdoor stadium? I'm not sure when.

[oochymp 2,393]

Question: when was the last time the Vikes had an outdoor stadium? I'm not sure when.

the Metrodome was built in the early 80s, before that the Vikings played outside

 

one question I have about the retractable roof is what are the chances they actually leave it open in true winter conditions? I bet the roof will be closed for every game after September

Edited May 11, 2011 by oochymp

[FSUViking 184]

 

Looks like they want to create a Vikings version of Patriot Place.

[WindyCitySports 407]

Historically, I think the Vikings did better when they're home stadium was outdoors.

Historically? It is impossible to say that the team will play better with an indoor stadium because they played better in the 80s-present than they did when they played outdoors in the 60s-80s. You can't measure over such large amounts of time.

[badgers 380]

Historically? It is impossible to say that the team will play better with an indoor stadium because they played better in the 80s-present than they did when they played outdoors in the 60s-80s. You can't measure over such large amounts of time.

 

I'll admit I have no statistics to back up my claim, I was going on the fact that the Vikings appeared in 4 Super Bowls prior to playing regularly in the Metrodome (1981) and since that date have not appeared in a SB.

 

The 1970's was a time that the Vikings were rather dominant, with their Purple People Eater defense, and they played outdoors.

 

I don't know whether their record was better from 1960-1980 than 1981-2011, but I think that Vikings fans who witnessed the entire history of their team would feel that their team was better when they played outdoors on week to week basis.

[badgers 380]

Goodell says the NFL will be contributing financially to the new stadium..

 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Tuesday morning to discuss the Vikings stadium situation.

 

The Vikings are trying to close on a stadium deal with Ramsey County where the team would contribute $407 million and the county $350 million, but the deal is contingent on the state contributing $300 million to the project and solving the infrastructure issues surrounding the stadium site in Arden Hills that could cost up to another $175 million.

 

Dayton indicated the state's contribution would be capped at $300 million and any additional dollars would have to be generated in user fees.

 

Goodell said the NFL will contribute to the stadium project financially, but details on how that contribution would be made and how much it would entail are still being developed. Those details, Goodell says, will be revealed in coming days.

 

More here

Edited May 17, 2011 by gobadgers77