Ramsey Co formally enters the Viking Stadium solution (Minneapolis, Blaine: sales, hotel)

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by queenswake

The thing about today's football stadiums is that the owners want massive parking lots for the tailgating revenue. They don't earn anything from fans taking light-rail to the games. With the size and parking needs of today's stadiums, it does make sense to put them out in areas where they have a lot of space. But that's for stadiums that don't host as many other events that the Metrodome currently does. In the Twin Cities, the stadium really needs to be closer to the city because of all of the other events it hosts outside of football. So many people live south and west of the metro and you need a central location.

The Arden Hills site is only 10 miles North of the Metrodome and factoring in the time it takes to creep and beep along the typical downtown gridlock, it would add little (if any) to a typical commute from most any location.

The Metrodome side of downtown is too far away from the current development focus within the warehouse district and would only dilute those ongoing efforts. They tried it once before and the grand development consisted of Huberts Bar. Time to kick-start the north metro development and provide the tailgating experience that has been absent for so long most people don't even realize what we once had in Bloomington.

[queenswake]

The problem is that this stadium is going to be around for at least 20 years. It's kind of dumb to be putting destinations like stadiums way out in the sticks away from central transit hubs. I wonder why a site near the MOA wasn't considered. Close to the airport, closer to their fanbase(the Vikes have said that the majority of their ticket holders live in the southern and western suburbs). It would create a real destination and parking could be shared. It's really dumb to build something that massive that can only be used 10 times per year out alone with nothing else around it.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Both suggestions have their advantages and disadvantages. Overall I still think it makes more sense to build the new stadium on the metrodome site, both from a transportation infrastructure and convenience standpoint and from a cost-effectiveness standpoint.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

I'd definitely be okay with a MOA location, but as long as they stay in town and taxpayers don't get SCREWED I'll take anything within reason!

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by queenswake

The problem is that this stadium is going to be around for at least 20 years. It's kind of dumb to be putting destinations like stadiums way out in the sticks away from central transit hubs. I wonder why a site near the MOA wasn't considered. Close to the airport, closer to their fanbase(the Vikes have said that the majority of their ticket holders live in the southern and western suburbs). It would create a real destination and parking could be shared. It's really dumb to build something that massive that can only be used 10 times per year out alone with nothing else around it.

That would be the perfect site. However, when the MSFC sold the Met Center site to the MAC, they included a poison pill stipulation requiring that the land could not be used for a baseball or football stadium. That restriction remained even after the MAC swapped land with the MOA. That's why with all the potential locations being discussed, there is never any mention of this prime piece of real estate. None of the MOA Phase II plans ever mention this potential use and the Ghermezians are more interested in building more mall, a water park, hotel and office space.

[krillbee]

Has anyone looked at the roadway system around the TCAAP site in Arden Hills? How on earth would it support the level of traffic that this new stadium would bring? Even if Highway 10 had no stoplights, that isn't going to be enough. I could see them busting out a roadway exit solution like Killbrew Drive down by the MOA, but that would screw over all the businesses and residences around that site.

What roads do we have in that region that veer off of the interstates besides Highway 10? Will Hwy 96 and Cty Rd H be able to handle all the extra traffic? This is doubtful. The metrodome works well in it's current location because downtown was a spot that MN-DOT prioritized for high car traffic flow way back in the 60s, long before the metrodome was built. Downtown was built up with the purpose of getting numerous cars in and out.

How can an arsenal site that's been shut down for 50 years be prepared to handle the influx of traffic that would result from this?

Not only that, but the lack of pulic transit to this site is another issue. It just reinforces the notion that football is a suburban sport, and that Americans who love their football watching also love to drive.

Do you think that Ramsey County is going to build a billion dollar light rail line to a 700 million dollar stadium? Not a chance! There would be no point to that anyway as there is nothing else out there. It is an abandoned ammunition site in the middle of the country.

[audadvnc]

This looks like an opportunity to run a light rail line out to Arden Hills.

Has the arsenal been shut down for 50 years? I did work out there in 1980 and it was going full steam.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by krillbee

Has anyone looked at the roadway system around the TCAAP site in Arden Hills? How on earth would it support the level of traffic that this new stadium would bring? Even if Highway 10 had no stoplights, that isn't going to be enough. I could see them busting out a roadway exit solution like Killbrew Drive down by the MOA, but that would screw over all the businesses and residences around that site.

What roads do we have in that region that veer off of the interstates besides Highway 10? Will Hwy 96 and Cty Rd H be able to handle all the extra traffic? This is doubtful. The metrodome works well in it's current location because downtown was a spot that MN-DOT prioritized for high car traffic flow way back in the 60s, long before the metrodome was built. Downtown was built up with the purpose of getting numerous cars in and out.

How can an arsenal site that's been shut down for 50 years be prepared to handle the influx of traffic that would result from this?

Not only that, but the lack of pulic transit to this site is another issue. It just reinforces the notion that football is a suburban sport, and that Americans who love their football watching also love to drive.

Do you think that Ramsey County is going to build a billion dollar light rail line to a 700 million dollar stadium? Not a chance! There would be no point to that anyway as there is nothing else out there. It is an abandoned ammunition site in the middle of the country.

I thought the freeways around Arden Hills were very adequate and it seems like they could take twice as much traffic and still be okay. Hwy 10/610 was widened a decade ago and it looks like it can take on a huge capacity. There's also major streets in that area that connect to the rest of the city, like 47 and 65.

Also, that Ammunitions site is slated to be mixed-use and they could easily fit 10,000 residents or more there, along with shopping and offices. There's tons of space and the location is pretty sweet considering how much vacant land there is in proximity to downtown Minneapolis AND St. Paul. If they decided to pull a "Tyson's Corner" they could turn that site into a suburban-urban downtown and city, with 30,000 or more residents and maybe 5 million square feet of office and 2 million square feet of retail. It won't happen, but they COULD.

[knke0204]

The stadiums that are located outside of the central cities for one thing and one thing only - SPACE.

New York City only WISHES it could have it's stadium in one of the boroughs.

Boston is too dense, and it's stadium is out in the sticks.

DC's team plays in Maryland, because DC is too dense.

San Diego plays away, because there is no room in downtown San Diego.

Dallas plays in Arlington, lame.

Downtown stadiums are attractive, and a commodity. Big cities are big time, and the NFL is big time.


Having a stadium downtown should be something that is desired. Look at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.. It's gorgeous, situated RIGHT downtown. When I go to Twins games, I spend money on a ramp, I stop for a few drinks before the game and after.... When I went to a Phillies game in Philly, the stadium is on the south end of the city, away from any type of establishments. We pretty much hopped off a train and walked to the stadium, left the stadium and hopped on a train back to downtown. pretty lame if you ask me.

[audadvnc]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Also, that Ammunitions site is slated to be mixed-use and they could easily fit 10,000 residents or more there, along with shopping and offices.

But I wouldn't want to live there; the groundwater has been permanently ruined by decades of toxic chemical dumps dating back to WW2. Remember that big water shunting project that went through NE Mpls in the early 1990's? They were lowering full sized trucks down a 40 foot wide, 100 foot deep hole in an intersection near my house. At the time, the toxic underwater plume reached from Arden Hills to the Mississippi River.

Putting a new house on old Arsenal land would be like putting it in the Love Canal. Hope you like 3 headed frogs...