Vikings Stadium Miscellaneous Discussion

[moda253]

I think that we have to get away from the space being this or that and focus more on the surrounding area being a park devoted to all sorts of physical activities. Soccer, tennis, skate park, ice skating in the winter possibly a short CC skiing course. I know that some in the community were leaning towards it becoming green space if the stadium wasn't going to be put there. So why not still work with that in mind. the city doesn't "Have" to grow in that direction -and frankly there isn't that much room to grow that way. But with the housing in the near area I think having a park type area that is focused on various physical activities is a GREAT way to get people down there and a great use age of the space.

Prediction though.... with soccer fields and that sort of thing. I bet we see gameday picnicing instead of tailgaiting. Which may not be so bad.

[nasa35]

I think that we have to get away from the space being this or that and focus more on the surrounding area being a park devoted to all sorts of physical activities. Soccer, tennis, skate park, ice skating in the winter possibly a short CC skiing course. I know that some in the community were leaning towards it becoming green space if the stadium wasn't going to be put there. So why not still work with that in mind. the city doesn't "Have" to grow in that direction -and frankly there isn't that much room to grow that way. But with the housing in the near area I think having a park type area that is focused on various physical activities is a GREAT way to get people down there and a great use age of the space.

Prediction though.... with soccer fields and that sort of thing. I bet we see gameday picnicing instead of tailgaiting. Which may not be so bad.

No, you don't understand the culture of football. It will be tailgaiting, which is fantastic. pun intended.

[reeckman]

One place to watch for this activity would be Elliot Park, which is 2 blocks south of the dome site. Elliot Park has a small skate park. This skate park may be moved slightly and redone, however, to make room for a full size turf soccer field that was proposed recently. If the soccer field goes in right there, where the baseball field is, it would be partly funded by North Central University.

So if skating and soccer are in order, we won't want to double up within a few blocks.

If open space were appropriate I'd rather see a reflection pond before a skate park, mostly for the serenity and aesthetic value. But a half frozen pond and tailgaters seems to be a bad combo.

I don't think that the new Vikings stadium area needs so much open space! Vikings tailgating lots and plazas are already a must for fans, but soccer fields and skate parks require additional open space. I don't see these uses of open space as dual duty either, unfortunately.

I believe that Minneapolis is ready for more, and can attract people in on a daily basis. First, the Central Corridor light rail line will be up and running well before the Vikings stadium is finished. This will connect U of M students, literally one stop from the west bank and two stops from the east bank. I believe students still have to drive to the Quarry to get groceries and things, and many students don't have a car, or the money to shop at Lunds. The potential for drawing students in on the light rail needs to take center stage. i.e. if a hotel is going in, there could be a e.g. Trader Joes in the main level of it, which would serve the residential areas by the river too. Some other retail and a bar/restaurant or two will need to go in, and above that definitely mid rise residential between 3rd and 4th Sts.

I like the idea of a linear park connecting to downtown along 5th, merging nicely from the light rail tracks to tailgating lots with some creative landscaping, making it feel livable and fun. Imagine being the Vikings fan with a condo and a balcony along "stadium alley" hosting tailgating parties. And your view of downtown and the stadium every day. I like the idea of lighted large screens to give a Times Square feel, merging with the scrolling lighted signs of the Guthrie nearby. The beautiful historic Armory should be renovated for Vikings hall of fame, warming house for tailgaters, and host other indoor sporting events. The real potential for this area is a place to live, work, shop, go to school, and have fun, all in one place. Yikes, I think I just talked myself into wanting to live there, and I'm not even a sports fan.

[dmdhashw]

I think that we have to get away from the space being this or that and focus more on the surrounding area being a park devoted to all sorts of physical activities. Soccer, tennis, skate park, ice skating in the winter possibly a short CC skiing course. I know that some in the community were leaning towards it becoming green space if the stadium wasn't going to be put there. So why not still work with that in mind. the city doesn't "Have" to grow in that direction -and frankly there isn't that much room to grow that way. But with the housing in the near area I think having a park type area that is focused on various physical activities is a GREAT way to get people down there and a great use age of the space.

Prediction though.... with soccer fields and that sort of thing. I bet we see gameday picnicing instead of tailgaiting. Which may not be so bad.

No, you don't understand the culture of football. It will be tailgaiting, which is fantastic. pun intended.

[nasa35]

I think that we have to get away from the space being this or that and focus more on the surrounding area being a park devoted to all sorts of physical activities. Soccer, tennis, skate park, ice skating in the winter possibly a short CC skiing course. I know that some in the community were leaning towards it becoming green space if the stadium wasn't going to be put there. So why not still work with that in mind. the city doesn't "Have" to grow in that direction -and frankly there isn't that much room to grow that way. But with the housing in the near area I think having a park type area that is focused on various physical activities is a GREAT way to get people down there and a great use age of the space.

Prediction though.... with soccer fields and that sort of thing. I bet we see gameday picnicing instead of tailgaiting. Which may not be so bad.

No, you don't understand the culture of football. It will be tailgaiting, which is fantastic. pun intended.

[ECtransplant]

i.e. if a hotel is going in, there could be a e.g. Trader Joes in the main level of it, which would serve the residential areas by the river too. Some other retail and a bar/restaurant or two will need to go in, and above that definitely mid rise residential between 3rd and 4th Sts.
[. . .]
The beautiful historic Armory should be renovated for Vikings hall of fame, warming house for tailgaters, and host other indoor sporting events.

If these things happened, it would be amazing not only for the Vikings Stadium related development, but for all of downtown.

[reeckman]

More appropriately, sports bars under the hotel, and Trader Joe's under the mid rise residential. I like the idea of Trader Joe's because it is popular enough to draw in students and staff, and affluent neighbors, and tailgaters who run short on food or drinks. Trader Joes also usually have small parking lots, and, it would be the first one in Minneapolis.

[reeckman]

What else will students want? They will probably be more inclined to transfer light rails there, to get to the Mall of America than to go to Rosedale, especially the students living on campus who are least likely to have cars. Or, maybe they will shop at Nicollet Mall and Target. When I went to the U I rarely went downtown. I recall thinking it was too complicated to get there and pay to park, etc. Light rail will be pretty hassle free for students.

[Nathan]

Best Buy, Apple, Gamestop, IKEA...

But I also think it's more likely for students to live farther from campus... Elliot Park and ride over there. Some affordable housing, not necessarily student oriented but not subsidized either would be nice.

[reeckman]

I like the Apple store idea a lot. And the thought of some student housing--light rail would offer a nice alternative to other off campus living where students currently have to bike to class.

I walked around over there and noticed that the front of the new stadium will be roughly in alignment to the City Hall clock tower (i.e. the tall clock with neon hands lit up). And was kind of inspired by that. Working with that symmetry could offer a grander "Stadium Mall" layout, bookended with the stadium on one end and the clock tower rising above the other. Star Trib bldgs would be gone. Tailgating could be roughly a 1 x 3 block area between 4th and 5th Sts with landscaping and the linear park along the long sides and maybe a fountain/sculptural landmark in the middle along this center line of symmetry but right next to Portland. The Armory would face this mall area from the south, and the hotel and 6 story housing with retail, Apple, Trader Joes, sports bar, restaurants etc, all lining the entire length of the northern side of the stadium mall area.

[reeckman]

Sorry, the stadium renderings show it centered more on 5th St side rather than 4th St side of the block where the clock is, so symmetry would have to be forced a little more than I first thought.

[Didier]

Maybe I'm alone, but I don't see the area around the Metrodome becoming a magnet for student-based retail.

[reeckman]

Students will have visibility more than ever before possible when the light rail Central Corridor is finished in 2014. I think the light rail will help shape the student experience and get them downtown to the stone arch and Hennepin and to the mall of america for something to do, and the airport for out of staters. I envision students at that Downtown East station getting out and walking, or standing and transferring, or staying on the light rail and going downtown. The developers would be remiss in not considering the student visibility and the direct linkage to the U of M.

Free light rail passes could be part of the care package students get for orientation.

[Didier]

It's not like there's a giant wall up right now stopping U students from going downtown, especially to the area around the Stone Arch Bridge. I think it would be positive to better connect the university to downtown, but I'm just not really understanding your vision. I don't really think there is an exploding demand for new student retail, especially in an area well off campus.

[reeckman]

I actually think 35W acts a wall. Many students living on campus are pedestrians. The two light rail stations on the East Bank will be near many of the dorms and student oriented housing like Dinnaken and Argyle, and the new Stadium Village Flats. The Quarry and Rosedale serve students retail needs currently by car, but the light rail would offer a path of least resistance, and really allow students to put off getting their own car a little longer. I think we just have to give them something easy to go to, and Downtown East has that potential.

[Nathan]

Students on the East bank have the River and i35W to contend with (virtual walls). If they want to get something they would rather drive than make that trek. But with the Green Line going through East it could be very different. Especially if there are any number of activity things around the stadium that the communities are wanting. As well as I said the potential to live in DT East. Easy to get to campus, but be a little more urban and walkable to DT without needing a car. I know a LOT of upper classmen, or grad students that dislike living in Dinkytown, would like Uptown but that makes transit tough (the 2 bus, yikes), Then they would want some stuff close for shopping and living. I think North Loop and The Mill District are great but Elliot park is where a lot could happen. They have some good ideas and desires in their neighborhood plan.

[min-chi-cbus]

Does anyone know how late the Central Corridor will run on weeknights/weekends? It'd be GREAT public transit for anyone wanting to go downtown to drink, especially from the U, but only if it runs late enough.

[mulad]

When I was a student at the U, I definitely felt constrained by the river, the highways, and the rail lines. And sometimes when you get past those barriers, things are still not so comfortable -- the Metrodome vicinity being a prime example. Students would rarely wander down Washington Avenue from Seven Corners when it just had parking lots on both sides, and the freeway ramps right there are not really for the faint of heart.

Anyway, the Central Corridor is supposed to operate on a schedule similar to Hiawatha, ending service between 1 and 2 in the morning and resuming service around 5. The 16 bus, currently planned to terminate at Oak Street on the west end during the day, will continue into downtown for nighttime "owl" service. Today the 16 only runs once an hour when it's that late, and I'm not sure it'll be any more frequent once the LRT is running.

[LRV Op Dude]

by min-chi-cbus
Does anyone know how late the Central Corridor will run on weeknights/weekends? It'd be GREAT public transit for anyone wanting to go downtown to drink, especially from the U, but only if it runs late enough.

Green Line: Weekday: 5:00 am to 1:00 am Saturday: 5:00 am to 1:00 am Sunday: 5:00 am to 1:00 am

During the Owl hours, 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.,Route 16 bus service will operate in place of Green Line.

Maybe you can talk the City of Minneapolis to pay for a "vomit comet" on the Green Line on Friday and Saturday nights. The city pays Metro Transit for the Blue Line "vomit comet"

Vomit Comet= refers to the nickname the operators gave the last train on Friday and Saturday nights

[reeckman]

Interesting article today about development surrounding the site of the new stadium:
http://www.startribune.com/local/minnea ... page=2&c=y

And, here's a detailed study on the Central Corridor showing bus ridership and student populations, among many many other things.
http://metrotransit.org/Data/Sites/1/me ... Report.pdf