DTE: Wells Fargo, Radisson Red, Edition Apts & Millwright Building

[Tyler]

People (fans) tailgate AT EVERY stadium. The tailgating haters knew this, why would that offend you? Arden Hills was the better spot, no doubt, but it's dwtn. Deal with the realities, not the wish.

What the hell are you talking about? What are these realities? You think your "SAVE THE SURFACE PARKING!" protest is going to be successful?

[mplsjaromir]

But nobody tailgates at Target Field?

Are there any other urban NFL stadiums we can compare ours to?

Seattle, Pittsburgh, maybe Chicago. Chicago is usually $50 a game tailgate in the limited lots around the stadium. Seattle, judging from Google Maps does not have very much nearby surface parking near the stadium. Pittsburgh has quite a bit of parking right along the riverfront.

[spearson]

Deal with the realities, not the wish.

I think you're living in denial. The reason tailgating is so prevalent is because nearly all the NFL stadiums are surrounded by surface parking. This just re-enforces Mulad's point.

Fedex Field: Surrounded by parking lots
Metlife Stadium: Surrounded by parking lots
Lambeau Field: Surrounded by parking lots
Arrowhead Stadium: Surrounded by parking lots
AT&T (Cowboys) Stadium: Surrounded by parking lots
Mile High Stadium: Half surrounded by parking lots
Sun Life Stadium: Surrounded by parking lots
Bank of America Stadium: No Surrounding parking - downtown stadium, similar to metrodome setup.
Superdome: Surrounded by huge parking ramp - downtown
Cleveland browns stadium - very limited nearby parking, and actually crappy parking everywhere.
Ralph Wilson Stadium - surrounded by parking lots
Georgia Stadium - limited near by parking
Reliant Stadium - looks to be surrounded by more parking than all stadiums combined - wow.
M&T Bank Stadium - decent near by parking
Qualcomm Stadium - surrounded by parking
Candlestick Park - surrounded by parking
LP Field - surrounded by parking
Gillette Stadium - surrounded by parking
Lincoln Financial Field - surrounded by parking
EverBank Field - surrounded by parking
Raymond James Stadium - surrounded by parking
Paul Brown Stadium - ample parking on two sides
Heinz Field - ample parking on two sides
Ford Field - no surrounding surface lots - lots of ramps though
Metrodome - we know how it is
University of Phoenix Stadium - surrounded by parking lots
Lucas Oil Stadium - ample near by parking - downtown
Soldier Field - ample nearby parking
Oakland Coliseum - surrounded by parking

[RailBaronYarr]

Seattle's one major parking lot to its north is being re-developed: http://www.northlotdevelopment.com/stadium_place.html

[Gregory]

But nobody tailgates at Target Field?

Are there any other urban NFL stadiums we can compare ours to?

Seattle, Pittsburgh, maybe Chicago. Chicago is usually $50 a game tailgate in the limited lots around the stadium. Seattle, judging from Google Maps does not have very much nearby surface parking near the stadium. Pittsburgh has quite a bit of parking right along the riverfront.

no one tailgates baseball, too many games.

YET THEY all tailgate at football games. Again, that's the reality. The utopian concepts still need to mesh with reality. There will be tailgating, get over it.

[mullen]

went to vikings bucs game in tampa a few years ago. what's interseting about tampa is that stadium is right smack in the city but they have some surface lots nearby. not a huge amount but there are surface parking lots. i think that says more about land use in tampa, though.

went to a florida gator football game...stadium right smack on the campus. there isn't a lot of parking close to the stadium. people just tailgated where they parked on campus or close to campus and then either walked to the stadium or got on shuttle buses. u don't need acres of surface parking adjacent a stadium to tailgate.

[Gregory]

went to vikings bucs game in tampa a few years ago. what's interseting about tampa is that stadium is right smack in the city but they have some surface lots nearby. not a huge amount but there are surface parking lots. i think that says more about land use in tampa, though.

went to a florida gator football game...stadium right smack on the campus. there isn't a lot of parking close to the stadium. people just tailgated where they parked on campus or close to campus and then either walked to the stadium or got on shuttle buses. u don't need acres of surface parking adjacent a stadium to tailgate.

exactly. Give tailgators an option and they will take advantage.

[RailBaronYarr]

People (fans) tailgate AT EVERY stadium. The tailgating haters knew this, why would that offend you? Arden Hills was the better spot, no doubt, but it's dwtn. Deal with the realities, not the wish.

Really? If their fans' ability was so important to the Vikings organization, they would have ponied up more money for the AH site. As it is, they did not, and are still getting a massive chunk of public money for a stadium. This stadium is at the core of our region, uses existing infrastructure that already handles 165,000+ workers every weekday, is seeing investment in more (regardless of if the stadium was coming) like the Green Line (+ extension) and Blue Line extension. Putting it here makes perfect sense for our region and state, particularly when $500M is being spent by the people. The downside is that since it uses such a great, desirable location, better uses of the land around it than surface parking will be implemented. Like parks and residences and office towers and bars and restaurants (ALL planned for the Strib lots). If you and the 10,000 other tailgaters 8x a year feel so strongly about a gameday atmosphere that allows you to drive a vehicle to a surface parking lot and grill for a couple hours (instead of the world of other, fun options that a city could provide), then either buy the land yourself or donate money to the Vikings to do so.

[Gregory]

People (fans) tailgate AT EVERY stadium. The tailgating haters knew this, why would that offend you? Arden Hills was the better spot, no doubt, but it's dwtn. Deal with the realities, not the wish.

Really? If their fans' ability was so important to the Vikings organization, they would have ponied up more money for the AH site. As it is, they did not, and are still getting a massive chunk of public money for a stadium. This stadium is at the core of our region, uses existing infrastructure that already handles 165,000+ workers every weekday, is seeing investment in more (regardless of if the stadium was coming) like the Green Line (+ extension) and Blue Line extension. Putting it here makes perfect sense for our region and state, particularly when $500M is being spent by the people. The downside is that since it uses such a great, desirable location, better uses of the land around it than surface parking will be implemented. Like parks and residences and office towers and bars and restaurants (ALL planned for the Strib lots). If you and the 10,000 other tailgaters 8x a year feel so strongly about a gameday atmosphere that allows you to drive a vehicle to a surface parking lot and grill for a couple hours (instead of the world of other, fun options that a city could provide), then either buy the land yourself or donate money to the Vikings to do so.

Like I said, utopian.

[RailBaronYarr]

Like I said, utopian.

Has literally nothing to do with a utopian vision of anything. If you'll notice, the public is the one that got suckered in to providing car storage as part of the stadium legislation. Again, if it was such a great economic venture, the Vikings would be buying land and building garages/lots themselves. It is a free-market response to demand for housing, office, and park space that is driving the development near the stadium (pushing out the ability of people to surface lot tailgate), not some utopian vision. Vikings fans enjoying a stadium that enhances their gameday experience 8x a year on the heels of a $500M public investment should not be pointing fingers on social engineering/utopian ideals.

[talindsay]

Like I said, utopian.

I don't think that word means what you think it means.

If the area gets developed without an area for tailgating, then there won't be tailgating. That's not utopian, that's a fact. My guess is that this whole "argument" is moot because there will be enough market for expensive tailgating to keep one or two small surface lots within a short distance at a very high per-car price, while the cheap surface lots that currently dominate will all go away. Lots for tailgating aren't a *right* and they're also not a key component of the inherent requirements of a football stadium, as is made clear by the fact that the Wilfs didn't explicitly require it in their stadium legislation. So it will exist in a quantity that the market determines.

[twincitizen]

^This probably belongs in the stadium thread rather than Strib Blocks.

[5th Ave Guy]

Tailgating doesn't have to be immediately outside the stadium. I have to imagine there are plenty of surface lots or open fields along the light rail that could be used for tailgating / parking.

[Wedgeguy]

Tailgate in those lovely suburbs and then take the train or bus into the game. If Zygi wants to pay to build some tailgaters heaven then let him and he can charge them $30 a HEAD TO BE IN THE AREA! We have restaurants and bars that could use some patronage worse than the garbage that is left after a tailgater leaves.

[JMS9]

As someone who works for Hennepin County I can tell you there is no jail visitation on a Sunday morning. jail visitations are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. And if there were, really, so what? And you're seriously going play the card of somehow this will prevent police, fire, and EMTs from somehow getting to an emergency? How utterly sad and pathetic that is. How do they manage to get across downtown for an emergency at 5:00pm on a Monday evening with all those cars in the street?! Yeegods man! Oh the humanity!
It's a hell of a lot easier (oops..sorry...I swore again. Hope nobody has a breakdown over it) for a police cruiser or ambulance to get across downtown on a Sunday morning with a couple streets around the FOOTBALL STADIUM blocked off (ironically, by the very emergency personnel you're so concerned about) then it is for them to go even two blocks during rush hour to get to a scene.

[nordeast homer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Zigi will not own the ramps will he? It sounded to me like Ryan would run them, but I guess either way it doesn't matter. Zigi has never run any of the tailgating lots downtown before, they were always run by the lot owner. From what I understood, the tailgating cost was around $45 or $50 dollars. If there is a demand and a way to make money, lot owners will offer tailgating and Zigi will have nothing to do with it.

[hoffm83n]

Ole Miss-the grove

[Minneboy]

As someone who works for Hennepin County I can tell you there is no jail visitation on a Sunday morning. jail visitations are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. And if there were, really, so what? And you're seriously going play the card of somehow this will prevent police, fire, and EMTs from somehow getting to an emergency? How utterly sad and pathetic that is. How do they manage to get across downtown for an emergency at 5:00pm on a Monday evening with all those cars in the street?! Yeegods man! Oh the humanity!
It's a hell of a lot easier (oops..sorry...I swore again. Hope nobody has a breakdown over it) for a police cruiser or ambulance to get across downtown on a Sunday morning with a couple streets around the FOOTBALL STADIUM blocked off (ironically, by the very emergency personnel you're so concerned about) then it is for them to go even two blocks during rush hour to get to a scene.

Whatever. Thanks. I'll take you out for an ice cream when you get older.

[mattaudio]

So. How about this Ryan proposal?

[mellwood]

So. How about this Ryan proposal?

I heard they're putting a park in.