Soccer Stadium in Minneapolis (cancelled)

[nfschauer]

I can see Target Field from my work, and the MLS logo is on the jumbotron. Maybe we'll see a rendering today!

[cooperrez]

Live stream of MLS announcement at 11:00 CDT...

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2 ... esday-noon

[grant1simons2]

According to Peter Callaghan, nope.

Populous http://populous.com/ will design Minneapolis soccer stadium. Though renderings exist, won't be shown today says McGuire lawyer.

https://twitter.com/CallaghanPeter/stat ... 2642959361

[nfschauer]

Awww, that's boring. Well I'd hope we see them soon!

[grant1simons2]

Or maybe someone will let them leak

[mplsjaromir]

How much money do you think McGuire is going to ask for from the government? More or less than what he had to pay the SEC?

http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-255.htm

I think less, but you never know.

[mamundsen]

It's going to be a busy day in this thread. The earlier rumor is confirmed... they are staying MINNESOTA UNITED FC.

I am excited to see what is proposed for the stadium area.

[grant1simons2]

Map they're handing out at the announcement!!!!

[mamundsen]

Could the change from Royalston Station to Southwest Station really just be a place holder until it's "___ Stadium Station"... hmmmm?

[acs]

Most likely they just shortened it from southwest LRT station.

[Didier]

Does anyone with an understanding of transportation planning/funding know if it might be feasible to extend the green line to Royalston in the short term, or whether it'd have to wait until the entire line is built?

[talindsay]

Does anyone with an understanding of transportation planning/funding know if it might be feasible to extend the green line to Royalston in the short term, or whether it'd have to wait until the entire line is built?

Totally feasible. If it were paid for entirely out of local funds it could be built starting tomorrow, with no additional environmental processes. And the feds would almost certainly count 100% of the local expense against the match for the whole SWLRT project - this has been done a lot. Given that CTIB has the cash and such an extension would be quite inexpensive, this seems like it would be a no-brainer, but honestly I doubt they'll do it.

[Didier]

Thanks for the insight.

Press conference starts now. Live feed: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2 ... esday-noon

[Silophant]

Maybe the LRT extension be part of the "community building" funding they're asking for? I could support that.

[twincitizen]

1. The aerial structure over 7th/Olson would still take a while to build. It's not a ton of additional track, distance wise, but still a pretty complicated/expensive endeavor.
2. I'd be very hesitant to rush anything through the final design process before we've even begun a conversation about traffic calming in the area.

Given where we're at in the SWLRT process today, I doubt any shovels hit the dirt before Late 2016. Could this piece of the line open before the rest of the line does in Q4 2019 (or Q1 2020)? Definitely. But not more than a year earlier. I highly doubt Royalston Station is operational before Late 2018, and even that would be pushing it.

[talindsay]

Well, nothing in that announcement about how they'll pay for the stadium. Given the expansion of the ownership group, and given who the owners are, I really expected them to announce that they're just going to pay for it themselves - why else expand the ownership group this late? And I can't imagine MLS would have been willing to make an official announcement without them somewhere having signed off that they will build the stadium regardless. I bet the MLS would have required them to say they're willing and able (and contractually obligated) to build the stadium entirely with private funds if nobody chips in; but no mention seems odd.

[mattaudio]

We really need to reimagine the whole 7th/Olson/Roylaston skewed intersection + frontage-ish-roads + excess lanes CF we have in place now.

[mplsjaromir]

The MLS has done this in the past. Don Garber stood with David Beckham in Miami and talked about bringing a team to town. They did not have a stadium in February 2014, they do not have one now. Big names and rich people involved with that deal, yet politicians did not want to pony up so nothing has happened. In short the MLS does not require a stadium deal in order to award a team, it seems like they do that intentionally.

https://sports.vice.com/article/how-dav ... a-disaster

[twincitizen]

We really need to reimagine this whole "West Loop" area, including a serious discussion (by city staff and policymakers) of whether or not the Farmers Market should remain in this location. It really ought to be at a more central location and include a year-round (indoor) component. I'd be very open to the idea of moving it away from here entirely.

Regarding the stadium itself, I realize that the property they have under contract is the one they have under contract, but in a perfect world I'd prefer the stadium pushed up against the freeway viaduct, to act as a buffer to the rest of the burgeoning neighborhood. How the hell is anything of value going to get built in the shadows between the viaduct and the stadium?

[Didier]

Well, nothing in that announcement about how they'll pay for the stadium. Given the expansion of the ownership group, and given who the owners are, I really expected them to announce that they're just going to pay for it themselves - why else expand the ownership group this late? And I can't imagine MLS would have been willing to make an official announcement without them somewhere having signed off that they will build the stadium regardless. I bet the MLS would have required them to say they're willing and able (and contractually obligated) to build the stadium entirely with private funds if nobody chips in; but no mention seems odd.

Hopefully more insight will come out of the media breakouts after the announcement. That's really the only question left at this point — and the main question being pressed by local media.

From the few details that have been leaked out so far, it sounds like this is a pretty complicated plan, and the public money might come in the form of investment into the area moreso than as a direct subsidy for a stadium.