Vikings' Stadium Proposals: Where Do They Rank?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's Governor wants all the Vikings stadium proposals on his desk by the end of the work day Thursday.
The team has said it won't sign another lease until the legislature votes on taxpayer funding for a new stadium.
The Viking's prefer Arden Hills, but four other sites are possibilities too, including one that was pitched just Wednesday. There are key elements of each that might sway decision-makers, as the clock continues to tick on deciding where to put a new team stadium.
Building in Arden Hills on the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant would cost $1.1 billion, making it the largest construction project in state history. The team likes the spot because of what it calls the 'tremendous game-day experience,' including 21,000 parking spaces for tailgaters.
Minneapolis isn't sitting on the sidelines. The Mayor is pushing rebuilding the Metrodome for $925 million. Infrastructure is already in place, and the shell of the Dome would be used to construct the new stadium. But just this week, the team said the Dome site would cost an extra $67 million, because the Vikings would have to play at TCF Bank Stadium for three years.
The Farmers Market off Interstate-94 is a second Minneapolis option. A 63,000 seat stadium would be adjacent to Target Field. It would be part of a sports entertainment district, linked with Target Field and close to entertainment downtown.
A third Minneapolis option puts the stadium near the Basilica of Saint Mary. Close proximity to freeways gets this plan on the list, but proximity to the Basilica is bringing critics, too.
Lastly, there's Shakopee's final drive, pitched Wednesday. A 75,000 seat stadium off Highway 169 near Valleyfair and Canterbury Park would cost $920 million, which the city's mayor calls the cheapest plan.
Though the Vikings have threatened to leave the state, the team recently said "it's focused on reaching a resolution with Minnesota."
All the plans would require a tax increase of some kind. However, when the Star Tribune polled Minnesotans two months ago, 56 percent of people who responded said they don't want to use public money to pay for a new stadium.
