The Minnesota Vikings' move to Eagan drew closer to reality this week as the team submitted extensive design plans to City Hall to take over the one-time headquarters of Northwest Airlines.
Vikings submit 200 pages of plans for new headquarters in Eagan
The team submitted development plans to the city that would become its new base.
March 18, 2016 at 4:21AM
Mayor Mike Maguire highlighted the arrival of the development plan in his state of the city address Thursday, while also emphasizing the need to make sure details can be worked out for both sides.
"There's great community excitement to make Eagan the new home for the Minnesota Vikings," Maguire said in a statement. The team's current headquarters and practice facilities are at Winter Park in Eden Prairie.
Kevin Warren, the Vikings' chief operating officer, said the Wednesday submission of more than 200 pages in design details to the city of Eagan makes the courtship official. "This is where we start working through a formal relationship," he said, adding that the aim is to construct a "best in class" development and a "community asset" with a strong bond to the region.
The move to Eagan would give the team roots, because unlike the new $1.1 billion U.S. Bank Stadium where the team will start play in August, the suburban land and headquarters would belong to Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf.
Since the Vikings announced buying the Eagan land last August, the team and city planners have worked behind the scenes to answer questions and create two extensive documents: The Northeast Eagan Development Plan and the Design Guidelines.
The plans detail seven discrete parcels for development. The team's piece, and the first project, sits at the north-central part of the site.
Steve Poppen, the team's chief financial officer, said it's unclear which piece will come next, but the plans include a conference center hotel, a boutique hotel, smaller retailers, offices, bike and pedestrian trails and high-density housing.
Eagan planners will review the document in coming weeks, with the planning commission expected to review it next month and issue an advisory opinion. In May, the City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal.
The major change in the latest plan is the orientation of the headquarters site. Because of concerns raised by Mendota Heights, the Vikings have moved a proposed stadium with up to 10,000 seats south to a sunken bowl on the property.
The team's three-story headquarters and abutting inside practice facility would rise above the stadium and provide a sound and light barrier for homes on the other side of the highway.
The latest iteration also flips the location of planned residential and office spaces, moving the latter to the eastern side to make better use of current parking and to protect the green topography on the western side. But those projects would come later.
If the plan wins approval, it won't be definitive, but the Vikings would be required to return to the City Council to seek approval for land-use changes.
While Maguire was enthusiastic about the significance of an NFL team calling Eagan home, he repeatedly mentioned being vigilant about the details and the desires of the community.
"We immediately look at the purple and gold glitter," he said. "This next process is where we get beyond the glitter and look at the pipe connections."
Maguire said the Vikings so far have not asked the community for financial or infrastructure help, although he anticipates requests. "They'll try to push the envelope where they can and I understand that," he said. "It's not a done deal yet, but I'm confident we'll be able to get the deal done."
Team executives also declined to detail what they might seek.
When a preliminary zoning piece of the plan came up for discussion last fall, the City Council enthusiastically welcomed the team, a warmer reception than the Vikings received in downtown Minneapolis. Maguire said City Hall aims for congenial negotiations with businesses.
The Vikings talk about a 15-year progression of development on the project, but consultant Patrick Mascia, who oversaw the design documents, notes that the timing and scope hinge on economic forces.
As for the chances of approval in May, neither side was ready to start digging. "There's a lot of give and take between now and then," Mascia said.
The Vikings long ago busted the seams on Winter Park in Eden Prairie. The players need more practice space and managers need more office space. Winter Park dates to 1981 — long before fantasy football, let alone the Internet.
If the Eagan plans are accepted, dirt could be turned on the new site this summer. Vikings executives say the new home would open no sooner than March 2018, right after the Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747
Twitter: @rochelleolson
