Canterbury Park plans to sell nearby land in Shakopee for amphitheater project

The Twin Cities metro could get a new concert venue big enough to hold 19,000 people if Canterbury Park succeeds in selling land near the Shakopee racetrack for redevelopment as an amphitheater.

Canterbury officials say they want to sell 40 acres of land northeast of the racetrack to Swervo Development Corp., the developer behind the reborn Minneapolis Armory and recent plans for a revamped Uptown Theatre, to build a state-of-the-art outdoor venue.

"We have done large music events here for 25 years, from Lilith Fair back in the '90s … to more recently Twin Cities Summer Jam," said Randy Sampson, Canterbury Park CEO. "It is something that we know this market lacks, and so it's always been of interest."

Swervo would own the venue, but Sampson said he's not sure who will operate it. So far, Canterbury has signed a purchase agreement with Swervo and the project is in the midst of the environmental review process. Sampson declined to discuss the price of the sale.

Swervo did not respond to calls Monday.

The Twin Cities area is the largest metro area without a large-scale outdoor venue like an amphitheater, Sampson said: "It's clearly a gap that is missing."

Some artists skip the Twin Cities because they prefer to play outside and there's no suitable facility, Sampson said, mentioning Jimmy Buffett and Dave Matthews Band.

The largest amphitheater near the metro is at Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Welch, Minn., with a capacity of about 16,000, constructed in 2018. There is also a smaller amphitheater at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake that can accommodate about 8,000 fans.

First Avenue has plans to build an 8,000- to 10,000-capacity amphitheater as part of the Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment north of downtown Minneapolis.

Canterbury officials have been discussing how to best develop property around the racetrack for years, Sampson said, noting the area can handle large volumes of traffic and has adequate parking for thousands of people.

The southwest metro is home to Valleyfair and the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee and Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake.

"We think it fits," Sampson said of the amphitheater. "It's already a very successful area."

Michael Kerski, Shakopee planning and development director, said the city generally supports the project but that it's still early in the process.

"We're an entertainment destination — this is just another piece of that puzzle," Kerski said.

Canterbury officials also announced that, pending the approval of the amphitheater project, they are planning multimillion-dollar updates to the racetrack's horse stables, to make it more attractive for racing.

The project will include renovations to existing structures and construction of new dorms, barns and stables. Six new barns would have 100 stalls each, Sampson said.

In the summer months, 1,300 to 1,400 horses stay at Canterbury Park, he said, noting the current barns are 35 years old and need improvements.

Canterbury will present the stable plans to the Minnesota Racing Commission for review later this year.

Both projects are part of the Canterbury Commons development, which also includes several types of housing and an office building. Several large areas of the property are still undeveloped.

Obtaining the permits for the amphitheater will likely take several months. Swervo would like to start construction this summer with concerts scheduled in summer of 2023 if all works out, Sampson said.