Q&A: Officials Talk Timing, Terms and Process for Minnesota Vikings' Move to Eagan

The following questions and answers were provided by the city of Eagan:

Q: Explain the various actions the Eagan City Council took in June and what is happening now?
A: On June 21, the Minnesota Vikings received preliminary approvals on the entire approximately 200-acre site in Northeast Eagan for a multi-phase mixed use development that will occur in several stages over the next 10-15 years. The unanimous City Council vote took place after 10 months of diligent work between city staff and the Vikings. Eagan will be the new home for the Minnesota Vikings beginning in spring of 2018. Eagan will then become one of 32 NFL headquarters locations in the nation.

Currently grading and site preparation is underway on the 44 acres in Phase I which will be the site for the team’s headquarters, indoor practice facility, outdoor practice fields and an expandable 6,000-person stadium.

A formal groundbreaking ceremony took place Aug. 2. MVZ Ventures, the development entity established by the Vikings owners, will next bring back specific detailed plans for the 44-acre site to obtain the final approvals it needs for the headquarters, practice facility and small stadium. Final documents must then be approved so that footings and foundation work can get underway.

The City Council has also formally re-designated the area (from a land use perspective) from Major Office to Mixed Use. Final approvals for other phases of the project will be made when specific plans for those phases or projects are brought forward.

Q. When might construction from the ground up occur?
A. We know the Vikings are hopeful of beginning construction early in 2017.

Q. What is happening on the site now? I see a lot of trees coming down. And why can’t I drive through Northwest Parkway anymore?
A: It is true that this phase of the development is the most intensive for tree removal because of the roadway alignment, the elevations and the placement of the practice fields. In general, however, the city and the Vikings are very pleased that the overall plans conserve old-growth trees in significant wooded areas. The Vikings, working with city staff, have done a good job of positioning their lower density development to where the better trees are and will remain.

Northwest Parkway has had to be closed to begin the realignment of that road to support the other development phases of the 200 acre parcel. Drivers who may have used Northwest Parkway still have two other routes to utilize, O’Neill Drive to the north and Lone Oak Parkway to the south. Currently, Northwest Parkway is a private road, but it will reopen as a public road when the newly aligned roadway is constructed as part of the development and city utility connections are extended further into the other development phases of the site. This is an active construction zone and so outside vehicle traffic or walking on trails in that location is not advised at this time.

Q. What does the attraction of the Vikings to Eagan mean for its visibility and the city’s own goals?
A: We’ve said all along that Eagan (its staff and council) is experienced in handling large, complex proposals and getting them through an efficient, yet thorough, approval process. It continues a string of great news for Eagan. (Examples: Twin Cities Premium Outlets, DataBank, and the first new developments at Central Park Commons, including the HyVee. etc.)

Now the focus turns to the submission of final detailed plans consistent with the preliminary approvals, and the issuing of the necessary permits to get this exciting new development built, starting first with the team headquarters and practice facility. The site will be a new gateway destination and attraction for Eagan with visibility from I-494.

The city and the Vikings are also pleased that these plans preserve key wetlands, add connecting trails, and create good potential for the future development of amenities and attractions in the northeast quadrant of the city, including a desired conference center hotel.

Q. What were some of the conditions of approval?
A: Conditions are quite normal in development agreements, particularly large ones. The more than 60 conditions attached to the city’s approval include the developer’s responsibility to have a plan to address and implement transportation improvements should traffic in future phases of the development require upgrades, including a plan to manage traffic for special events.

There is also a condition which reinforces both parties interest in a Conference Center hotel and commits the Vikings to thoroughly evaluate and attempt to construct a Conference Center hotel, recognizing market conditions.

Accompanying photo courtesy of Flickr user, Joe Bielawa.