Twin Cities North Chamber Supports New Vikings Stadium

The Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce represents more than 400 businesses in Arden Hills, Roseville and the surrounding area, advocating for a stronger economy.

The following article was written by Tim Roche, president of the Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce; and Bill Gschwind of Alden Pearson, P.A., chairman of the Chamber's Public Policy Committee:

Will the debate over public subsidies for sports stadiums ever end?

Minnesotans have been debating taxpayer-funded stadium construction for nearly 20 years.

Target Center opened in 1990, Xcel Energy Center in 2000, TCF Field in 2009, and Target Field just last year.

Funding was hotly debated but one thing is certain: Minnesotans got their money’s worth.

ESPN named Xcel the best overall sports venue in the U.S. in 2004. The Wild sold out every ticket for more than a decade and set attendance records for the boys' hockey tournament, the NHL All-star Game, a WCHA final five tournament, and a Shania Twain concert.

TCF Stadium draws sell-out crowds and in 2010 ESPN, The Magazine called Target Field the  No. 1 stadium experience in the entire country.

Public funding for sports stadiums may be debatable, but few can argue that Minnesotans have received a nice return on their investments.

For Arden Hills, the north metro, and Ramsey County, the sports complex proposed for the abandoned and deteriorating army ammunitions property promises similar economic development success. The Vikings expect to relocate their entire operation from Eden Prairie to the complex at Arden Hills and owner Ziggy Wilf envisions additional development in the area that will bring new, well-paying jobs to our community.

As part of the sports complex development, MnDOT is projecting $132 million of road and transportation system improvements. Past efforts to increase the capacity and safety of the I-35W corridor in the north metro have fallen on deaf ears.

The stadium project will finally bring much needed highway improvements. For many employers, quality transportation systems are required when selecting a site to locate new facilities.

What if the project doesn’t happen? Some may worry about the Vikings’ threat to leave Minnesota, but the real tragedy will be the loss of economic development.

Without this project, a huge plot of open and developable land just 10 minutes from both downtowns is likely to remain a vacant, deteriorating blight on the land for another 20 years. The loss of this project would be a loss not only for Arden Hills, but for all of Ramsey County.

The Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce shares the concerns of our members, taxpayers, and the greater Ramsey County community over spending public dollars to subsidize private business. We also support and promote economic development that generates good paying jobs and supports a wide variety of businesses.

Benefits to the area

We support the development of the sports complex project, not because it will keep a professional sports team in Minnesota, but because north metro communities will benefit from the construction activity it will generate, the out of town visitors it will attract, and the national recognition bringing new businesses to the area.

Exactly how the project will be funded remains a concern. Similar projects in the two downtowns have demonstrated that a public contribution coupled with a large private investment and local support is a winning combination.

Five years from now we could be celebrating the reports naming the latest sports complex in Minnesota the best family sporting experience in the country. Most importantly, this project will be the economic engine that jump starts economic development in the north metro.

Ultimately, there will be an economic line where the final project will be a positive or a negative for the area.

The Chamber will continue to research this final number and will hold our elected officials accountable to be good stewards of our tax dollars as they work out the financing details for this project.

In the mean time, while much has been publicized about the negatives of this project, we ask all citizens of Ramsey County to recognize the economic benefits of the sports complex and to contact your local legislators to discuss the positives this development could mean to the  area.