Twins Stadium

[Minneapolitan]

The Senate put the final touches on a new Twins stadium in downtown Minneapolis early Sunday (May 21st).

Details

- $522 million stadium

- 42,000 seat open-air stadium

- New sales tax of 3 cents on a $20 purchase to pay for the Warehouse District ballpark and infrastructure.

- Stadium will be part of the North Loop Village, a new development including housing, retail, and hotels.

- Will be ready for the 2010 season.

[monsoon]

It amazes me how professional sports teams continue to extort money out of taxpayers and how willing government is to play the game.

[MJLO]

that is pretty amazing.

[Minneapolitan]

Here's a rendering of North Loop Village. This development will be the hub for the North Star commuter rail and Hiawatha light rail lines.

I posted this before, but here's an overhead view of where the proposed stadium will be built (the Target Center is to the lower left):

The proposed site is in the foreground:

[SoMplsGuy]

I think this is fantastic news! This isn't about billionaire owners or professional sports or even really baseball. This is about a city that is investing in it's self and doing what it needs to continue compete with the surburbs and remaining the cultural center of our area. If they didn't pass this and we lost the twins, that's a huge blow to downtown. Downtown is having it's troubles recently and things are closing left and right down there. We're not just getting a stadium out of this, we're getting a whole new part of town. I get giddy thinking of a stadium, two train lines and the transit station and lots of new housing sitting in an area that is just parking lots now. This can only help Hennipen avenue, Washington ave and the north Nicollet areas too.

Think of the national exposure of a blimp above this stadium and neighborhood at night shooting the downtown skyline in an all-star game or even just an ESPN sunday night game - whatever. That kind of exposure is so critical to our city. As a bonus, of course, is the stadium it's self and the cool experience of an outdoor game looking out onto our skyline (and who knows what that will look like in four more years!), but to me, that's the icing on the cake. Of course, not everyone will use the stadium, but not everyone will use the new library or the new Guthrie or the new Walker - but they are all part of the urban experience of living in a major city. We should demand it all. I couldn't care less about my $.03 - hell, tax me a little more for a couple of more rail lines while we're at it. Sorry if I'm rambling, but I'm pretty excited about all this. We're going to have a really SWEET little city here in the not too distant future!

[sushisimo]

I highly doubt all that housing will see the light of day. Seems a bit over-zealous.

[Benmpls]

hey, don't rain on our parade. we've been suffering through the dome for years.

[City_of_Lakes]

Glad that is over and done with.

Minnesotans tend to talk a lot before deciding upon almost anything (being one I know this is somewhat true).

sushisimo, look at the developer's track record... it's likely to happen in some way shape or form.

SoMplsguy, ditto to the comment about taxing us a little more to get some rail lines.

[Minneapolitan]

HOK Sports has released some information and scale models of the new Twins stadium. According to the Star Tribune, the stadium plans are only 15 percent complete. Here are some of the details:

* "This will be the most compact ballpark built in America," Earl Santee, architect of the ballpark

* The stadium's seating capacity has shrunk from 42,000 to 40,000 seats because of tight space at the stadium site.

* There will be a half-acre plaza on the 6th Street pedestrian bridge leading from Target Center to the new ballpark.

* Concourses will be twice as wide as those in the Metrodome.

* There will be twice as many restrooms as in the Metrodome, with more for women than men.

Model:

Stadium Site:

[dtown]

Well, that will be quite an improvement over the current site. If they build all that residential, it will awesome.

[Minneapolitan]

The Twins have finally unveiled their plans for a new ballpark to be located in downtown Minneapolis.

Here are some highlights:

- 40,000 seat stadium

- 18,500 infield seats (one of the closest seating bowls to the playing field in all of Major League Baseball)

- The ballpark will be dominated by limestone and glass

- Public access is a strong feature: three bridges, the light rail line, a bike trail, and the skyway system will all connect to the new stadium

- Preliminary dimensions for the new ballpark are: 339' to Left; 377' to LF Power Alley; 404' to Center; 367' to RF Power Alley; 328' to Right. Outfield walls are 8' from the left field foul pole to right center field and 23' from right center field to right field foul pole.

- No roof and natural grass

- Ground breaking is set to begin next month (May 07)

- Completed for the 2010 season

Renderings:

6th Street Overlook View:

Right Field Aerial View:

7th Street Plaza Entry View:

Minneapolis Skyline View: