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Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Minnesota Vikings Moving Operations to Eagan - 8/28/2015'16 il C 4.e0 d ?j_iar (ers r Burnsville I Eagan August 28, 2015 I Volume 36 I Number 26 A Division of ECM Publishers, Inc. Vikings moving operations to Eagan Team buying Northwest Airlines property by Jessica Harper SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE The Minnesota Vi- kings plan to relocate their headquarters and practice facility from Winter Park in Eden Prairie to an 185- acre site in Eagan. Vikings management has signed a deal for the former Northwest Airlines headquarters property lo- cated at Dodd Road and Lone Oak Parkway next to Interstate 494. The com- plex has remained vacant since Northwest's merger with Delta moved opera- tions to Atlanta. "The existing Winter Park training facility poses space and flexibility chal- lenges for the Vikings as we continue to grow and evolve," Vikings Chief Op- erating Officer Kevin War- ren said in a statement. The team's headquar- ters is currently located at the 12-acre Winter Park facility on Viking Drive in Eden Prairie. Winter Park was built in 1980 and its locker rooms are small and con- fined, and its two outdoor practice fields don't have space for spectators, Vi- kings officials said. Team management and media offices are at three locations: Winter Park, a leased space in an adjacent bank building and a build- ing in downtown Minne- apolis. The team had been looking for a new head- quarters to replace Winter Park and recent reports have speculated that the Vikings would perhaps move to Chanhassen or a different facility in Eden Prairie. Both plans appear to be off the table. The Eagan site was once home to the North- west Airlines headquar- ters. Delta Airlines ac- quired Northwest in 2008 and sold the property this summer to Eden Prairie - See VIKINGS, 19A VIKINGS, from 1A based Excelsior Group for $10.4 million. The real estate company's portfolio includes strip malls, mul- tifamily housing, 2,200 acres of raw IggiLarld 1.7 million sgtra of commercial real estate, ac- cording to the company's website. The Vikings' purchase agreement with Excelsior Group allows the team to move forward with a due diligence process and eval- uate the location. Both The Vikings and the Excelsior Group have declined to release a sale price. "While we are evaluat- ing a variety of options to accommodate the long- term needs of our football team and the organization at -large, this ip erty is intriguing for several rea- sons," Warren said. "Not only does the location have tremendous space and flexibility for our fu- ture growth, but it also offers proximity to both Minneapolis and St. Paul downtowns as well as the ai±pp! 1 i The city of Eagan has not received any formal application from the Vi- kings to date, but Mayor Mike Maguire confirmed that the team has had in- formal conversations with city leaders about the property. iikeiare jitNi4FId entTfasiastic about the kings interest in making Eagan their home," Magu- ire said. "We look forward to learning more about their plans and working with the Minnesota Vi- kings." Asiffe4,#4'kder, i. gA,Mssic rper@ecm-inc.com o facebook. comisunthisweek. VIKINGS TEAM HEADQUARTERS EAGAN GROUND BREAKING On behalf of the Minnesota Vikings organization, thank you for playing an important role in advancing our new home in Eagan. We appreciate you helping us break ground on the Vikings new team headquarters and practice facility. Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center and TCO Stadium will also be part of our world -class facilities in this great community that has so graciously welcomed the Vikings. Skol! ZVGI WILF MARK WILF LEONARD WILF The Wilf Family and the Vikings Ownership Group Vikings detail sprawling mixed -use redevelopment in Eaga H!l i lIU 0 Milt 1.,1....1.. � cif : 1war!r* SUBMITTED RENDERING, MINNESOTA VIKINGS The Minnesota Vikings this week detailed plans to build new team offices and a practice facility in Eagan, including a football field that will accommodate up to 10,000 fans. The complex marks the first phase of a planned redevelopment on nearly 200 acres in the northern part of the city, currently home to the former headquarters of Northwest Airlines. BY KARLEE WEINMANN Staff Writer The Minnesota Vikings of- fered a deeper look at their plans for a new practice facility and headquarters in Eagan, part of a broader redevelopment effort that could bring office space, multifamily housing and a hotel to a stagnant pocket of the city. Team executives submitted their 257-page development out- line to Eagan planners this week, essentially formalizing the over- haul of nearly 200 acres at Dodd Road and Lone Oak Parkway near Interstate 494. After unveil- ing ambitious plans for the site last year, the Vikings paid million for the former North, Airlines property in January Documents filed this v divide the sprawling redevE ment into multiple phases, si ing with a new 240,000-squ foot office building for the t and a 10,000-seat stadium, up to four practice fields anm door training space. The facilities would er a combined 31 acres in north -central portion of site, made up of seven par total. Work is slated to b VIKINGS TO PA, Vikings detail sprawling mixed -use redevelopment in Eagan SUBMITTED RENDERING: MINNESOTA VIKINGS The Minnesota Vikings this week detailed plans to build new team offices and a practice facility in Eagan, including a football field that will accommodate up to 10,000 fans. The complex marks the first phase of a planned redevelopment on nearly 200 acres in the northern part of the city, currently home to the former headquarters of Northwest Airlines. BY KARLEE WEINMANN Staff Writer The Minnesota Vikings of- fered a deeper look at their plans for a new practice facility and headquarters in Eagan, part of a broader redevelopment effort that could bring office space, multifamily housing and a hotel to a stagnant pocket of the city Team executives submitted their 257-page development out- line to Eagan planners this week, essentially formalizing the over- haul of nearly 200 acres at Dodd Road and Lone Oak Parkway near Interstate 494. After unveil- ing ambitious plans for the site last year, the Vikings paid $18.7 million for the former Northwest Airlines property in January. Documents filed this week divide the sprawling redevelop- ment into multiple phases, start- ing with a new 240,000-square- foot office building for the team and a 10,000-seat stadium, plus up to four practice fields and in- door training space. The facilities would cov- er a combined 31 acres in the north -central portion of the site, made up of seven parcels total. Work is slated to begin VIKINGS 1.0 PAGE 28 Vikings Continued from page 1 this summer, pending required city ap- provals. The new Vikings complex would replace the Winter Park facility in Eden Prairie, which the team says it has out- grown. Proposed development would perk up a swath largely untouched after Northwest Airlines shuttered its headquarters at the site and moved operations to Atlanta after its acquisition by Delta Airlines. The Vi- kings' proposal aims to replace the airline's shuttered offices and a vacant flight simulator building, and fill out the surrounding area. Depending on market de- mand, the team expects to pep- per in additional projects over 15 years. Early -stage plans in- clude between 790 and 945 mul- tifamily rentals spread through four- to six -story buildings, plus a hotel and conference center with 320 to 500 rooms. The team also forecasts around 1 million square feet of office space - including for medical office uses, a mainstay in Eagan - and up to 160,000 square feet for retail. Mayor Mike Maguire in his State of the City address on Thursday trumpeted sprawling redevelopment as a boon for a listless corner of the Eagan. The mayor has been a strong advocate for the plan while also asserting the city's development prior- ities in meetings with team officials. "This vast expanse of land on our north- ern edge represents a great opportunity not just for the Vikings and their owners, but for our community as well," Maguire said in his speech. "We look forward to "This vast expanse of land on our northern edge represents a great opportunity not just for the Vikings and their owners, but for our community as well." — Mike Maguire, mayor, Eagan working with [the team] to envision the op- portunities and the possibilities for north- east Eagan." The Vikings are owned by the Wilf fam- ily, led by real estate developer Zygi Wilf. The family real estate business owns and' manages residential and commercial properties in nearly 40 states. Housing issues were an early sticking point for the mayor and other Eagan policymakers in the Vikings' venture. At city meetings in the fall, Maguire emphasized a focus on multifamily development and members of the city's Advisory Planning Commission urged the team to make sure residential buildings are well -integrated in the broad- er project. It remains unclear which pieces of the overall project would follow work on the team facilities. A team spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, but Vikings CFO Steve Poppen has said several parties have already approached the team about setting up offices in the complex. Primarily office and light industrial properties neighbor the Vikings' property. Just a few houses sit near the Eagan site, though there are residential neighbor- hoods close by - one north of Interstate 494 in Mendota Heights, and one about 31 ACRES Size of initial Vikings redevelopment three-quarters of a mile southeast in Inver Grove Heights. The Vikings plan now nestles the stadi- um immediately south of the team offices and indoor training building - large enough facilities, the team says, to keep noise and light from spilling into the neighborhoods. A conceptual framework floated last year placed the stadium west of the headquar- ters. High -profile events could come to the stadium outside of game days, the doc- uments show. The Vikings could feature concerts similar in scale to performances at the Minnesota Zoo, but noise monitoring would line up.with city standards. Under Eagan's comprehensive plan, the development would need sidewalks and trails that easily link residents to commer- cial and community amenities nearby. The Vikings said the revitalization will "create a new destination of regional and local im- portance," feeding demand for new pedes- trian and bike infrastructure. City planners will review the proposed plans before the Advisory Planning Com- mission gives its feedback next month. The Eagan City Council is expected to vote on the plans in May, and would play a contin- ued role as development takes shape. The -team would need to get city ap- proval as needed for land -use and zoning changes at the site.