Post by Fish Troll on Feb 10, 2007 0:11:13 GMT -5
County says new ballpark site might become necessary
By Mike Kaszuba, Star Tribune
Hennepin County's top negotiators for a new Minnesota Twins stadium said they have begun considering the need to find another location for it because of a stalemate over land negotiations and other problems.
Though Thursday's announcement was viewed by some as a negotiating tactic, county officials also postponed actions related to the $522 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
That would make it unlikely that construction crews will begin work on the site in March as scheduled.
The decisions left unclear whether stadium construction will begin in August and, more important, whether Thursday's developments put in doubt the plan for opening the 40,000-seat stadium in the spring of 2010.
After years of planning and a hard-fought battle for approval at the Legislature last year, Thursday's developments were the clearest yet that an ambitious plan to build the stadium on a tight-fitting land parcel near the Target Center -- that the county does not yet own -- faces an increasing likelihood of unraveling.
The move drew a mixed reaction from the Twins, whose officials were debating Thursday whether to proceed without the county to display the stadium design next week.
Moving to another parcel of land would force the county and the Twins to return to the Legislature, where approval last year was conditioned on the stadium being built on the so-called Rapid Park site. Rep. Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, the chief House author of the stadium bill, said Thursday he would "have a hard time seeing any appetite for this again."We gave them everything that they asked for," said Finstad, who said he was assured that the stadium, including the land purchase, would proceed as planned. "For them to essentially screw this up at this point -- and I'm not blaming anybody -- it's going to lie on their shoulders."
With the county millions of dollars apart over a land sale price with the limited-liability partnership that controls the majority of the ballpark site, Hennepin County Board Chairman Randy Johnson said that other downtown, and even suburban, locations could be considered. "This is a serious development," he said of Thursday's events.
Johnson's comments were echoed by County Commissioner Mike Opat, the lead stadium negotiator for the County Board. In announcing the postponement of six major votes by the board scheduled for Feb. 27, including an authorization to issue bonds for the stadium project, Opat said he too had talked to the Twins about switching to another site.
"There's plenty of 10-acre sites around the county that have good access to transportation," he said.
Officials representing the landowners, Land Partners II, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Opat said that there had been no negotiations for several weeks, and that none were scheduled.
With infrastructure costs, including the land purchase, limited to $90 million by the Legislature, county officials said they can't pay too much for the land without jeopardizing other needed road, transit and pedestrian improvements surrounding the stadium.
At a condemnation hearing last month, county officials disclosed that the property had been appraised at $13.35 million, which the landowners said was too low. The parties are reportedly tens of millions of dollars apart on a price.
Although the county has begun condemnation proceedings for the property, county officials have balked at moving forward because of the time the process would take and the fear that a judge may rule that the property is worth more than the county has available.
Rick Johnson, the county's ballpark project coordinator, said Thursday that switching to another site -- even at this late date -- would "not necessarily" mean that a stadium would miss a 2010 opening, because a new location might mean fewer complications.
From the beginning, the Rapid Park site, owned by Land Partners II, which represents more than 100 private investors, has represented both opportunity and headaches for officials who are hoping not only to build a stadium but also to blend it with a commuter rail line, light rail line and regional bike trail. At a stadium meeting as recently as Wednesday, several officials expressed frustrations at the project's complexities and fast-tracked timetable.
"Are we ready to come out with this?" County Commissioner Mark Stenglein asked, referring to a planned public unveiling of the stadium's detailed design. Postponements might not be critical to the stadium's construction schedule, said Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. "There's a lot of brinkmanship going on here," he said.
But Commissioner Penny Steele, a vocal opponent of the ballpark project, defended Opat and the need to possibly look for another location. "If people want to read it as a negotiating ploy, I think they misread Mike Opat," said Steele, who said going back to the Legislature may not be politically daunting.
Thursday's developments came as the Twins, with an eye on keeping ticket sales and marketing moving forward, said they were unsure whether to proceed on their own with a public unveiling of a design next week. "I don't think we'd ever rule anything out," said Twins President Dave St. Peter, referring to the possibility of finding another site.
By Mike Kaszuba, Star Tribune
Hennepin County's top negotiators for a new Minnesota Twins stadium said they have begun considering the need to find another location for it because of a stalemate over land negotiations and other problems.
Though Thursday's announcement was viewed by some as a negotiating tactic, county officials also postponed actions related to the $522 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
That would make it unlikely that construction crews will begin work on the site in March as scheduled.
The decisions left unclear whether stadium construction will begin in August and, more important, whether Thursday's developments put in doubt the plan for opening the 40,000-seat stadium in the spring of 2010.
After years of planning and a hard-fought battle for approval at the Legislature last year, Thursday's developments were the clearest yet that an ambitious plan to build the stadium on a tight-fitting land parcel near the Target Center -- that the county does not yet own -- faces an increasing likelihood of unraveling.
The move drew a mixed reaction from the Twins, whose officials were debating Thursday whether to proceed without the county to display the stadium design next week.
Moving to another parcel of land would force the county and the Twins to return to the Legislature, where approval last year was conditioned on the stadium being built on the so-called Rapid Park site. Rep. Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, the chief House author of the stadium bill, said Thursday he would "have a hard time seeing any appetite for this again."We gave them everything that they asked for," said Finstad, who said he was assured that the stadium, including the land purchase, would proceed as planned. "For them to essentially screw this up at this point -- and I'm not blaming anybody -- it's going to lie on their shoulders."
With the county millions of dollars apart over a land sale price with the limited-liability partnership that controls the majority of the ballpark site, Hennepin County Board Chairman Randy Johnson said that other downtown, and even suburban, locations could be considered. "This is a serious development," he said of Thursday's events.
Johnson's comments were echoed by County Commissioner Mike Opat, the lead stadium negotiator for the County Board. In announcing the postponement of six major votes by the board scheduled for Feb. 27, including an authorization to issue bonds for the stadium project, Opat said he too had talked to the Twins about switching to another site.
"There's plenty of 10-acre sites around the county that have good access to transportation," he said.
Officials representing the landowners, Land Partners II, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Opat said that there had been no negotiations for several weeks, and that none were scheduled.
With infrastructure costs, including the land purchase, limited to $90 million by the Legislature, county officials said they can't pay too much for the land without jeopardizing other needed road, transit and pedestrian improvements surrounding the stadium.
At a condemnation hearing last month, county officials disclosed that the property had been appraised at $13.35 million, which the landowners said was too low. The parties are reportedly tens of millions of dollars apart on a price.
Although the county has begun condemnation proceedings for the property, county officials have balked at moving forward because of the time the process would take and the fear that a judge may rule that the property is worth more than the county has available.
Rick Johnson, the county's ballpark project coordinator, said Thursday that switching to another site -- even at this late date -- would "not necessarily" mean that a stadium would miss a 2010 opening, because a new location might mean fewer complications.
From the beginning, the Rapid Park site, owned by Land Partners II, which represents more than 100 private investors, has represented both opportunity and headaches for officials who are hoping not only to build a stadium but also to blend it with a commuter rail line, light rail line and regional bike trail. At a stadium meeting as recently as Wednesday, several officials expressed frustrations at the project's complexities and fast-tracked timetable.
"Are we ready to come out with this?" County Commissioner Mark Stenglein asked, referring to a planned public unveiling of the stadium's detailed design. Postponements might not be critical to the stadium's construction schedule, said Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. "There's a lot of brinkmanship going on here," he said.
But Commissioner Penny Steele, a vocal opponent of the ballpark project, defended Opat and the need to possibly look for another location. "If people want to read it as a negotiating ploy, I think they misread Mike Opat," said Steele, who said going back to the Legislature may not be politically daunting.
Thursday's developments came as the Twins, with an eye on keeping ticket sales and marketing moving forward, said they were unsure whether to proceed on their own with a public unveiling of a design next week. "I don't think we'd ever rule anything out," said Twins President Dave St. Peter, referring to the possibility of finding another site.
www.startribune.com/462/story/991147.html
