Minnesota’s Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission last week unveiled an architectural proposal to build a $853 million football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings with a retractable roof — a plan that is about $100 million less than a past proposal because it uses a portion of the existing Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
The commission has not endorsed any individual proposal for a new stadium. The latest is one of several the commission is reviewing as it looks at the costs of financing a new stadium to replace the 27-year-old Metrodome. The commission plans to submit information on the costs of various proposals to lawmakers during their 2009 session.
The commission owns the facility where the National Football League Vikings play along with Major League Baseball’s Twins and the University of Minnesota Gophers. The state Legislature has previously approved partially bond-financed plans with some public component for the Gophers and Twins and construction of new stadiums for those teams is underway. Legislative approval for a Vikings stadium has eluded the team.
