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Wilf: Blaine still No. 1 site for stadium

  • Article by: Kevin Seifert , Star Tribune
  • Updated: July 20, 2006 - 9:13 PM

The Minnesota Vikings reaffirmed their commitment Thursday to the Northern Lights stadium project, but owner Zygi Wilf did not rule out listening to proposals for other Twin Cities sites.

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The Minnesota Vikings reaffirmed their commitment Thursday to the Northern Lights stadium project, but owner Zygi Wilf did not rule out listening to proposals for other Twin Cities sites.

Wilf said he planned to extend his formal agreement with Anoka County to provide for a proposal to the 2007 Legislature.

And he defended his stadium-related meeting with Minneapolis major R.T. Rybak on Wednesday, calling it a "courtesy" but adding: "My ears are always open.

"As a developer, I can't close my ears to people from where my home is right now, which is the Metrodome in Minneapolis," Wilf said.

"But we have a partnership with Anoka County and Blaine, and that is the most viable and opportunistic option that we have."

Appearing at a news conference with Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan and Margaret Langfeld, chairwoman of the Anoka County Board, Wilf downplayed reports of friction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The corps has yet to approve much of the 740 acres for development, in part because of wetland issues.

But Wilf said that "we envisioned dealing with this" and that the site is large enough to work around any such obstacles.

"If the project gets moved around," he said, "there is enough available land to still get it done. ... It's just a matter of fine-tuning technically the permit process and making the application at the right time."

Rather than wetland issues, Wilf said, "the major point we have to tackle" is rising construction costs. Although he would not provide specifics, Wilf said the original estimate of $675 million for a retractable roof stadium has risen.

KEVIN SEIFERT

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