A stadium nod in Arden Hills

Ramsey County's effort to land a new Minnesota Vikings stadium passed its first test Monday night in the city that would be its home.

With opponents airing quality-of-life concerns and officials urging patience, the Arden Hills City Council agreed to work with the county as it explores the potential of hosting a stadium in an abandoned federal munitions site at Interstate 35W and Hwy. 10.

Mayor David Grant noted, however, that the city has yet to see a formal stadium proposal or financing plan. Neither has anyone at the Capitol, where a key legislator said Monday that he is "very surprised" there still is no public subsidy plan for a new Vikings home, whether in Arden Hills, Minneapolis or elsewhere.

"There should have been a bill the opening day of session," said Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston. "I don't understand the timing issue -- why we're waiting."

Davids' comments, some of the strongest by a Republican leader heard recently on the issue, were echoed Monday at a meeting of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission. Two legislative lobbyists told commissioners that no one seems to know just when a bill will emerge.

"It remains to be seen whether they'll get to a stadium bill. Here's hoping they will," lobbyist Bill McGrann said.

Said commission Chairman Ted Mondale, "I'm not sure anybody knows how it's going to end up."

The Vikings are considering as many as five sites for a new stadium, estimated to cost $700 million to $900 million depending on whether it has a roof. The team's 30-year lease at the Dome expires at the end of the 2011 season, and officials say they won't renew the lease without a public finance commitment for a new stadium.

So far, no "host community" or local government partner has been found to raise local sales taxes for a new stadium, as Hennepin County did for Target Field. Davids said that a bill without a specific financing plan stands little chance of passing.

In Arden Hills on Monday, concerns about traffic brought out a small but vocal crowd opposed to the stadium plan. Philip Fabel, a longtime city resident, also raised the possibility that Arden Hills could be used simply as leverage for a better stadium deal elsewhere.

In the end, council members voted 4-0, with one abstention, to work with the county to see if a stadium "makes sense" for the 430-acre site -- the largest Superfund pollution cleanup property in the state.

Grant and Council Member Fran Holmes said Monday's vote was about ensuring Arden Hills was "at the table," looking out for citizens, as the county made its case in stadium discussions.

But Holmes also noted how mixed-use development has failed to take root on the site, making a stadium a possible "win-win" project, and Grant spoke of how the Army property -- with ample space for parking and other development opportunities -- had advantages over stadium sites discussed in Minneapolis.

For their part, the Vikings have described the Arden Hills site as a viable contender.

Team officials and other stadium supporters have repeatedly said a bill is still being worked on. Lobbyist Kathleen Lamb said she was hearing of a lot of work being done behind the scenes.

Republican legislative leaders, who have majorities in both houses, have said that a stadium plan would not be dealt with until the state's budget deficit was solved.

Davids said he met with Vikings lobbyists recently, whom he said promised a proposal would be made public shortly but did not say when.

Concern is growing about a repeat of last year's ill-fated attempt to pass a stadium bill. Legislation was introduced in early May to build a $791 million stadium with a series of taxes on hotels, rental cars and NFL memorabilia. The Vikings said the bill required them to pay more than they planned. Only two days later, a House committee rejected the bill for a variety of reasons, and the stadium push was over for the session.

"I feel a sense of urgency here that if [the Vikings] want to get going, they have to get going," Davids said.

Staff writer Kevin Duchschere contributed to this report. alonetree@startribune.com • 612-673-4109 mkaszuba@startribune.com • 651-222-1673