The Minnesota Vikings' plans for a new football campus in Eagan have the team's new neighbors in Mendota Heights concerned about more noise, but the Vikings say recent changes will help ease that worry.
The 185 acres purchased by the Vikings are in a largely commercial area on the northern edge of Eagan, but just across Interstate 494 in Mendota Heights is a residential development with about 500 homes.
Mendota Heights Mayor Sandra Krebsbach met with Vikings officials in November to discuss their plans to develop the former Northwest Airlines headquarters site, which would house team practice facilities and a stadium that could seat up to 10,000.
"With the Vikings coming in, I wanted to be clear with them from the very beginning," she said. "We are certainly pleased they are coming in and bringing attention to our city."
Krebsbach said that besides the noise from the property, she is also concerned that the development could make a new I-494 interchange at Delaware Avenue, something the city has long opposed, more likely.
Lester Bagley, the Vikings vice president of public affairs, said the Vikings have heard the mayor's concerns and are not advocating for an additional interchange nor do they think the facility will create a need for one.
"People seem to be concerned that we're building another U.S. Bank Stadium," he said. "This is a small, high school-sized outdoor stadium."
The Vikings do plan to host public events at the stadium, but they haven't decided whether they will include concerts, Bagley said.
