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In this Issue
Since ground was broken on the practice stadium in early
August, construction crews have been hard at work erecting the skeletal
structure of the indoor facilities of the 40-acre Vikings development in Eagan.
The first phase of the nearly 200-acre planned development will consist of new
Vikings headquarters and training facilities, indoor practice facilities, an
outdoor athletic complex with multiple practice fields, and a small stadium
with up to 10,000 seats. The new headquarters have been formally named the Twin
Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
Through its role in reviewing comprehensive plans, the
Council also reviewed plans for the site in 2016. Because the City of Eagan was
changing the future land use of the former Northwest Airlines property, the
Council was required by state law to review the plans to ensure that they were
consistent with the overall systems planning of the region. Council staff found
that the development proposal conformed to regional system plans, was
consistent with regional policies, and was compatible with the plans of
adjacent local governments, school districts, and affected special districts.
The larger vision for the land includes an additional
140 acres of development that will be phased over the next 15 years. Dependent
on market trends, the Vikings have stated their plans to build a hotel,
conference center, retail, restaurants, housing and office on the available
land, which will bring an additional 3,200 permanent jobs to Eagan. Phase I is the currently underway Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance
Center, which is scheduled to open in March 2018.
Once finished, the development will bring a mix of housing
to this part of the region that will further leverage regional infrastructure
in the Eagan area. As an added benefit to the community, the practice stadium
will be used for non-NFL activities, including “Friday night lights” for local
high school athletics.
Every 10 years, all cities, townships and counties in the
Twin Cities region complete long-term comprehensive plan updates that outline
the future planning for their cities. State law mandates that the Council review
all comprehensive plans to ensure they conform with regional systems, are consistent
with regional policy, and compatible with adjacent and affected jurisdictions. Comprehensive plans have primarily outlined essential services and planning
functions for cities, including housing, sewer and water, transportation, and
land use.
Each cycle the Council provides technical assistance and
resources for local planners and policymakers to use in creating and updating
their comprehensive plans. But this year, the Council has significantly
increased the tools available – from explanations of the basic expectations for
a plan to information about more complicated topics related to transit-oriented
development, energy, economic data, and equity. And all these resources are
free for any community to use.
The PlanIt resources include webinars, workshops,
expert articles, online tutorials and an all-day conference, as well as more
than 50 planning grants to qualifying cities across the region.
Since launching PlanIt in May 2016, Council staff has
produced 10 webinars, three in-person workshops, published nearly a dozen
expert articles and online tutorials, and hosted 230 people at an all-day
conference in December. While the 2016 program focused on the essentials, the
2017 program will focus on topics that help cities tackle more topics in their
plans and will feature even more webinars, workshops and online resources. I
hope that if you have not had a chance to explore the resources offered by the
Council, you will get the opportunity to take advantage of some of the events
and tools the Council’s planning staff will soon be rolling out.
Now that 2017 is upon us and more cities are beginning their
2040 comprehensive plan updates, I invite all city councils, boards,
commissions, advisory groups, or other audiences participating in local
planning issues in my district to engage with me and Council staff. PlanIt and
the Local Planning Handbook
are great resources to be used by any city completing their plan updates, but
we are also happy to come to you and have a conversation tailored around your city’s
needs and additional opportunities for its future. To schedule a comprehensive
plan conversation, please reach out to Patrick Boylan, who is
the sector representative for District 15.
Every e-newsletter, I
will ask a Council trivia question and the first two people who email the
correct answer, I'll treat them to coffee at their time
and place of choice in the district.
Trivia question: In what year did the METRO Blue Line begin service?
Email answers to steven.chávez@metc.state.mn.us.
Municipal Legislative Commission Breakfast - On Friday, Jan. 13, I attended the south metro Municipal Legislative Commission's regional breakfast. The annual
breakfast for the cities of northern Dakota County, including Burnsville, Eagan and Inver Grove Heights was held to
discuss the association's priorities for the 2017 Minnesota legislative
session. Prominent among the various issues of interest to the cities is
the need for a multi-modal transportation bill, which stimulated a lively
discussion. Additional priorities for the group include local government aid, fiscal
disparities policy and property tax relief.
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