Nicollet Island football stadium debate goes into overtime
It looked like Game Over last month when the Minneapolis City Council overturned the Planning Commissions denial of the football stadium proposed by DeLaSalle High School to be built on public regional parkland on Nicollet Island. Then the controversy continued over in Saint Paul, when the Metropolitan Council unexpectedly imposed strict conditions on its approval of removing the land from the regional park system.
In spite of two years of opposition from FMR, Sierra Club, Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and hundreds of citizens, DeLaSalle has received all the City of Minneapolis approvals it needs to go forward with building a football stadium on Nicollet Island. The most recent decision included closing 140-year old Grove Street, part of the islands original street grid and an important cross street and river connection that carries more traffic than any other street on the island.
But the project now has one more hurdle to overcome removing the protective covenant on the parkland that prohibits any use other than passive recreation or open space. When Nicollet Island became part of the regional park system, much of the land was purchased by the State of Minnesota for the enjoyment of all citizens. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) holds title to the land and can request that the covenant be lifted by offering a land exchange of equal or greater value. And therein lies the rub
MPRB proposed placing a covenant on 2.89 acres north of Plymouth Avenue along the rivers west bank in exchange for 1.48 acres on Nicollet Island for the football stadium. When the issue came before the Metropolitan Regional Parks and Open Space Commission and subsequently the full Met Council, testimony from opposition groups revealed that the land offered was not even close to equal value and the net result of the exchange was a loss to the regional park system.
The land offered is part of a new park along the river within the Above the Falls Regional Park. Although a wonderful addition to the regional park system, the land is already owned by MPRB and they are currently developing trails and natural park amenities using funds from the Metropolitan Council. FMR testified that offering land that is already part of the regional system is basically a shell game and should be denied. Others pointed out that based on appraisals done for the two parcels, the economic value of the Nicollet Island land at $2 million is 20 times more valuable than the above the falls land offered in exchange.
The commission agreed and voted down the proposal to recommend approval to the full council. When it reached the full council, stadium proponents assumed it would go the same as all their other approvals a commission votes to deny and the higher body overturns the decision. Instead, the council denied the request and then approved an alternative motion that allows removal of the covenant if MPRB comes up with an additional 1.5 acres of new parkland to add to the regional system within 18 months. That deal is subject to approval by the MPRB board of commissioners and will likely come up for a vote this month.
Agendas for MPRB are posted online about 24 hours prior to its meetings, which occur on Wednesday evenings. To check the agenda or find contact information for commissioners, go to the MPRBs web site.
Recent news coverage of this issue
- City Council gives its OK; opponents undeterred by Terry Collins Star Tribune, 17 August 2007
- The real heroes Letters to the editor (link includes pro and con letters) Star Tribune, 27 August 2007