Viking Stadium Pitfalls
By the headlines in the StarTribune and the news on TV you'd think that the announcement of a new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in Anoka County meant a new Viking Stadium was a done deal right? Wrong! The agreement between the Minnesota Vikings and Anoka County is just the first step in many each filled with risk that could delay or cancel the building of a new Minnesota Viking Stadium.
No Special Session - The Minnesota legislature must approve the sales tax increase in Anoka County and to vote in the fall of 2005 a special session must be held. If no special session is held or if the vote is not taken up the Minnesota Vikings Stadium will be delayed. If the legislature does not approve the sale tax hike or if they force a voter referendum in Anoka County the Minnesota Vikings Stadium could be delayed or cancelled due to an unsuccessful vote.
Land Owner Lawsuits - The property the Minnesota Vikings Stadium would occupy is valuable and its possible not all land owners will want to willingly sell. Eminent domain would allow the county or city to force the sale of the property for the Minnesota Vikings Stadium but would likely have the deal tied up in court if a fair price is not offered for the land. A risk as well is a PR nightmare if it is judged that the Minnesota Vikings Stadium is tossing folks off their land. Hopefully the sale of land is equitable for all but that's a risk involved in the building of the new Minnesota Viking Stadium.
When you see the news crews and news papers celebrating in advance the creation of a new Minnesota Vikings Stadium keep another eye on the more complicated issues that confront any large scale development project.