The developer of a $400 million mixed-use project on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis near the future Vikings stadium is asking the public to pay about $6.4 million for skyways, the Star Tribune reports.
The ambitious, still-evolving plan, unveiled by city leaders and Ryan Cos. last month, would dramatically transform a part of downtown that has languished in the last 30 years (see video of plan below).
The plan would develop five city blocks owned by the Star Tribune into a commercial-residential development, a public park and a parking ramp, the newspaper notes. The City Council would have to approve the plan.
The request for skyways money is found in city documents obtained by a public records request, the Star Tribune reports. The $6.4 million would pay for three skyways connecting two 20-story office buildings with each other and nearby parking ramps. The skyways would ultimately connect the stadium to downtown Minneapolis, the newspaper reports. The newspaper also notes that private developers typically pay for skyways rather than taxpayers.
Michele Kelm-Helgen, chairwoman of the panel that is overseeing the stadium project, said using skyways to connect the stadium to downtown is a “priority,” the newspaper reports.
