It looks like the Minnesota Vikings will have a new practice facility and team headquarters in Eagan.
The Vikings announced Tuesday evening that the Eagan city council formally approved the team’s plan to move its headquarters and training facility to a 200-acre site located just off Interstate 494 and the intersection of Dodd Road and Lone Oak Parkway.
The city council approved the Vikings mixed use proposal on a unanimous vote.
Eagan City Council approves Vikings headquarters/practice facility. Team to break ground this summer w/ goal to move Spring 2018.
— Jeff Anderson (@andersonj) June 22, 2016
The site of the new headquarters and practice facility will be at the former Northwest Airlines headquarters in Eagan.
“Tonight’s vote is an exciting step forward for the Minnesota Vikings and for the Eagan community, as we can now officially call Eagan our future home,” said Vikings Chief Operating Officer Kevin Warren in a statement Tuesday evening. “This project offers a unique opportunity to do something incredibly special, to transform a beautiful but underdeveloped site into a regional destination with a strong community focus.”
Tuesday’s vote means the Vikings now have preliminary approvals for all phases of the planned development. Phase I of the mixed-use development will include:
- Five outdoor fields – four grass, one synthetic
- Outdoor stadium with an anticipated capacity of 6,000
- Outdoor training areas, including a sand pit and inclined surfaces
- Indoor practice facility with a 100-yard synthetic surface field and full-clear height for kicking
- Team auditorium and player position meeting rooms
- Media center/press facilities
- Expanded locker room, weight room and equipment facilities
- Cardiovascular and specialized speed rooms
- Hydrotherapy room and post-workout recovery rooms
- New Administrative office for front office staff
According to the Star Tribune, the Vikings currently have administrative staff scattered throughout three different offices from Eden Prairie to Minneapolis. The new headquarters will allow all of them to work out of one location.
The team says later phases of development will occur in stages over the next 10-15 years.
