Will the City of Mpls lift restrictions around the U on gamedays?

[norman dale]

Looks like the City of Mpls is trying to be more fan friendly and create a more festive atmosphere for the Vikings. Will the University try to capitalize? Are food vendors and trucks in the future? Would the city dare allow the University to close down streets around the stadium?

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/170270226.html

City officials and representatives of the Minnesota Vikings signed off Tuesday on a plan to allow more than a dozen food vendors to set up shop along a two-block stretch of the Hiawatha light-rail line Sunday in hopes of luring more fans -- especially those commuting by rail -- downtown before the team's noon kickoff

Rybak said he hopes the city and downtown restaurateurs can eventually turn Fifth Street -- from the Warehouse District on the west side east to the Metrodome -- into a "Purple Path," where fans gather at food and beverage trucks and celebrate at the nearby Armory or a public plaza before and after games

City officials also plan to open up some curbside parking Sunday for more traditional tailgating by fans who drive to the game. Rybak said the idea is to pull tailgaters out of the more residential Mill District and Elliott Park neighborhood and into downtown, where "you can be loud and have fun in the office core"

 

[year of the gopher]

I came in off of 280 and headed west on University last weekend and noticed that some private businesses appeared to be selling parking. I thought they weren't allowed to do that. Did something change in the Mpls ordinance? I hope so.

 

[GoAUpher]

I came in off of 280 and headed west on University last weekend and noticed that some private businesses appeared to be selling parking. I thought they weren't allowed to do that. Did something change in the Mpls ordinance? I hope so.

They've been able to sell parking for 2 seasons. They can't allow tailgating in their lots though.

 

[year of the gopher]

They've been able to sell parking for 2 seasons. They can't allow tailgating in their lots though.

That must be the silly restriction that I was remembering then. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[MrGopher]

From what I understand, the city of Minneapolis hasn't been overly supportive of all-out festivities at the U, but they also haven't been the source of most of the issues.

The hindrance of our merrymaking comes from the neighborhood committees surrounding the U. That is the lobby that really inhibits our fun. That is why the Vikes don't have so many problems with this. Downtown loves the Vikings compared to the sentiments which Marcy Holmes, Prospect Park, etc. have for Gopher Football.

 

[husker70]

Maybe President Kahler and the legal team should demand equal treatment. Allow the Band to return to University Avenue. Allow vendors along the sides of University and Call it The Golden Way. Give us equal treatment or get ready for legal action.

And for the neighborhood groups either get behind the U or get out!

 

[Coolew01]

Maybe President Kahler and the legal team should demand equal treatment. Allow the Band to return to University Avenue. Allow vendors along the sides of University and Call it The Golden Way. Give us equal treatment or get ready for legal action.

And for the neighborhood groups either get behind the U or get out!

I don't get how this is that big of an issue there would be at most eight games a year where football would be an issue. Eight days...

 

[MrGopher]

I don't get how this is that big of an issue there would be at most eight games a year where football would be an issue. Eight days...

Think of how many times the idea of Super Bowl was brought up in the new Vikes stadium talk. How much money was inspired by that possibility. It was a major selling point. That is one day.... once.

 

[Coolew01]

I meant it as it is only eight says if the year. I think the residents of the neighborhoods think it is an inconvenience/jealousy they don't own a revenue generating property. I agree Vikings stadium won't see more than one Super Bowl.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Couple thoughts:

1) Yes, the neighborhood committees have been a challenge for the U. But so has the city. Constant pushback on things like closing down University for a band parade (the U didn't push hard since Diem did not think it appropriate), allowing private lot tailgating (like almost every other college city in the country), and a heck of a lot more. I think the U (Kill, Teague, Kaler) need to coordinate their efforts to accomplish a few key items by pushing extra hard and showing that they will not disappoint the city. Funny how the city of Mpls is so willing to try a bunch of things out like this for the Vikings but pushes back on anything the U tries. Just shows the culture of this town and how intertwined business, Vikings, and the city are. If I were the city, I'd say "we are putting up a ton of money for YOUR new stadium, you can pay extra to have certain spots open, rent the space for food trucks, etc instead of it being given to you free of charge to enhance YOUR gameday and ticket sales."

2) The neighborhood folks. It's ridiculous how upset these people get over an open-air stadium being on campus. It's 7 home games a year, most of them during the middle of the day, meaning noise from the crowd/PA doesn't affect their sleeping schedules. Even night games start at 7 and end at 10:30-11. Their whininess and selfishness is exemplified by the Strib article that highlights the garbage left on the curbs when students move in and out. Honestly, you have an influx of people moving in to homes/dorms (most don't stay more than a year in a place, 2 max), to the tune of probably 30,000 people all within 1.5 miles of campus. SURPRISE! There will be garbage. In fact,t he city even has a day in the spring where you can put stuff out on the curb like broken couches/etc and they'll pick it up. Yet the Strib decides to take advantage of any situation to make the U/students look bad. News flash: you live on a major college campus, people. It's been there since 1852. It's been big since the 60s/70s. Students party, there is noise, and it will be relatively high densities of people meaning either be a part of it, deal with it, or leave. This is one of the primary reasons I think recent grads and young families that went to the U are great targets to live near campus and start a tradition of the area around it supporting the school. Dinkytown/Stadium Village COULD be like a college town (just a more urban one with a LRT running through it and access to 2 amazing downtowns with great jobs for young people).

 

[highwayman]

Couple thoughts:

1) Yes, the neighborhood committees have been a challenge for the U. But so has the city. Constant pushback on things like closing down University for a band parade (the U didn't push hard since Diem did not think it appropriate), allowing private lot tailgating (like almost every other college city in the country), and a heck of a lot more. I think the U (Kill, Teague, Kaler) need to coordinate their efforts to accomplish a few key items by pushing extra hard and showing that they will not disappoint the city. Funny how the city of Mpls is so willing to try a bunch of things out like this for the Vikings but pushes back on anything the U tries. Just shows the culture of this town and how intertwined business, Vikings, and the city are. If I were the city, I'd say "we are putting up a ton of money for YOUR new stadium, you can pay extra to have certain spots open, rent the space for food trucks, etc instead of it being given to you free of charge to enhance YOUR gameday and ticket sales."

2) The neighborhood folks. It's ridiculous how upset these people get over an open-air stadium being on campus. It's 7 home games a year, most of them during the middle of the day, meaning noise from the crowd/PA doesn't affect their sleeping schedules. Even night games start at 7 and end at 10:30-11. Their whininess and selfishness is exemplified by the Strib article that highlights the garbage left on the curbs when students move in and out. Honestly, you have an influx of people moving in to homes/dorms (most don't stay more than a year in a place, 2 max), to the tune of probably 30,000 people all within 1.5 miles of campus. SURPRISE! There will be garbage. In fact,t he city even has a day in the spring where you can put stuff out on the curb like broken couches/etc and they'll pick it up. Yet the Strib decides to take advantage of any situation to make the U/students look bad. News flash: you live on a major college campus, people. It's been there since 1852. It's been big since the 60s/70s. Students party, there is noise, and it will be relatively high densities of people meaning either be a part of it, deal with it, or leave. This is one of the primary reasons I think recent grads and young families that went to the U are great targets to live near campus and start a tradition of the area around it supporting the school. Dinkytown/Stadium Village COULD be like a college town (just a more urban one with a LRT running through it and access to 2 amazing downtowns with great jobs for young people).

+1

If you are saying "the neighborhood," the you are allowed to double-dip the City's involvement. Without the City's support, the neighborhood cannot follow through with their "demands". The City simply shields their own involvement with the residents of the neighborhood.

Both the residents and the City consider the U a major inconvenience--students and sports, and maybe "hates" is better. Makes you wonder how many of these geniuses actually went there. I'd say just about zero.

 

[station19]

Think of how many times the idea of Super Bowl was brought up in the new Vikes stadium talk. How much money was inspired by that possibility. It was a major selling point. That is one day.... once.

I meant it as it is only eight says if the year. I think the residents of the neighborhoods think it is an inconvenience/jealousy they don't own a revenue generating property. I agree Vikings stadium won't see more than one Super Bowl.

Well since the NFL has a minimum of 80,000 seats for a Super Bowl, how many Super Bowls do you think Minnesota will get? Does anyone think the NFL will make an exception?

Good selling strategy though.

 

[Schnauzer]

A super bowl has been in the works all along for the Vikings stadium and this has been a regular item in the news. There WILL be a super bowl in the new Vikings stadium, the only question is when.

RailBaronYarr... I always enjoy your posts and have often been informed of things I didn't know when reading them. Your points on the City/U up above are well stated, and also correct in my opinion.

 

[Gopherocious]

Well since the NFL has a minimum of 80,000 seats for a Super Bowl, how many Super Bowls do you think Minnesota will get? Does anyone think the NFL will make an exception?

Good selling strategy though.

Nice try. The stadiums in New Orleans, Phoenix, Indy, Detroit, Tampa, Miami, Houston, and Jacksonville all recently had Super Bowls, and none of those stadiums are even near 80k capacity. In fact....only DC, Dallas, and NY/NJ have stadiums of over 80k and we all know the Super Bowl is heading to places other than those.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_National_Football_League_stadiums

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history

 

[Ole]

Couple thoughts:

1) Yes, the neighborhood committees have been a challenge for the U. But so has the city. Constant pushback on things like closing down University for a band parade (the U didn't push hard since Diem did not think it appropriate), allowing private lot tailgating (like almost every other college city in the country), and a heck of a lot more. I think the U (Kill, Teague, Kaler) need to coordinate their efforts to accomplish a few key items by pushing extra hard and showing that they will not disappoint the city. Funny how the city of Mpls is so willing to try a bunch of things out like this for the Vikings but pushes back on anything the U tries. Just shows the culture of this town and how intertwined business, Vikings, and the city are. If I were the city, I'd say "we are putting up a ton of money for YOUR new stadium, you can pay extra to have certain spots open, rent the space for food trucks, etc instead of it being given to you free of charge to enhance YOUR gameday and ticket sales."

2) The neighborhood folks. It's ridiculous how upset these people get over an open-air stadium being on campus. It's 7 home games a year, most of them during the middle of the day, meaning noise from the crowd/PA doesn't affect their sleeping schedules. Even night games start at 7 and end at 10:30-11. Their whininess and selfishness is exemplified by the Strib article that highlights the garbage left on the curbs when students move in and out. Honestly, you have an influx of people moving in to homes/dorms (most don't stay more than a year in a place, 2 max), to the tune of probably 30,000 people all within 1.5 miles of campus. SURPRISE! There will be garbage. In fact,t he city even has a day in the spring where you can put stuff out on the curb like broken couches/etc and they'll pick it up. Yet the Strib decides to take advantage of any situation to make the U/students look bad. News flash: you live on a major college campus, people. It's been there since 1852. It's been big since the 60s/70s. Students party, there is noise, and it will be relatively high densities of people meaning either be a part of it, deal with it, or leave. This is one of the primary reasons I think recent grads and young families that went to the U are great targets to live near campus and start a tradition of the area around it supporting the school. Dinkytown/Stadium Village COULD be like a college town (just a more urban one with a LRT running through it and access to 2 amazing downtowns with great jobs for young people).

It's so infuriating talking about this subject.
The students aren't going to flex their muscles in the political scene obviously, but someone needs to set these neighborhood groups straight.
There's absolutely no reason whatsoever for them to be upset with the students or the campus energy on gamedays. They weren't there before either of them. They have no damn right to demand anything.
The U likely hasn't flexed on this issue because they probably see their parking money and tailgating monopoly as a good thing, when in fact they would make more by selling out every game and increasing their fanbase. Allowing private lots to cater to tailgaters would be a gamechanger IMO, it would solidify the dinkytown/stadium village area as a legitimate college gameday atmosphere. It's something that would be an absolutely unique experience locally and they could parlay the fun on gamedays into a marketing strategy that wouldn't compare to simply vikings-lite. It would be more like a concert setting, camping, tailgating, walk up to the stadium through tons of random parties.

 

[Maximus]

Washington is shut down to traffic with light rail and now we want to shut down University? Doesn't that all but eliminate 35W for getting to the stadium?

 

[station19]

Nice try. The stadiums in New Orleans, Phoenix, Indy, Detroit, Tampa, Miami, Houston, and Jacksonville all recently had Super Bowls, and none of those stadiums are even near 80k capacity. In fact....only DC, Dallas, and NY/NJ have stadiums of over 80k and we all know the Super Bowl is heading to places other than those.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_National_Football_League_stadiums

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history

I'm sure I read more than once the new requirment was 80,000. What I seem to be seeing now is 70,000. And yes the NFL has made exceptions, which is the question I asked.

 

[Schnauzer]

It's so infuriating talking about this subject.
The students aren't going to flex their muscles in the political scene obviously, but someone needs to set these neighborhood groups straight.
There's absolutely no reason whatsoever for them to be upset with the students or the campus energy on gamedays. They weren't there before either of them. They have no damn right to demand anything.
The U likely hasn't flexed on this issue because they probably see their parking money and tailgating monopoly as a good thing, when in fact they would make more by selling out every game and increasing their fanbase. Allowing private lots to cater to tailgaters would be a gamechanger IMO, it would solidify the dinkytown/stadium village area as a legitimate college gameday atmosphere. It's something that would be an absolutely unique experience locally and they could parlay the fun on gamedays into a marketing strategy that wouldn't compare to simply vikings-lite. It would be more like a concert setting, camping, tailgating, walk up to the stadium through tons of random parties.

AMEN!!

I think of this every time I go to a road game. I always think to myself... "are all these people having a good time somehow at a health or safety risk? Is the quality of life for neighbors diminishing due to this tailgating?" It is just a shame things have to be so locked down and policed. The papers have been filled for years now with the debate on having beer in the stadium. All the while the REAL debate should have been focused on what it is like outside of the stadium. In terms of the general seating, I doubt the beer is selling any extra tickets (understand it is very important for premium seating). A gameday party/carnival atmosphere would boost ticket sales over time and it would also insulate the "fair weather fan" tradition that is such a part of the MN sporting landscape.

 

[station19]

AMEN!!

I think of this every time I go to a road game. I always think to myself... "are all these people having a good time somehow at a health or safety risk? Is the quality of life for neighbors diminishing due to this tailgating?" It is just a shame things have to be so locked down and policed. The papers have been filled for years now with the debate on having beer in the stadium. All the while the REAL debate should have been focused on what it is like outside of the stadium. In terms of the general seating, I doubt the beer is selling any extra tickets (understand it is very important for premium seating). A gameday party/carnival atmosphere would boost ticket sales over time and it would also insulate the "fair weather fan" tradition that is such a part of the MN sporting landscape.

+19

 

[ski-u-mah]

That must be the silly restriction that I was remembering then. Thanks for clarifying.

Really? I had no idea. I remember trying to park the first year, but never tried it since. Anyone do this, are there spots available. We have three tailgate spots, but need parking for others joining us.

 

[gopherguy05]

Washington is shut down to traffic with light rail and now we want to shut down University? Doesn't that all but eliminate 35W for getting to the stadium?

Its true. This argument sailed away a long time ago, because there is no way to close down University because of the parking lots/ ramps that are there. Now, if an argument wanted to be for closing down say, Oak from the Superblock all the way to the stadium, I think thats a great idea and you could still do everything you wanted to do. University just isn't possible with the traffic flow/ infrastructure that is currently present. It will NEVER happen. Keep the idea of all the activities alive, just propose it somewhere other than University. You might get somewhere that way.

 

[GoAUpher]

That must be the silly restriction that I was remembering then. Thanks for clarifying.

The City prohibited private parking sales during at least part of the first season. So you might be remembering that as well.

 

[GoAUpher]

The U likely hasn't flexed on this issue because they probably see their parking money and tailgating monopoly as a good thing,

That might be part of it, but I think it's also likely that the previous administration (both overall and athletic) didn't like ruffling feathers. I'm getting the impression that this might not be an issue for Kaler and Teague.

 

[GoAUpher]

Washington is shut down to traffic with light rail and now we want to shut down University? Doesn't that all but eliminate 35W for getting to the stadium?

No, but I do think that the loss of Washington makes a return of the band to University even less likely. There are ways to run the band down University that don't impede traffic to the majority of the parking. In fact, the only parking that is affected would be the University Ave Ramp. However, that is high roller parking so I can't see them making it harder to get in there.

 

[GoAUpher]

Now, if an argument wanted to be for closing down say, Oak from the Superblock all the way to the stadium, I think thats a great idea and you could still do everything you wanted to do. University just isn't possible with the traffic flow/ infrastructure that is currently present. It will NEVER happen. Keep the idea of all the activities alive, just propose it somewhere other than University. You might get somewhere that way.

This. You'd lose some of the historical pagentry (going by the frats and all that) but logistically things become a lot more manageable.

 

[Goldmember]

The hindrance of our merrymaking comes from the neighborhood committees surrounding the U. That is the lobby that really inhibits our fun. That is why the Vikes don't have so many problems with this. Downtown loves the Vikings compared to the sentiments which Marcy Holmes, Prospect Park, etc. have for Gopher Football.

I always get a kick out of the fools who chose to live near the UofM and Saint Thomas and then spend a good chunk of their lives complaining that their neighbors are behaving too much like .... college students.

It would be great if there were a few smart students, who have political aspirations, that would organize the student-residents in the Dinkytown, Stadium Village, Prospect Park, Marcy Holmes and Como neighborhoods to take over the neighborhood organizations and steamroller the complaints of the fussy vocal minority in those neighborhoods.

 

[Iceland12]

Minneapolis and the Vikings were WAY pissed when the Gophers got TCF. They saw it as not only losing a tenant, but making a new Viking Stadium more difficult if not impossible. Any "favors" the U wanted to call in had about as much chance as....well, not very much.

Now that they've got their Stadium maybe they'll be a little less vindictive.

 

[Parski1]

Minneapolis and the Vikings were WAY pissed when the Gophers got TCF. They saw it as not only losing a tenet, but making a new Viking Stadium more difficult if not impossible. Any "favors" the U wanted to call in had about as much chance as....well, not very much.

Now that they've got their Stadium maybe they'll be a little less vindictive.

I don't think they will be vindictive when the need to use TCF for a year.

 

[Iceland12]

I don't think they will be vindictive when the need to use TCF for a year.

No kidding and I hope the U squeezes them for everything they can get.

 

[RodentRampage]

If the Gophers had never left campus, this never would have been an issue, people would have taken it for granted that on a college campus, Saturday afternoons in the fall were going to be crowded and loud. But with the Gophers at the Metrodome, people got used a nice, quiet campus on Saturdays.

It's not a matter of conspiracies or hating the U. It's simple, garden-variety NIMBYism: Not In My Back Yard.