As the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Minnesota Timberwolves search for a new home beyond the walls of their present home court – the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US – some hope they don’t overlook the option two blocks down.
Earlier this year, the Minnesota Timberwolves head honcho Matt Caldwell said that they could have a site selected by the end of 2026. But the Timberwolves want an entertainment district on the City Center site which is boxed-in and it is a big challenge.
‘KARE 11’ stated that the Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey has made no bones about the fact that he likes the City Center idea.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis (US). The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a Member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.
The 18,798-seat Target Center is a multipurpose arena located in Minneapolis (US) that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations, and private events. It serves as the home ground of the NBA team Minnesota Timberwolves.
City Center Plan
‘KARE 11’ further stated that Mayor Frey favors the City Center plan which could give the Minnesota Timberwolves a 40 percent bigger footprint than the one the team currently has at the Target Center.
But securing that extra space in the center of the city would be a complicated exercise.
A tower would have to come down. The tower is the fourth largest in the city of Minneapolis and is said to be 52-storied. Some estimates say to tear down the tower would cost $25 million and some say $50 million. The other big factor is that the Marriott Hotel sits right on the site and is owned separately.
A clear picture has still not emerged if the current owners of the hotel would be willing to sell the building to make way for the arena.
Mayor Frey’s office sent out a statement which read, “The Mayor’s first focus is keeping the Timberwolves and Lynx in downtown Minneapolis. The City Center is one of the several great options to make that happen – imagining a fully pedestrianized Nicollet Mall where people can walk to the games and the concerts with shops and outdoor seating activated up and down the street in all four seasons. We have to think big about the next phase for the core of downtown and a new arena presents a significant opportunity to do just that.”
While the Mayor’s blessing would be important for any arena deal the Minnesota Timberwolves have yet to say if they are seriously considering the site.
Entertainment District
The Wolves have made it very clear that they want to build an arena with an entertainment district around it. One has seen this with a lot of other sports teams around United States – hotels, restaurants, apartments, office spaces, that type of a thing, kind of a branded district, and that is one of the challenges with the City Center site. It is sort of boxed in.
The ownership has previously mentioned the Minneapolis Farmers Market as a possible site with plenty of extra space for that type of development but a more centrally located arena might still be possible with some creativity.
Key Question:
- Can the Minnesota Timberwolves build an arena on the City Center site which is boxed-in?
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