The Big Build initiative is bringing billions to the city?s underutilized downtown When Super Bowl LII takes place in Minneapolis in February, a coming-out party of sorts for the city?s new warship-shaped U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesotans hope that their hometown Vikings (currently leading their division with a 9-2 record) play a starring role.
But even if the Vikings don?t make it to the big game, the Twin Cities will have many reasons to show hometown pride. In the midst of the media circus and NFL pregame hype, including the Bold North Festival, a football-themed street party kicking off in late January, the Super Bowl will bring national attention to the ongoing redevelopment of the city?s downtown.
Known as the Big Build, this ongoing wave of public and private redevelopment will, when it?s finished in 2025, bring $2 billion of investment to Minneapolis over the next few years, the biggest investment the city has seen in decades. With nearly two dozen projects finished or under construction, the Big Build will basically create a new neighborhood, the 120-square-block district of East Town (bordered by the traditional downtown to the west, the Mississippi River to the north, and two expressways). Anchored by the new stadium, a high-tech arena with a glass prow that opened earlier this year, as well as a $588 million five-block redevelopment called Downtown East built around twin 17-story towers owned by Wells Fargo, this constellation of construction projects show...