Minnesota United land option expires, either killing Minneapolis plan or meaning nothing at all, depending

The Minneapolis land purchase option deadline for Minnesota United expired yesterday, and there are no signs that the team’s owners got an extension, though the Minneapolis Star Tribune seems to be hedging a bit behind “we don’t actually know nothin'”:

A development entity associated with Minnesota United FC had secured the exclusive right to purchase industrial property near the city’s Farmers Market for a $150 million stadium. But time ran out on that deal Monday, and there was no sign it was extended.

The team, which is seeking a tax break from the city, declined to comment on the implications of the deadline for a Minneapolis stadium. … [Property owner Robert] Salmen, who owns about 80 percent of the property proposed for the stadium, did not return a request seeking comment on Monday. … Minneapolis and Hennepin County officials weren’t giving up hope Monday, however, amid the team’s public silence.

Of course, an option is just an option, and there’s nothing stopping United owner Bill McGuire from going back to Salmen and waving a check in his face when and if he has a stadium deal in place with Minneapolis that he’s happy with. But it’s definitely a step back for any Minneapolis stadium plan.

Meanwhile, while I was traveling last week, the St. Paul city council last week approved a nonbinding resolution endorsing the idea of exempting the city’s share of stadium land from property taxes, but only if United pays for all stadium design, construction, and operations out of its own pocket. That’d be only part of the stadium site (the rest is in private hands, and would presumably remain taxed), so not a huge boon to McGuire, but then again paying for the stadium itself with private money wouldn’t preclude Mayor Chris Coleman’s previous idea to have the city pay for cleanup and infrastructure on the site with city TIF money, so … really, this is all way too soon to tell how it’s going to work out, beyond “everyone wants to make Bill McGuire happy without it looking like they’re just giving him money for his new toy.” There is much jockeying yet to go.