The Vikings are "still scrambling for tailgating space" near the new U.S. Bank Stadium in a "rapidly developing end of downtown Minneapolis," according to a front-page piece by Steve Brandt of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The team is "assured of only 125 tailgate spots that it owns across the street" from the stadium. Although some private owners "are likely to allow their lots to be used, some of the 500 to 800 spots the team says it needs to meet fan demand could be up to a 15-minute walk away." Even with those, that is "roughly a third of the spots that were available" in the days of the Metrodome. The team said that it issued a proposal "to expand the city's zone around the stadium where tailgating with alcohol is allowed." But that "depends on neighborhood input and City Council approval in the coming months." The team "plans to inform its anxious tailgaters of the steps it's taking, and it wants to start marketing tailgating lots." Less space for tailgating "was one of the trade-offs the Vikings made when they opted to build downtown on the site of the old Metrodome" over a suburban location they had previously considered. The "larger footprint of the new stadium erased team staff parking." If the city approves the expanded zone, the Vikings "will approach lot owners to see if they're willing to allow tailgating on game days," when some fans start as early as 6:00am CT. So far, there has been "mixed reaction" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/16).
