Blaine, Minnesota. — Construction is underway on a new $750 million sports and entertainment district in Blaine, adjacent to the National Sports Center.
The 60-acre redevelopment is taking shape on 105th Avenue. According to Erik Thorvig, Blaine’s community development director, the city began acquiring aging properties in the area a decade ago, with the long-term goal of transforming it into an entertainment, dining, and tourism destination.
The city sold the land to private developers, who are currently working on the massive project, which includes upscale restaurants, hotels, apartment complexes, walking paths, and an event stadium that could host concerts and a minor league baseball team.
“A $750 million investment that is going to be made by the private market is going to increase our tax base, bring in additional revenue to the city in the long term,” Thorvig pointed out. “There’ll be a financial benefit to the city from that standpoint.”
Blaine receives 7 million visitors each year, but there is no “downtown” area. One of the goals of this new development is to provide a central gathering space for visitors and residents.
How the Olympics spurred the creation of NSC
Sports have long been a part of Blaine’s DNA, with the National Sports Center serving as one of the city’s most valuable assets.
Todd Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission and the National Sports Center Foundation, says the world’s largest amateur sports facility spans a 700-acre campus and welcomes over 4 million visitors each year.
“It is the world’s largest amateur sports facility,” Johnson explained.
It has more than 50 soccer fields, seven of which are state-of-the-art turf, eight ice rinks, an 18-hole golf course designed by the PGA TOUR, and a Minnesota United training facility.
Every summer, the complex hosts the USA Cup Soccer Tournament, which draws more than 16,000 players from around the world.
The facility resulted from a significant investment in the late 1980s, when Minnesota bid to host the Summer Olympics. Although the bid was ultimately lost to Atlanta by three votes, the state’s $14.7 million appropriation paid off, transforming Blaine into a sports destination.
That doesn’t even include the approximately 3 million people who visit the city each summer for the PGA Tour’s 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.
“When I first took the job, I said there’s no reason that this complex shouldn’t be like Central Park for Blaine,” Johnson told me.
Built with the community in mind
City officials emphasized that no general fund tax dollars will be used for the project. They built ten new turf fields as part of their agreement with the developers and the National Sports Center.
The community helped shape the vision. There were several community input sessions in which various proposals were discussed. Blaine city council member Chris Massoglia stated that his constituents expressed a preference for more commercial and entertainment development over additional housing.
“My constituents would like to see a little bit less residential growth and a little bit more focus on commercial, business, entertainment options,” according to Massoglia.
The project also addresses one of Blaine’s long-standing tourism challenges: limited lodging options.
“We want people to stay in the city when they come to visit and there’s hopefully going to be some really fun amenities for the residents as well,” according to Massoglia.
A city on the rise
Blaine’s population has exploded in recent years, reaching 73,000 people, a more than 16,000 increase since 2010, according to U.S. Census data. It is Anoka County’s largest city.
“It’s wild, isn’t it?” Massoglia explained.
Blaine, according to city leaders, is on track to become a top Midwest destination for sports tourism and entertainment.
“It will take us to the next level in some of these events, for sure,” Johnson told the crowd.