The new park is supposed to be ready by 2010, in time tocelebrate the ball club's 50th season in Minnesota. The 40,000-seatstadium fills the need for the team's own space, a Twins spokesmantells GlobeSt.com. The club shares the Metrodome now with theMinnesota Vikings. "The Twins want to stop playing baseball in acorner of a football stadium," the spokesman says.

The Minnesota Ballpark Authority will own the new park, leasingit to the Twins for 30 years. A .0015 sales tax increase inHennepin, excluding clothes, food, medical supplies andautomobiles, will help fund the $90 million authorized to buy theland and do infrastructure. "Even if the panel authorizes thehigher land value, it's not going to stop anything; the horse isout of the barn on this. They just might have to take some moneyout of the infrastructure plans," the spokesman says. Naming rightsare now being negotiated, he says.

The one-million-sf stadium plans don't include any exteriorretail, he says. "I'm sure there will be retail going up along andaround the stadium," the spokesman says. "There's really not a lotof development in the area, considered the North Loop area. Thiswill build a new link to the downtown district, and add a whole newcomponent to the Minneapolis experience," he says.