The Nationwide Arena District in Columbus, Ohio. The District Detroit. The Deer District in Milwaukee. And, of course, the Wrigleyville neighborhood surrounding Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs. These are all thriving sports-entertainment districts that have brought new life to urban areas throughout the Midwest. Now you can add North Loop Green in Minneapolis to this list.
North Loop Green, which officially opens this summer, is bringing a 1-acre activated green space, dubbed The Green, to an area of downtown Minneapolis located between the Cedar Lake Trail and Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. The goal is for this area to serve as a town square for Minneapolis’ North Loop section of downtown, and to give fans attending Twins games, and nearby residents, a wider range of activities to enjoy in the neighborhood.
North Loop Green is also bringing 350,000 square feet of office space, 350 residential units, 100 hospitality units and 15,000 square feet of premier food and beverage offerings.
Global real estate firm Hines has collaborated with partners Marquee Development and the AFL-CIO Build Investment Trust on the construction and opening of North Loop Green. JLL is serving as the leasing agent for the office component of the development. The architect of record for the project is ESG Architecture and Design, while Kraus-Anderson served as North Loop Green’s general contractor.
Eric Nordness knows how effective sports-entertainment districts can be in pumping life into urban areas. He’s managing principal for Marquee Development, which has worked extensively on additions to Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood.
He said that North Loop Green will bring new activity to Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood, even when the Twins aren’t playing.
“North Loop Green is an amazing location,” Nordness said. “It’s a vibrant neighborhood. It has that live/work/play environment that everyone wants. There isn’t a lot of open space there. But there was this left-behind space because of the urban constraints of rail and highway. It left us with a pretty cool way to create a green space and invite the neighborhood to use it as its park.”
(Images courtesy of Marquee Development.
Nordness sees the green space portion of North Loop Green as a place for urban residents to decompress during an otherwise busy day. They can sit on a bench, read a book or sprawl out on the grass.
On other days, the park space will be programmed with music nights, farmers markets, craft fairs or other events.
“Whatever the neighborhood wants, that’s what that space can provide them,” Nordness said. “It will evolve and respond to what the neighbors and fans want to see and use. We will be pivoting and growing. But the idea was to start with this great space that invites everyone to come over 365 days a year.”
Bob Pfefferle, managing director at Hines, agreed that the park serves as the centerpiece of the North Loop Green development.
“North Loop Green will be an exciting and dynamic destination for businesses and residents,” Pfefferle said in a statement. “North Loop Green will add significant dining, recreational and family-friendly entertainment options in the rapidly growing North Loop submarket.”
The demand for sports-entertainment districts
Nordness said that sports-entertainment districts that offer a combination of entertainment, retail and dining options have become more important in an era in which consumers have so many choices as to how they spend their dollars.
As Nordness says, consumers can watch games on their many screens at home. They can go to local bars and restaurants to watch sporting events or concerts on big-screen TVs.
Sports-entertainment districts, then, are a way for sports teams to offer something extra to entice fans to visit their stadiums. They are a way for urban neighborhoods to pry consumers away from their smartphones and other devices.
“These sports teams are incredibly valuable,” Nordness said. “But consumers have an array of offerings outside their front doors. The idea of creating a better fan experience is always top of mind with owners. The ability to offer a great experience and new and unique ways to experience fandom is something that owners are often searching for. And that often leads to creating something outside the venue.”
And while it’s true that fans can watch their favorite teams from anywhere thanks to smartphones, it’s equally true that these same fans are always looking for new experiences to share in person with their friends.
“People want to come together in an environment that is interesting and compelling,” Nordness said.
Nordness refers to the area around Target Field as a dream spot for a project like North Loop Green. The North Loop is already a successful mixed-use district with shops, restaurants and two sporing venues within a short walk from each other.
Then there’s the architecture in the area, which Nordness said boasts its own unique style.
“We were so excited to come in and work with Hines on this project,” Nordness said. “It’s not too often that you can get a chance like this to make such a difference in a neighborhood.”
