Good Bones, But Needs Rehab
Age: 20-plus years
Square feet: 830,000
Location : Downtown Minneapolis
How much: estimated rehab budget of $120 million.
Unless your fixer upper happens to host NBA games, don’t expect Mayor R.T. Rybak to propose a “public-private partnership” to help defray your costs.
Yet, that’s exactly what’s being contemplated to help Timber Wolves owner Glenn Taylor spruce up the Target Center — presumably to accommodate more corporate suites, which in turn will help goose tickets sales.
So, here are two questions this Minneapolis homeowner/taxpayer/Realtor/blogger has: 1) will my taxes go up and/or city services be cut to pay for the Target Center renovation?; and 2) will Taylor re-pay taxpayers’ largesse by raising the price of Timber Wolves’ tickets?
P.S.: Dear Mayor Rybak: if this post happens to reach your attention, I have two words of advice: ‘user fees.’