Minnesota United's owner unveils plans for hotel, hoping to kickstart development around Allianz Field

Why it matters: Many along University Avenue have watched the project for years, hoping it could bring new vitality to the Midway neighborhood. The corridor was battered by the pandemic and the 2020 civil unrest.

What they're saying: "It's exciting to see stuff happening on this site … which, prior to the development of the stadium, was underdeveloped for years," said Mike Hahm, a former city parks director now advising the developer group led by team owner Bill McGuire.

Details: McGuire's group is planning an eight-story, 150-room hotel with a full service restaurant on University Avenue directly north of the stadium, according to a zoning application filed last week.

• The complex would also include a five-story parking ramp with 300 stalls.

Flashback: Plans for the urban village have been circulating since at least 2016, when the city approved a master plan for the site that calls for housing, office space. and entertainment options around Allianz Field.

• Less than a year after the stadium opened, the COVID-19 pandemic began, delaying the project.

What's happening: Construction is already underway on a playground and a sculpture of a giant loon at the corner of Snelling and University.

• Developers also hope to build an office building as part of the project's first phase.

The intrigue: Hahm noted that they're starting with buildings that could be "community assets" which bring visitors to University Avenue, and potentially have a "cascading effect" along the corridor.

Between the lines: It will still be years before the entire site is completed. After the first phase is finished, roughly one-third of the superblock will still be parking lots.

• It still remains to be seen how hundreds of units of residential housing that the site's master plan calls for will be built.

What's next: Developers hoped to break ground on the hotel this year, but they'd first need the city to grant zoning variances in order to move ahead.