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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Blaine Planning Commission Takes Up National Sports Village Expansion as City Builds Toward $750 Million Entertainment District
Rezoning proposal would clear the way for additional restaurants, retail, fitness uses, live entertainment and outdoor dining near the National Sports Center
BLAINE, MN (September 8, 2026). Blaine's effort to transform the area surrounding the National Sports Center into a major sports, entertainment and commercial destination moves back before city planners Tuesday night, with a rezoning proposal that could expand the mix of restaurants, retail, fitness and entertainment uses at the National Sports Village.
The Blaine Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday on city-owned development applications covering 2180 and 2190 105th Avenue NE, immediately south of the National Sports Center.
The city is seeking to rezone the properties from the 105th Redevelopment District to Planned Business District and obtain a conditional-use permit allowing retail businesses, restaurants, live entertainment, outdoor dining, fitness uses and zero-lot-line development.
The application is another step in Blaine's broader effort to reshape the 105th Avenue corridor into a destination district capable of capturing more of the economic activity generated by the National Sports Center and providing additional dining and entertainment options for residents.
That larger redevelopment is substantially more ambitious than the two parcels coming before the Planning Commission Tuesday.
Blaine's adopted vision for the area includes hotels, restaurants, family entertainment, housing, professional offices and public gathering spaces arranged around a more pedestrian-oriented district. Current concepts also include a Scheels sporting-goods store, a food hall, golf entertainment, a year-round pickleball facility with a restaurant and a multifunction stadium.
The city says the estimated value of the broader development could exceed $750 million when completed.
Blaine has been working toward redevelopment of the 105th Avenue area for years. The City Council identified the corridor near 105th Avenue, Nassau Street and Radisson Road as a priority redevelopment area, and the Blaine Economic Development Authority acquired older properties as part of an effort to replace aging and blighted development with a stronger commercial tax base.
A city visioning study was completed in 2022, and Blaine subsequently selected Elevage Development and Bader Development as master developers for the broader district. Construction and infrastructure work began in late 2024, with the project expected to proceed in phases over several years.
The National Sports Village itself has already begun taking shape.
PinPoint Community Development proposed the project as a two-phase commercial development. Its first phase included Pizza Pub Prime, which opened in December 2024, and a larger mixed-use building envisioned for restaurant, private-club, office, health and athletic services, retail and food uses. The Parc opened in September 2025, followed by Protein House in April 2026.
Tuesday's rezoning request would establish a Planned Business District framework for additional commercial uses on the two 105th Avenue properties.
The hearing also comes as Blaine continues investing public resources in the larger redevelopment area. The city has said it is using financing mechanisms including tax increment financing, tax abatement and bonds for eligible infrastructure and redevelopment costs.
In April, the City Council approved financing for a $15 million parking facility within the district. The city has said its goal is to repay redevelopment-related obligations primarily through revenue generated within the district, although officials have acknowledged that some projected revenue may not be sufficient to fully cover parking-facility debt and that property taxes could ultimately become one source if other revenues fall short.
The broader project has also generated debate over development costs and the effect construction could have on existing businesses in the redevelopment area.
The Planning Commission will not make the final decision on Tuesday's National Sports Village application. The commission serves in an advisory capacity and will make a recommendation to the Blaine City Council, which will consider the rezoning and conditional-use permit at a subsequent meeting.
Tuesday's public hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of Blaine City Hall, 10801 Town Square Drive NE. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and can also be watched through the city's cable channel and online meeting stream.
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