Board approves Mankato stadium and mixed-use housing ground leases; project pitched as regional economic driver

The Minnesota State Board approved two ground-lease requests from Minnesota State University, Mankato’s foundation for a privately funded stadium and a mixed-use student housing project, moves campus leaders say will bolster student recruitment and the regional economy.

President Inch and the campus team described the program as two linked projects: a stadium/event venue that would seat about 6,500 for athletic and community events (expandable to 12,000 for major concerts) and a mixed-use building with apartment-style student housing and ground-floor retail/clinical space. The stadium funding model is largely philanthropic (the campus cited a $60 million philanthropic target); the mixed-use housing will use nonprofit bonding and tenant revenues, officials said.

Campus leaders highlighted community benefits: improved home for athletics and events, space for health-and-wellness clinics and experiential learning, new housing types for graduate and upper-division students, and a planning estimate of substantial long-term local spending associated with the venue and event activity. Naming commitments announced publicly included the Becky and Glenn Taylor Community Stadium and the Taylor Family Field, plus other gate or plaza naming discussions in process.

Trustees clarified terms: the stadium ground lease was presented as a 10-year term tied to philanthropic payback assumptions and the mixed-use housing as a 30-year lease matching expected financing payback. The board moved and approved both ground-lease permissions after amending the foundation name to the Maverick Real Estate Foundation (a supporting organization).