Minnesota Statutes Metropolitan Area (Ch. 473-473J) § 473.75. Purpose

The purpose of sections 473.75 to 473.763 is to provide for the construction, financing, and long-term use of a ballpark primarily as a venue for major league baseball. It is found and declared that the expenditure of public money for this purpose is necessary and serves a public purpose, and that property acquired by the county for the construction of the ballpark and related public infrastructure is acquired for a public use or public purpose under chapter 117. It is further found and declared that any provision in a lease or use agreement with a major league team, that requires the team to play its home games in a publicly funded ballpark for the duration of the lease or use agreement, serves a unique public purpose for which the remedies of specific performance and injunctive relief are essential to its enforcement. It is further found and declared that government assistance to facilitate the presence of major league baseball provides to the state of Minnesota and its citizens highly valued intangible benefits that are virtually impossible to quantify and, therefore, not recoverable even if the government receives monetary damages in the event of a team's breach of contract. Minnesota courts are, therefore, charged with protecting those benefits through the use of specific performance and injunctive relief as provided herein and in the lease and use agreements.