"Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf emphasized Friday in a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton that he's committed to building a football stadium in Arden Hills - and only in Arden Hills.

Wilf said the $400 million or more that he and the NFL are willing to dedicate to a $1.1 billion stadium is site-specific. If the state chooses Minneapolis or another location for the new stadium, the money won't follow.

"The Vikings' private investment of more than $400 million is specific to the Arden Hills location because of the opportunities that exist with that site," he wrote. "Any other location would not justify anywhere near the level of commitment we have made in Arden Hills."

The rest of the funding was to be public money: $300 million from the state and $350 million from a 0.5 percent sales tax in Ramsey County - though officials have since said such a tax is unlikely.

Wilf, a real estate mogul, isn't considering the 430 acres in Arden Hills only for a 65,000-seat, state-owned stadium and upward of 20,000 parking spots; he wants 170 of those acres for commercial development.

In his letter, Wilf told the governor he was disappointed that a major source of potential stadium funding - the proposed Ramsey County sales tax - has been effectively thrown out by lawmakers. But he took heart from other recent developments.

On Tuesday, Ramsey County commissioners are scheduled to vote on a $28.5 million offer to buy the Arden Hills land from the federal government. "