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As we await what are likely the final steps in approving the Minnesota Vikings' new downtown stadium, let's take an early look at some of the questions that will remain after Gov. Mark Dayton presumably signs the bill:

What about the Minneapolis City Council?

Yes, it's true that the majority of the council's 13 members must approve the final bill before construction could begin. But that has been considered a formality since March, when Mayor R.T. Rybak announced that seven members had pledged support. Thursday morning, Rybak told Minnesota Public Radio that the bill contained "every single one of the things we asked for" and added: "I don't anticipate there will be a change [of heart]."

What will the new stadium look like?

The frantic pace of this legislation produced very few details on the design and features of the facility. There have been general terms that include 65,000 seats and 150 luxury boxes, but those are general estimates. The team released three images last month, one of which is reproduced in this post. But those are only concepts and a significant amount of architectural, engineering and design work remains to be done.

Where will the Vikings play during construction?

The team has said it will play in the Metrodome in 2012 and has expressed hope that it will be able to spend at least a portion of the three following years there as well before the new facility opens in 2016. But that timetable is subject to the unfinished work we just discussed. The expectation is that there will be at least one season, and probably a portion of a second, played at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Field. That will require a multi-million upgrade at "The Bank" to include, among other things, heating coils for the outdoor field.

What about a retractable roof?

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has expressed strong interest in playing outdoor games when possible, and a retractable roof would probably help lure an MLS team to the facility as well. The $975 million bill, however, calls for a fixed roof. Legislators said the Vikings would have to cover the additional costs and maintenance of a retractable roof. At one point last year, team officials projected a $25 million difference between a retractable roof and a fixed one. That might be a low estimate, however; the Indianapolis Colts' retractable roof at Lucas Oil Field was estimated to add $75 million to the project. I don't have an updated figure for the Vikings' stadium, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wilf at least considers the upgrade.

As the 2012 session of the Minnesota state legislature convenes Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has narrowed the focus of the Minnesota Vikings stadium debate to one site. That's a good thing. Some legislators wouldn't have entertained the issue in its chaotic three-site form. One huge question, and excuse for delay, has been eliminated.

That Dayton's site is on the current Metrodome grounds, however, appears to have enraged the Vikings and shifted the burden of further progress to them. Do they fall in line and accept a site that appears to be the most economically limited and least exciting option, but also the cheapest and least disruptive? Do they wait a year, sign a short-term lease to return to the Metrodome and renew their push for a more vibrant site next year? Or should they exert the leverage of their expiring lease and begin fielding relocation overtures?

My guess is the NFL wouldn't consider the Vikings to be serious relocation candidates as long as a credible stadium proposal, however flawed it might be, remains on the table. Unfortunately, grandiose ideas and award-winning vision have probably met political reality.

The Vikings have pursued other sites for a number of reasons. Parking opportunities near the Metrodome are limited. It doesn't offer many commercial development opportunities, and rebuilding it would force a costly three-year move to the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium.

Their preferred site in suburban Arden Hills, Minn., has room for 20,000 parking spots and hundreds of acres for future development. Two proposed sites on the west side of Minneapolis, the Farmers Market and Linden Ave., offer the potential for a sports entertainment district with baseball's Target Field and the NBA's Target Center in close proximity.

The Metrodome site, however, might be the only politically viable option. Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak favors it because it's slightly cheaper and is situated on the region's growing light rail line. A divided Minneapolis City Council appears cool to the idea of selling the land required to make the Linden Ave. site work, according to the Star Tribune, and no one has been willing to touch the Farmers' Market site, which would require a complex set of real estate transactions before construction could begin.

The Vikings have been politically strong-armed into their least-desirable option. Part of their frustration stems from years of failed attempts to entice Minneapolis leaders to partner with them on a stadium project. The cool reaction led them to Arden Hills, where they have put in almost a year's worth of planning, and only when that site grew credible and serious did Rybak emerge with a proposal of his own. It remains in its infant stages even now, and the city met a recent deadline to Dayton with a skimpy four-page outline of its plans. Most notably, there are few details available on how the city would fund its portion of the project, and the Vikings have not said how much they would pay, either.

In the end, however, it appears Rybak has been operating from a position of strength. It's obvious that the most powerful political forces in the state want the stadium in downtown Minneapolis, and they have maneuvered to block off all other options. Legislative leaders have refused to lift a requirement for a voter referendum to approve funding for the Arden Hills site, effectively quashing it. And something happened in recent days to convince Dayton that the Linden Ave. site doesn't have enough political traction, either.

The next move is the Vikings'. They won't have much choice but to negotiate the best Metrodome deal they can, which would include folding in projected losses at TCF Bank Stadium into the total cost of the project. Waiting until 2013 offers no guarantees, and seeking relocation as long as the Metrodome proposal remains credible isn't likely to fly with the NFL. But if compromise means no one is completely happy with the outcome, then the Vikings and the Metrodome site are a good fit.

A letter the Minnesota Vikings sent to Minneapolis leaders Tuesday is, of course, open to interpretation. Here's mine: The Vikings are moving closer to accepting not only that their new stadium will be in downtown Minneapolis, but also that it will be located on the current Metrodome site.

Otherwise, I'm not sure they would have taken such pains to spell out the costs associated with relocating to TCF Bank Stadium for three years while the new stadium is under construction. The letter, released by the Vikings through their website, suggests the relocation will cost $48 million and also points out that the new stadium will need $19 million in parking enhancements to meet NFL standards.

The letter still refers to the suburban Arden Hills site as "ideal," but it's grown increasingly evident that state leaders are skeptical of its financial viability. Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak favors the Metrodome site because of existing infrastructure, and the Vikings are no doubt reacting to the obvious wind shift.

In many ways, the letter represents an effort to get the best deal at the Metrodome site. It projects the Vikings will lose $37 million in revenues by playing in a smaller stadium, implying that deficit should be folded into the new stadium's financing. It also notes that someone will have to pay $11 million for improvements in the state-owned TCF Bank Stadium, including underground heaters to prevent the field from freezing at the end of the NFL season.

The letter, signed by Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf, acknowledges that the Metrodome site is "workable" but requires the relocation and parking issues to be addressed before the proposal could be complete. That's a long way from the days when the Vikings considered Arden Hills their only viable option.