Decision to open for three days comes after Chanhassen city council voted to table rezoning request amid concerns about impact on traffic and public safety
The re-opening of Princes Paisley Park home as a museum will happen for a few days starting Thursday, after the city council in Chanhassen, Minnesota, granted a temporary permit to open the facility.
The city council in the late musicians hometown threw plans for the re-opening into disarray along with perhaps hundreds of planned fan trips to Paisley Park for the inaugural showing when it voted on Monday to delay the museums official debut.
During three hours of discussion on Monday at themeeting in Chanhassen, the board voted 3-2 to table a rezoning request that would have allowed Paisley Park the late music legends recording studio and home to re-open as a museum.
Council members and residents expressed concerns about the proposed museums impact on traffic, public safety and parking in the town of 24,000, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Councilwoman Bethany Tjornhom said the city needed to consider whether it wanted to be a tourist town, hosting upward of 600,000 visitors annually.
We only have one chance to get this right, she said.
A spokesperson for Paisley Park told the Guardian in an email that a preview for members of the media scheduled for Wednesday had been postponed.
But in a press release issued later on Tuesday, Princes estate said the temporary permit will allow the museum to open for tours on Thursday 6 October, Saturday 8 October and Friday 14 October, while Paisley Park continues to work closely with the council on their traffic and zoning concerns. No new tickets are available, and guests who pre-ordered tickets for other days can receive a refund or possibly be accommodated for one of the three scheduled dates. Information will be sent by email to those ticket holders shortly, Paisley Park said.
An exhibit of Prince artifacts and wardrobe items may open in the Mall of America by early next week, the estate said, following discussions with the mall.
This exhibition will be available to all ticket holders while we continue to work through the Paisley Park review process with the city council, the press release said.
Last month, Chanhassens planning commission unanimously voted to rezone the site. At the commission hearing, Pat Mazural, special administrator for Princes estate, said the purpose of the museum was to preserve the superstars legacy.
He was an extraordinary talent and a unique musical artist, Mazural said, according to meeting minutes.
But on Monday, when the matter came to the city council for a vote, others expressed concerns about the museum. The Star Tribune reported that some fans told the council they believed the museum was being created too soon, while residents raised concerns about potential traffic issues and pedestrian safety.
The Star Tribune said an email from the site to fans who bought a ticket for the museums initially planned opening on Thursday said updates would be forthcoming.
The Chanhassen City Council voted late yesterday to table the measure which would have permitted Paisley Park to open as a museum starting this Thursday, October 6, the email said. We will email you with updates very soon.
Prince died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl at his home in April.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/04/prince-paisley-park-museum-chanhassen-minnesota