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Minneapolis (AP) ― The Minnesota Twins unveiled the long-awaited design of their new stadium Thursday, describing a cozy urban ballpark with great sightlines, subtle reminders of the state's beauty and a majestic view of the Minneapolis skyline.

The 40,000-seat ballpark, tucked into 8 acres of the Warehouse District, will sit at the hub of light rail and commuter rail lines stretching off into the city. In a nod to the state's rustic outdoors, fans walking from downtown will come upon the stadium's limestone facade.

Flowers, trees and shrubs native to Minnesota will be planted around the stadium -- including a band of pine trees visible to fans behind the centerfield wall. An extra-big canopy will protect fans from the sun and rain.

"I really like it, but I didn't expect it to be so modern-looking. I was hoping for something a little more retro," said Brian Watson, a Twins fan from White Bear Lake. "Like Wrigley Field, something like that."

Mike Pacovsky, a fan from Burnsville who attends about 10 home games a year, deemed the design "very impressive" and said he liked how close the seats are to the field. The Twins said the seats will be closer to the field -- 45 feet -- than in any other major league stadium.

The team and its lead architect unveiled the design for the Hennepin County Board -- which will likely vote on the proposal April 24 -- and fans gathered inside the Hennepin County Government Center.

Other features include bigger seats than those at the Metrodome; a complete view of the field from an open main concourse; concourses twice as wide as those at the Dome; and 401 women's toilets and 266 men's toilets or urinals (compared with 256 and 192, respectively, at the Dome.)

"Whether this is a modern-day Wrigley Field ... it is absolutely unique to the state of Minnesota," said Earl Santee of HOK Sport, the firm that designed the ballpark.

But on a morning when snow from an April storm covered the streets, questions about the weather couldn't be avoided. Fans noted that during the first week of this season, major league baseball postponed games in Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Detroit because of the snow and cold.

The team acknowledged those concerns but said fans will be able to retreat to warm concourses, where they will still be able to watch the game, and sit beneath a canopy that will circle most of the stadium. Also, the architect is trying prototype heated seats, though they are not yet part of the design.

The natural-grass playing field will also be heated to ensure that any snow would melt.

On the field, the outfield dimensions will be 339 feet to right field -- with a 23-foot high wall invoking the blue baggy in the Metrodome -- 404 to center and 328 to left.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan called it a "fair" ballpark that shouldn't favor hitters or pitchers.

The team could break ground on the 40,000-seat, $522 million stadium as early as next month and hopes to get it built in time for the 2010 season.

Construction of the ballpark would cap more than a decade of wrangling over the cost and location of a stadium and who should foot the bill. Last year, the Legislature approved a plan in which Hennepin County taxpayers will pay an estimated three-quarters of the cost through an additional 0.15 percent sales tax, or 3 cents on a $20 purchase. The Twins are paying an estimated $130 million, though the team is prepared to pay more to break a deadlock over the price of the land.

In the end, the team hopes the ballpark's urban setting, its homage to Minnesota's vaunted outdoors and fan convenience will bring people to the park long after its novelty has worn off.

"When it is all said and done, we are going to be judged on whether this is a fan-friendly ballpark," said Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc.

One of those doing the judging will be Lynn Schwartz, who looked over the designs Thursday at the government center. Schwartz attends as many as 10 games a season at the Metrodome, but now she can envision sitting outdoors, closer to the action, with a view of the cityscape in the distance.

"Yes, I think there will be some days when it's cold," said Schwartz, of St. Louis Park. "But it breaks your heart to go inside (the Metrodome) on a warm day, so I'll take my chances."

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The Metrodome replaced Met Stadium, which used to be in Bloomington. The Mall of America now stands in that site.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)