When homeowners living near the University of St. Thomas learned that city staff had approved a site plan for the university’s new Division 1 hockey and basketball arena, they appealed the decision to the St. Paul Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission denied their appeal last month, 11-0. So they appealed again to the St. Paul City Council.

On Wednesday, a long line of residents entered the council chambers at City Hall, some two dozen of them clad in red shirts or sporting protest signs, to share a litany of concerns about the arena. Parking, emergency access, vehicular emissions and river impacts were among the issues raised. The arena, with up to 5,500 seats, would be well-situated to another locale, they said.

“There is no new on-site parking to be constructed as part of this,” said Jerome Abrams, noting the traffic impact of 66 home games each year will be felt far beyond campus. “Where those cars are going to go is into the neighborhood.”

And when they were done, the council again rejected their appeal. The vote was 4-0, with three absences being Council Members HwaJeong Kim, Rebecca Noecker and Nelsie Yang, who is out on maternity leave.

‘Not able to find a clear error’

Council President Mitra Jalali noted she lives three blocks from Allianz Field, a professional soccer stadium, and understands there will be traffic impacts.

Nevertheless, Jalali said, the council was required to examine the narrow question of whether the Planning Commission diverged from 11 standards laid out in the city’s zoning code. Those standards govern setbacks from other structures, the building’s height, pedestrian access, windows and door openings, among other particulars.

“I have been engaged on this issue for months,” Jalali said. “I am still not able to find a clear error.”

The arena, which will be located near Cretin and Grand avenues at 2260 Summit Ave., will span up to 5,500 seats, though the configuration will be different for hockey and basketball. It will also include team rooms, lockers, weight rooms and coaches’ offices for soccer and softball.

Parking concern

Daniel Kennedy, the attorney who filed the appeal on behalf of the Advocates for Responsible Development, told the council that parking in the area is already overloaded.

Another speaker likened the arrival of the sports arena to historical land grabs against the Dakota Indians, as well as the interstate construction that uprooted Black families by the hundreds in the Rondo neighborhood. He had to be removed by staff twice for raucous behavior.

Neighbors have also waged a legal battle, arguing the city’s Environmental Assessment Worksheet was insufficient and the project needs further environmental review. Oral arguments were heard before the Minnesota Court of Appeals in April.

City planning staff told the council those issues are not within the scope of a site plan review. Also not yet under consideration, they said, are a traffic management plan due within about a year, and a contested access road leading to the Binz Refectory.

McCarthy Gymnasium and a service center were demolished in March, and the arena’s footings and foundation were installed in April. Construction was suspended in light of the appeal, but is likely to resume in the near future.

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