A soccer stadium in the Midway?

Lingering questions about the Bus Barn / Midway Center site leave development open to discussion

By JANE MCCLURE

The former Metro Transit Snelling bus barn site and adjacent Midway Center properties are in play as a possible Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium site. Mayor Chris Coleman announced in July that he has invited MLS officials to meet with him and tour the property.

The mayor is touting a soccer stadium not simply as a way to lure a team here but also as a means to jump-start the long-awaited redevelopment of the “superblock.”  The superblock is bounded by St. Anthony, Snelling and University avenues and Pascal St.

The 10-acre bus barn property is part of a larger 34.5-acre site (including Midway Shopping Center) that has long been eyed for various uses, most recently mixed-use transit-oriented development.  An ambitious proposal for the superblock stalled last year after a study showed a need for up to $31 million in gap financing, looking at the site’s market value. Metropolitan Council officials recently said they may pursue bus barn site redevelopment on their own.

Emails between city officials and team owner William McGuire indicate that the bus barn property has been eyed for soccer since 2013. He also recently expressed interest in 25 acres of the Midway Center property for a larger development.

McGuire’s partners include United Properties and the Minnesota Twins owners, the Pohlad family.

In a July 11 media conference call, Coleman indicated that he believes there would be a “clear path forward” for a stadium within a few weeks. The Minnesota United FC was awarded an MLS franchise in March. After a July 1 deadline for a stadium pact with the City of Minneapolis fell through, Coleman and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce began advocating for a St. Paul site.

Coleman said he was told that the window for a soccer stadium in Minneapolis “is closing very quickly.” He has denied that a St. Paul bid is a way for MLS to get more leverage with Minneapolis. But Minneapolis and Hennepin County officials say they are still in the game. An open-air stadium is proposed there, near Target Field.

The project has kicked off a varying range of opinions in area neighbors and elected officials, ranging from enthusiastic support to concerns about tax base impacts, traffic, spillover parking and what kind of redevelopment a stadium would bring. Union Park District Council (UPDC) hosted a community meeting on the proposal Aug. 11 and will continue to gather input.

Union Park is an area of Saint Paul between the Mississippi River and Lexington Ave., and University and Summit avenues, including Merriam Park, Snelling-Hamline, and Lexington-Hamline neighborhoods. The parcel in question is located in the UPDC area.

While there has been much speculation and behind-the-scenes city discussion of locating a stadium here, UPDC Land Use Committee members and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods said community members need the chance to discuss the proposal.

“There’s a need to get the community’s perspective,” said UPDC Land Use Committee Chairperson Anne White. Other committee members agreed. They noted that while there is considerable support for soccer and redevelopment, concerns include traffic and parking impacts, potential public subsidy, and the pros and cons of redevelopment that might be more of an entertainment district than the mixed-use long envisioned for the site.

On July 24, UPDC passed a resolution supporting further exploration of the bus barn site as a possible location for a stadium. But the project would have to allow for, and encourage, transit-oriented, mixed-use development of the entire 34.5-acre Snelling-Midway site. That would keep consistency with the Snelling Station Area Plan developed as part of a series of station plans along Green Line light-rail.

UPDC is also asking that the city approach redevelopment of the entire superblock as whole and to “avoid allowing the excitement and urgency of the stadium project to limit the remarkable opportunity that exists in the heart of our city,” the letter stated. “The best location for a stadium on the site may be the Met Council-owned parcel. But, we know the development would be stronger if the entire site and its infrastructure were designed as a whole, even though the plans would likely be implemented in phases over time.”

Other concerns include making sure that stadium development doesn’t compromise the goal of a walkable site with public open spaces, and a mix of housing and business development focused on creating long-term quality jobs. There is also concern about tax relief options, with worries that residents and businesses not bear financial burdens tied to stadium construction.

Another point the district council made is that parking and traffic management are “critical” and that shared parking needs to be explored. Stadium planners are also encouraged to promote transit use to get people to and from the games.