City Council votes another $4 million for Stadium infrastructure

By JANE MCCLURE

Transformation of part of Midway Center into Major League Soccer’s new Allianz Field continues, with $4.057 million in infrastructure improvements approved Nov. 15 by the St. Paul City Council. The council also adopted a final plat for the stadium property. That in turn allowed for the start of structural steelwork and for everyone to see above-ground stadium work.

The council took a series of actions to create a .63-acre “great lawn” park, street, and pedestrian walkway system north of the stadium, and make future changes to

Snelling Ave. west of Midway Center. Those plans include a cutting-edge underground stormwater drainage/storage system below the planned park, which will ultimately handle runoff from the entire 34.5-acre superblock bounded by Pascal St. and St. Anthony, Snelling and University avenues.

But getting the project moving along show that deep divisions remain among City Council members. Council debate went on for about two hours, with Dan Bostrom, Rebecca Noecker, and Jane Prince casting dissenting votes on the financing and park proposals. Amy Brendmoen, Russ Stark, Dai Thao and Chris Tolbert voted in support. Noecker, Prince, and Bostrom also tried unsuccessfully to block a $250,000 city contribution toward green space public improvements. The park will be operated by Minnesota United. The team will put more than $140,000 into the park.

Votes were unanimous to set lot lines in the property’s final plat. The plat changes were needed before Minnesota United can get a building permit to start construction of the stadium above-ground.

The votes follow Nov. 13 recommendation of approval by the city’s Long-Range Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) Committee. The St. Paul Parks and Recreation Commission approved the parkland dedication agreement in September.

Thao, whose First Ward includes the property, said he appreciates the concerns raised. “This is a short-term investment for a much bigger long-term gain,” he said.

The mix of funding approved Nov. 15 will be added to $18.4 million in infrastructure improvements the City Council approved in 2017. That covered infrastructure needs in the south part of the site, below an extension of Shields Ave. between Snelling and Pascal.

The new funding includes $2 million in Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) tax increment financing (TIF) dollars, a $416,000 grant from the Capital Region Watershed District, $500,000 from the HRA loan enterprise fund, and $1.141 million in city financing for the stormwater management system.

The largest chunk of the $4.057 million is a $2.3 million for stormwater management. That system will draw on part of the past infrastructure allocation for a total of $5.375 million in funding. The water system will be the first of its kind in the state, and could be a model for other projects, including the Ford site development, said Jonathan Sage-Martinson, Planning and Economic Development (PED) Director. Much of the funding is expected to be paid back to the city over time as new development ties into the system, which will have a stacked set of tanks and a tank to catch rainwater and reuse it for site irrigation.

Other funds are earmarked for projects including Snelling improvements ($750,000), so-called soft cost including a transportation management plan ($400,000) and work on streets and pedestrian improvements ($250,000). Plans call for Asbury and Simpson streets to extend north from Shields and flank the green space, and for Spruce Tree Drive to extend into the site. Also planned is a 35-foot pedestrian walkway/plaza near the green space between Shields and Spruce Tree.

Much work will be done in conjunction with the stadium as Mortenson Construction is already working on-site.

Most concerns raised Nov. 15 center on the green space, which will be on what has been part of the shopping center parking lot. It is currently owned by longtime shopping center owner RD Management and leased by Minnesota United. It will meet a city requirement for park land dedication, under a system known as privately owned public space or POPS.

Noecker, Prince, and Friend of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County Executive Director Shirley Erstad objected to city financial contributions to a park it doesn’t have control over. Noecker said the city will only be allowed to program two events at the park each year. “I’d like to see us get the best deal possible,” she said, adding that the team will benefit financially from park naming rights as well as space use.

Other council members said the shared agreement is a win-win as Minnesota United will cover about $25,000 in annual park maintenance. Council President Russ Stark said the plan is consistent with ideas discussed when the Green Line light rail was being developed, creating park and open space along University.

Erstad expressed skepticism about the arrangement, especially the fact that Minnesota United will lease and not own the park property. “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” she said. “We’re entering into a contract with an entity that doesn’t own the property.”

Concerns were also raised about a planned change on Snelling, which would relocate the current Spruce Tree Drive traffic signal to Shields. Mike Koch, owner’s’ representative for the Spruce Tree building at Snelling and University, said that relocating the light would make it difficult for his building tenants to get to the 354-space parking ramp. He said sending motorists through part of the neighborhood to get to the ramp isn’t a desirable outcome.

“Losing access to (the ramp) seems ill-advised,” he said. City officials have agreed to meet with him and discuss his concerns, although Stark said the signal move has already been agreed to.