The University of St. Thomas is building a new Division I arena for basketball and hockey on campus. But not everyone is happy about it.
Many residents are concerned about parking, traffic and environmental impacts, and have posted “Say No” signs in their yards regarding the arena. A group of residents appealed to the city of St. Paul for approval of the site plan. Construction of the arena has been paused since the appeal was resolved.
“We want them to find another site that works better,” said Don Worthy, a spokesman for the residents group Advocates for Responsible Development. “There are a lot of issues: parking, greenhouse gas issues, traffic issues.”
But a spokesperson for the University of St. Thomas said the school has been working diligently with neighbors as well as city and state officials on the plan.
“This development was reviewed by several local and state agencies, none of which had a significant impact on the arena from an environmental standpoint,” said St. Thomas' Director of Neighborhood University Relations. Jerome Benner said.
Ms. Benner went on to say that she had held 16 listening sessions with neighbors to address their concerns.
The university plans to utilize shuttle services and pre-allocated parking to alleviate some of the traffic and parking issues.
Benner said the 5,400-seat area isn't full most nights.
“We only plan on four games a year that will actually be packed,” he said.
Plans are for the new arena to open in fall 2025.
