A recent Minnesota Court of Appeals ruling hasn’t slowed construction of a new Division 1 hockey and basketball arena at the University of St. Thomas, after all.
University officials issued a public statement on Tuesday indicating they would appeal the Court of Appeals decision, which called the city of St. Paul’s environmental review of potential arena impacts insufficient in three key areas. Rather than work with the city on a new Environmental Assessment Worksheet, or EAW, for the 5,500-seat arena, St. Thomas will challenge the order in court, according to a statement posted Tuesday to the university’s website.
Arena construction, which was put on pause in early April, resumed in mid-June when neighbors failed to sway the St. Paul Planning Commission and then the St. Paul City Council with a series of site plan appeals. Construction at the arena site off Grand, Cretin and Summit avenues has not been put on hold again, even after the Court of Appeals decision.
“The University of St. Thomas will continue construction of the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, as permitted by law,” read the statement from the university.
Neighbors organized under the title Advocates for Responsible Development have said the university has done little to mitigate parking concerns, a likely uptick in spectator traffic or take into account the arena’s combined impact with that of the Schoenecker Center, a $110 million science, technology, arts and math building, which opened in February almost directly adjoining the future sports arena.
A three-judge Court of Appeals panel agreed, noting the EAW listed only vague, passive and general solutions, such as monitoring event attendance for two years and “keeping the community informed of events.”
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