As new development by Allianz Field nears, backers seek $22M from St. Paul

Construction should begin in November for an all-abilities playground, public park and sculpture garden next to Allianz Field in St. Paul.

Soil remediation work for that project and the larger $160 million United Village development will start in two weeks, according to the Snelling-Midway Redevelopment Group, which is behind the plan to revitalize the area that includes a hotel, four-story office building, restaurant space and parking ramp.

The group on Friday requested $21.6 million in aid from the city of St. Paul for streets, utilities and other infrastructure assistance.

Given the location next to the stadium, light rail and the nearby Target, colleges and businesses, investors "think this area is vital" and can be like the Gold Medal Park region in Minneapolis, Snelling-Midway partner and Minnesota United FC soccer team owner Bill McGuire said on Monday.

"Businesspeople in the area want more people to come to the area," he said. "I want to see people come to the area. ... We have 400,000 to 500,000 people come a year to the Midway to see Minnesota United play."

The hotel also would serve nearby colleges such as Concordia University, St. Paul, and Macalester.

The project will create hundreds of jobs, McGuire said.

In asking the city for infrastructure aid, "This phase of the project intends to build out the public roadway system and pedestrian facilities on a majority of the site, which will also include extending utilities throughout the site to serve currently proposed and future development," Carolyn Wolf, the director of the Tegra Group that is managing the proposed project on behalf of the developers, said in an email.

The development site is the former home of the now demolished Midway Shopping Center, Big Top Liquors and American Bank building by Snelling and University avenues. It sits next to the struggling Midway Marketplace strip mall that bears a Cub Foods store and a shuttered Herberger's and T.J. Maxx stores.

If issued, aid from St. Paul would help finish streets, sidewalks and utilities that were started when the stadium was first built. The money could also help build a parking ramp, city officials said in emails on Monday.

St. Paul Principal Project Manager Daniela Lorenz said the public notice surrounding the $21.6 million infrastructure funding request from Midway-Snelling Redevelopment may not be all the funds eventually requested and marked just the "first step" in the city's process to determine if any public funding will be used for the project.

"Now that we have a financial request application from the development team, city staff will review the application and financial documents submitted with the request and make a final recommendation [on] eligible costs and recommended funding amount to the Housing and Redevelopment Authority [HRA]," Lorenz said. "The HRA will have the final decision on any funding amount."

If approved, the city would help complete various streets by the Snelling and University intersection. For example, it would continue building Spruce Tree Drive so it connects Snelling Avenue to the west with Pascal Street to the East.

In addition, the city could use tax-increment financing to help build required parking and to meet other development requirements, Wolf said. The TIF request is about $37 million over 27 years, she said.

City officials said Monday that St. Paul's HRA won't consider the funding request for at least 45 days.

Beyond the infrastructure request, much is happening. McGuire and his wife, Nadine, are donating the all-abilities playground. Combined, the playground, park and sculpture garden are expected to cost about $17 million and should be completed by summer, McGuire said.

Landscape Structures in Delano is manufacturing the playground equipment, which will feature 25 activities including wheelchair-accessible rides, a zipline with a supportive molded bucket seat and other climbing and riding devices that are shaped like loons, Babe the Blue Ox and other Minnesota-themed creatures.