Hotel, office construction to begin near MNUFC stadium
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A rendering shared in 2024 of the proposed hotel, restaurant, and parking ramp near Allianz Field in St. Paul as viewed from the south. Image: Courtesy of Snelling-Midway Redevelopment, LLC
A long-awaited hotel, restaurants and an office building at St. Paul's Allianz Field will all be under construction by summer, the project's developer said this week.
Why it matters: Neighbors have been clamoring for progress at United Village, the development around Minnesota United FC's soccer stadium.
- They see the project as key to injecting economic vitality into a corridor that's struggled with escalating transit crime and drug use.
- But the pandemic upended plans and timelines for developing the land around Minnesota United FC's stadium after it opened in 2019.
State of play: Developer Bill McGuire, who is also Minnesota United FC's owner, said at a community meeting this week that work on two restaurant pavilions there could begin around April 1.
- Underground construction should begin on the hotel parking ramp and office building shortly thereafter, project adviser Mike Hahm told Axios.
- Construction on the 158-room hotel should be underway by summer, said Hahm.
Zoom in: A 4,000-square-foot "community hall" has been added to plans for the parking structure. McGuire said the space could be used for public meetings or even as an early voting site.
- A local operator McGuire declined to name has been selected for a bakery and coffee roastery on the office building's ground floor.
The intrigue: McGuire also teased a new concept for the project's next phase: a 3,500+ seat music venue.
The big picture: United Village was always bound to uproot some businesses that pre-dated the stadium, but the pandemic and violence after George Floyd's 2020 murder accelerated their displacement.
- Other than a new playground and loon sculpture, the surrounding lots have been mostly empty since then.
- The result has been a vacuum of retail foot traffic that has helped feed issues with trash, homelessness and crime near the Snelling and University transit hub, the area's former City Council representative Mitra Jalali has said.
Friction point: McGuire said development is roughly a year behind schedule, according to video of his talk posted by the Hamline Midway Coalition.
- St. Paul's rent control policy — and uncertainty about its future — has undermined the search for investors to build housing units at the site, he said.
- McGuire has also pushed for a "sense of urgency" around public safety, saying the "perception" the area is unsafe has spooked potential investors.
What we're watching: McGuire said he might be interested in redeveloping the vacant former CVS store at Snelling and University avenues, which neighbors and city leaders have called an eyesore and major contributor to the neighborhood's issues.
- Convincing the building's owner to walk away would likely require "pressure" from the city, McGuire said.
- City leaders recently gave themselves new powers to levy stiffer fines, with vacant buildings like the former Midway CVS in mind.
What's next: Hahm said developers expect the restaurants to open by early 2026, and the hotel and office building by early 2027.