Not all neighbors are fans of the new sports arena planned for University of St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas is building a new Division I arena on campus for basketball and hockey.  But not everyone is happy about it. 

Many residents have concerns about parking, traffic and environmental impacts and have posted “Just Say No” signs regarding the arena in their yards.  One group of residents appealed the site plan approval with the City of St. Paul.  Construction on the arena has been paused since that appeal is settled. 

“We’d like them to find a different site that will work a lot better,“ said Don Waage, a spokesperson for the resident group Advocates for Responsible Development. “There are numerous problems in terms of parking, greenhouse gas issues and traffic issues.”

But a spokesperson for the University of St. Thomas says they have been diligent about working with city and state agencies on the plans, as well as the neighbors. 

“This development was reviewed by several municipal and state agencies and none of them found significant impact with the arena from an environmental perspective,” said Jerome Benner, director of Neighborhood and University Relations for the University of St. Thomas.  

Benner went on to say they have had 16 listening sessions with neighbors to address their concerns. 

The University plans on utilizing shuttle services and pre-assigned parking to mitigate some of the traffic and parking issues. 

Benner says most nights the 5,400-seat area will not be full. 

“We only really plan to have four games a year that are going to be at capacity,” he said. 

Plans call for the new arena to open in the fall of 2025.