Debbie Meister lives just west of Ayd Mill Road and a few blocks south of Selby Avenue, which puts her near the center of any number of transit-related issues in St. Paul.
Make Ayd Mill Road a linear park, no cars allowed? Ruff to that!
Meister, the treasurer for the decades-old community group Neighborhoods First!, has spoken out strongly on the ever-controversial subject of Ayd Mill Road -- her organization would like it to become a linear park, completely free and clear of cars.
She’s argued for making the new high-end apartments at the intersection of Selby and Snelling avenues more transit-friendly, and weighed in on medians on Marshall Avenue and the citywide bicycle plan.
Now, Neighborhoods First! is taking aim at another serious concern: Major League Soccer. The volunteer-driven community group is unhappy with the prospect of keeping 10 acres of land near Snelling and University avenues off the tax rolls in perpetuity for the sake of accommodating a possible 18,000 - 20,000 seat professional soccer stadium.
And this isn’t just a handful of relative unknowns, malcontents and rabble rousers creating a stink. As far as name recognition goes, the community group’s 10-member steering committee includes Green Party activist Roger Meyer, who briefly ran for St. Paul mayor before dropping out of contention in 2013.
Ayd Mill Road?
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, a handful of state lawmakers will host a town hall-style open forum at Gloria Dei Church, 700 Snelling Ave. South. Neighborhoods First! has put out the call to supporters to show up en masse with a message: “You need to tell them that you oppose a property tax exemption for a stadium in St. Paul’s urban core.”
The forum, which is expected to be a wide-ranging look at the legislative session and not stadium-specific, will be hosted by state Sen. Dick Cohen, state Rep. Erin Murphy and state Rep. Dave Pinto, all DFLers from St. Paul.
“This is just an opportunity to make your voices known,” said Meister, who points out that two pro-stadium resolutions sailed through the city council and Ramsey County board without so much as a single public hearing between them.
“We would love people to make calls to their elected officials,” Meister said. “We want people to have input. We’re disappointed it’s been such a closed-door process. So many people that I’ve talked to have said ‘it’s a done deal.’ We’re trying to say there are opportunities to be heard.”
Transit-accessible design!
To be clear, St. Paul City Council President Russ Stark has loaded his support for a tax-free soccer stadium with a series of caveats -- he wants the team to pay for construction and design in its entirety, and he's hoping that redevelopment of the neighboring Midway Shopping Center will move forward hand-in-hand, among other expectations and requirements.
It’s unclear how much tax forgiveness is in question, as no stadium package has been formally unveiled. The 10 acres of Midway property are owned by the Metropolitan Council, and haven’t generated tax dollars in roughly 50 years.
Nevertheless, the economy is picking up, and it’s conceivable they could generate money if private enterprise were to be built there down the road. How much money remains open to debate. And more debate. And probably more debate.
So why bring the case to state lawmakers? Last March, when a soccer stadium seemed poised to land in Minneapolis, Major League Soccer and Minnesota United were intent on a series of tax breaks that only state lawmakers could approve.
“For the stadium to be exempt from property tax, the legislature has to approve that,” Meister said. “So that’s why we’re encouraging people to come to the town hall.”
Wait a second, there's another group inviting taxpayers to call their lawmakers, and they are -- Minnesota United.
The stadium page of the team's website states:
"Minnesota United plans to build a soccer-specific stadium in the Twin Cities as part of the move to MLS — investing $250 million into the state of Minnesota and the metro area. The club is asking for ZERO TAX DOLLARS for construction of the soccer-specific stadium. The United ownership group is committed to partnering with local policymakers to optimize stadium development to improve the metro area.
If you support a soccer-specific stadium in Minnesota, let your policymakers know. Call, email or write Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Minnesota Caucus Leaders Thomas Bakk and Kurt Daudt today.
Click here to download a PDF flyer with full contact information."
St. Paul, of course, isn't the only city that has been named as a potential stadium location. While a Minneapolis-specific stadium proposal has had its stumbles, land near the Minnesota Twins ballpark was the team's original choice.
It's probably worth noting that the team has not taken down an April 21 announcement asking fans to contact lawmakers and push for a stadium in the Minneapolis West Loop.
The post Neighborhoods First! is dead-set against tax exemptions for Major League Soccer appeared first on City Hall Scoop.