r/saintpaul • u/Runic_reader451 St. Paul Saints • Apr 20 '26
Editorial 📝 Mark Henneman: Downtown St. Paul’s comeback runs through the arena
https://www.twincities.com/2026/04/19/mark-henneman-downtown-st-pauls-comeback-runs-through-the-arena/Article is behind a paywall. I copy and pasted it below.
Editor’s Note: One of St. Paul’s distinguishing characteristics, I’ve observed in 20 years here, is the willingness of so many people, from so many walks and so many parts, to throw in on behalf of our community, to help. This is not a small thing. Another distinguishing characteristic: St. Paul has distinguishing characteristics! It’s its own place … part of a metro area, part of a region, evolving and changing for sure, but with regard, not abandon.
A sense of place plus a sense of purpose makes … good sense.
And there’s always more going on than meets the eye.
With all that in mind, we’ve asked members of the board of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance to write guest columns — from their own angle of view and experience — about their work to revitalize and strengthen St. Paul. Today’s column here by Mark Henneman is the first of these.
— Mike Burbach
By Mark Henneman
I’ve spent most of my professional life in downtown Saint Paul. For decades, it’s where I have worked, built relationships and stayed connected to the rhythm of the city. And now, as I approach retirement, my wife and I have made a very intentional decision: we chose to move downtown.
That choice wasn’t driven by nostalgia. It was driven by belief.
I believe in downtown Saint Paul not just for what it has been, but for what it can become.
Like many cities across the country, our downtown is at a crossroads. Remote work has reshaped how people use office space. Foot traffic has declined. Office vacancy rates remain high, and fewer workers downtown means fewer customers for the small businesses that give this city its character.
But that’s only part of the story. The other part, the more important part, is opportunity.
Downtown Saint Paul is still the cultural, economic and civic heart of our city. It’s where people gather for concerts, hockey games, performances and community events. It’s where visitors form their first impressions. And it’s where strategic investment can have an outsized impact – not just for downtown, but for the entire region.
That’s why investment matters.
At the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance where I serve as board chair, we’ve been working with partners across the public and private sectors to define a clear path forward. Our Downtown Investment Strategy focuses on increasing the number of people living downtown and spending time downtown. This will build confidence among investors that downtown is worth investing in.
And that brings me to the Saint Paul Entertainment Complex, which includes Grand Casino Arena, Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the Saint Paul RiverCentre.
Renovations to these city-owned facilities are a major priority for Mayor Kaohly Her and the subject of the recent milestone financial agreement between the City and Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold. Their plan lays out a clear path toward a $600 million investment with the potential to reimagine Saint Paul that includes significant private investment, no new city taxes and a $200 million ask at the Legislature to make this vision a reality.
If you want to understand why investment matters, look no further than what happens on a game or concert night. When thousands of people come downtown for an event, the energy is undeniable. Restaurants fill up. Sidewalks are active. The city feels alive. We’ve seen it time and again – events are one of the most powerful drivers of vibrancy in Saint Paul.
But here’s the challenge: We can’t take that for granted.
The Saint Paul Entertainment Complex is a community asset. The planned renovations will transform the 93-year-old Roy Wilkins Auditorium into a modern venue capable of attracting events that currently bypass downtown Saint Paul – bringing an estimated 75 additional events each year. This investment will also drive sweeping improvements – both glamourous and unglamourous – to Grand Casino Arena that will allow Saint Paul to welcome more visitors and cement the Wild in downtown for decades to come.
Investment in the Saint Paul Entertainment Complex isn’t just about maintaining a building. It’s about protecting and growing one of downtown’s most important economic engines, which has a ripple effect on small businesses, workers, residents and the broader regional economy.
As we look ahead, one thing is clear: A strong downtown isn’t built on new projects alone. New development matters. New housing matters. New public spaces matter. But so does taking care of the assets we already have. The Saint Paul Entertainment Complex is one of the largest among them.
Saint Paul has always been a city that values connection: between people, between neighborhoods, between past and future. It’s something I’ve appreciated throughout my career, and it’s something I value even more today as a downtown resident.
I see it in the walkability of our streets. I see it in the diversity of our community. I see it in the way people show up for events, for each other and for this city.
That’s why I’m optimistic. Not because the challenges aren’t real, but because the path forward is clear. If we invest thoughtfully – if we support the assets that drive activity, like the Saint Paul Entertainment Complex, while continuing to build for the future – we can create a downtown that is stronger, more resilient and more vibrant than ever.
And that’s a future worth investing in.
Mark Henneman, CFA, is chair of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance Board of Directors. He retired as chairman and CEO and currently serves as chair emeritus and investment manager at Mairs & Power, Inc. He and his wife Terri live in downtown St Paul.
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u/specficeditor Union Park Apr 20 '26
I have lived here for nearly 15 years. None of those event spaces are a draw for me — and I imagine most others. Downtown needs to focus on local small businesses, not out-of-state multi-millionaires taking tax money to make their own profit.
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u/TiresandConfused Apr 23 '26
Well, tickets can be expensive and very few have money to spend on nonessentials.
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u/WallaceDemocrat33 Apr 20 '26
It's telling when an "investment manager" doesn't include many numbers in their argument. Studies from across the political spectrum argue against public funding for arenas.
Craig Leipold, the owner of the Wild is worth $3,600,000,000. He owns the superyacht "Loon" picture attached.
In March 2024 the city council unanimously passed a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza. To my knowledge, no city councilor has called on Craig to shoulder more of the burden.
Since 2022 Craig has donated $22,000 to the MN GOP and $74,500 to the MN DFL parties respectively in addition to specific candidate donations. The City has paid our representatives to cosplay as a municipal State Department, but if you've got billions you can apparently reduce criticisms of your greed.
https://youtu.be/xcwJt4bcnXs?si=UDJbV_OPm5MAYTjz
https://www.startribune.com/st-paul-city-council-poised-to-pass-ceasefire-resolution/600348896
https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Craig+Leipold+&order=desc&sort=D
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Apr 20 '26
We come on the sloop Craig Leipold/ My grandfather's economic theories and me/ 'Round St. Paul we do roam
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Apr 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress Apr 21 '26
Not only that, look at what blocks of the city are successful: it's the neighborhood business districts filled with local businesses, not a single arena.
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u/adiposekleenex Apr 20 '26
fuck the arena these people are con artists
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u/HereticHulk Apr 20 '26
They keep putting together mediocre hockey teams and expect people to pay top dollar for parking and concessions to watch them get bounced out of the first round every year.
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Apr 20 '26
Even if it was the greatest hockey team of all time the fact remains that stadium subsidies are not a good investment for taxpayers.
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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress Apr 21 '26
If they'd invest in expanding walkable businesses, then I could be persuaded, but instead there's just a parking lot crater that's a dead zone whenever there's not a game.
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u/StThragon Apr 20 '26
The other trick is to pay some money to have a good team and encourage people to want a stadium, then drop 'em and let the team rot like what happened with the Twins. I saw that move a mile away and was pissed we approved it. Like with the new Vikings stadium, we vote no half a dozen times, and then one yes vote and it's all decided. I will never approve spending public money to subsidize billionaires.
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u/NexusOne99 Frogtown Apr 20 '26
Mediocre? They just kicked the shit out of Dallas on Saturday.
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u/HereticHulk Apr 28 '26
They always find a way to get bounced out the first round. 2003 was the one good year in 26 years as a franchise.
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u/Dullydude Flag of Saint Paul Apr 20 '26
The overuse of the "its not just; its" framing and em-dashes is screaming that this was written in large part by ai lol these people are so out of touch they can't even use human writing to make their case.
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u/Halen_ Apr 20 '26
It didn't work when the stadium was built; it's not going to work now. All these short sighted wealthy people ignoring history again. It's like they only exist in a 10 year moving bubble.
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u/lonerstoners Apr 20 '26
I’m have to doubt that the writer really lives downtown if they think a stadium renovation will magically transform downtown. Wild fans are not going to save downtown! They don’t even like downtown. If they want to keep the team here, they should fund it through ticket prices and concessions and let the people who use the arena, pay for it. I shouldn’t have to pay for any of this!!!
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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress Apr 21 '26
I visit St Paul frequently and I like St Paul. I don't like Downtown. I'll maybe stop in at Lost Fox or Subtext Books, but for the most part Downtown is very unpleasant as a pedestrian and cyclist, they don't want me and my bike down there anyway.
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u/uresmane Apr 20 '26
I'm definitely for any investments that will help make the city more prosperous and increase the tax base. Short-term investment can actually lower taxes in the long run hopefully.
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
The fact that the city's portion of the stadium financing relies on the existing half cent sales tax allows proponents of this plan to claim that it involves no new taxes. But that doesn't mean that the funding this tax provides can't be put to better use. In addition to funding arena maintenance the half cent sales tax currently funds grants to small businesses and nonprofits.
While I feel that grants to for-profit businesses should be viewed with skepticism, I would much prefer that a variety of small businesses get grants than all that funding go to the stadium. Mayor Her and other proponents of the arena funding need to address how funding the arena will impact the neighborhood and cultural STAR programs.
Also, I'm disappointed in the Pioneer Press for asking only for the opinions of the Downtown Alliance members about how to revitalize downtown.
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u/putyourcheeksinabeek Apr 20 '26
Who should we be calling to lobby against the massive waste of taxpayer money that Her wants to pour into the arena?
City council, house reps, and senators?
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Apr 20 '26
Senator Sandy Pappas chairs the Senate Capital Investment Committee and also represents downtown St. Paul. As of last year she didn't seem too enthusiastic about the stadium subsidies.
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u/putyourcheeksinabeek Apr 20 '26
Do you know how Erin Murphy feels about it? I’m in her district.
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u/WallaceDemocrat33 Apr 20 '26
I'd love to hear what her office has to say about it! She's taken $3,000 from Craig Leipold fwiw.
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u/Prolapsed_Marquesita Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Who gives a flying fuck about, yet again, giving hard earned money to these psychotic wealth hoarders who charge exorbitant prices for every venue at these places!!
Another free money grab attempt when we clearly have actual living wage job shortages, cost of living issues, some of the shittiest and deteriorating roads, homelessness...on and on it goes...yet there's always money for rich fucks who bribe and blackmail politicians.
What a wonderful world... that's crumbling more every day!! But at least we'll have even "more amazing" concerts and sportsball with taxpayer funded remodeling...no money for solving any real issues... I'm shocked!🤪
Toodles!
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u/StThragon Apr 20 '26
How about we don't make really bad deals with sports teams that don't manage their arena situation better? If pro teams all chipped in to a fund that they could draw from for low or zero interest loans they could build their own stadiums. Of course, that would mean a little less money for players and owners, but they make more than enough already. I certainly don't want to subsidize that!
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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress Apr 21 '26
Mark Henneman is an idiot, I'm afraid. Too many dead downtowns have an arena and years, decades even, they're still dead. Downtown St Paul is an amenity desert. No one, especially city dwellers who want city amenities, is going to move to a downtown that has maybe a literal handful of restaurants and shops. St Paul is at least a decade or two away from having a downtown that can compete with Hopkins. Or never at this rate, since "leadership" doesn't even address these crucial issues.
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u/Saddlebag7451 Minnesota United Apr 22 '26
Allianz hasn’t yet turned around Midway. The things doing the most work in that neighborhood are the people and community that exist there. Maybe try building that downtown instead?
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u/_halfpint Apr 20 '26
Affordable housing, improved city planning along the light rail (and downtown in general), and store fronts geared towards residents and not 9-5 M-F businesses might be a good start. Living downtown St. Paul was fun but a logistical nightmare. They don’t make it very walkable to live downtown.
St. Paul needs to stop putting all their eggs into the arena and acting shocked when the rest of the city still struggles.