Mortenson to lead mixed-use development near St. Paul soccer stadium

Mortenson has been selected to lead the mixed-use development of the nearly 25 acres surrounding Minnesota United's new soccer stadium in St. Paul.

Plans for the property, located at the busy intersection of Snelling and University avenues in the Midway area, include offices, retail, entertainment, hospitality and residential buildings.

The property is owned by New York-based RD Management.

"I think developers and team owners alike are seeing stadiums as catalytic redevelopment opportunities," said Jeremy Jacobs, director of real estate development at Golden Valley-headquartered Mortenson, in an interview.

Jacobs compared the potential transformational impact of Allianz Field in the Midway neighborhood to what U.S. Bank Stadium, which Mortenson built, did for the east side of downtown Minneapolis.

Jacobs pointed out that an asset of the Midway site is that it is highly accessible via the highway, light rail and on foot.

"I think you got just a great mixture of ingredients," he said. "Historically this site and ones like it nearby have escaped the attention of developers and investors but I think we see a lot of runway."

The $250 million Allianz Field, which is viewable from nearby Interstate 94, has rapidly been taking shape. In early May, the 20,000-seat stadium was declared to be a little more than half complete. Allianz Field is scheduled to open in the spring of 2019.

"The Midway is centrally located in a dynamic and growing community that offers a great foundation for future enhancements," said Richard Birdoff, principal at RD Management, in a statement. "We are pleased to be part of this exciting redevelopment effort in such a great community, and are particularly excited that Mortenson is leading the efforts."

New York firm S9 Architecture is the lead architect for the project. It has helped design large-scale mixed-use projects across North America including the redeveloped Lansdowne Park (home of TD Place Stadium) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with such visionary partners as Mortenson and RD Management on this major redevelopment, and anticipate creating a distinctive and unique design that will support and inspire the St. Paul community," said John Clifford, co-founding principal of S9 Architecture, in a statement.

In 2016, the St. Paul City Council approved a master plan for the area, which envisioned a new commercial and entertainment district that would be anchored by the stadium.

Renderings S9 Architecture created during the master planning process with the city show potential high-rise office buildings, hotels and residential complexes as well as a possible movie theater, fitness club, shops and parks.

The exact makeup of the project is not set in stone. Preliminary planning is underway, with an anticipated redevelopment timeline of three to seven years.

Mortenson is currently building its team for the project, which would likely include other local architects, Jacobs said. The developer is also in talks with potential site users.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495 Twitter: @nicolenorfleet