Still Waiting For The Big Payoff

City officials have invested millions of dollars in downtown St. Paul through public-private partnerships, but there’s little to show for it.

1 minute read

October 17, 2003, 2:00 PM PDT

By David Gest


A recent study commissioned by the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce praises the new downtown Xcel Energy Center, where Minnesota’s National Hockey League team plays. The study contends that the public-private partnership fostered by Mayor Norm Coleman to create the arena will “pump $103 million into St. Paul’s economy this year…has created 660 full-time jobs…[and] generates $20 million in additional household income in St. Paul.” Yet at the same time, the city’s central business district is struggling with its highest office vacancy rate ever. In addition, older projects with public investment similar to the arena have failed. Can the arena perform as expected?

Thanks to David Gest

Wednesday, October 15, 2003 in City Pages (Twin Cities)

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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