DELASALLE STADIUM PROJECT STILL STALLED
The following press release provides an update on the DeLaSalle Stadium project:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
info@ourbeautifulriver.org http://www.ourbeautifulriver.org
DELASALLE STADIUM FACES DIFFICULTIES BEYOND COURT DECISION
MINNEAPOLIS, JUNE 24, 2008 — Today the state Court of Appeals opted not to return to district course a lawsuit against DeLaSalle High School’s planned stadium on Nicollet Island. But DeLaSalle, a private institution seeking to build on public land, still faces multiple difficulties. Minneapolis won’t issue a building permit due to parking shortfalls, and the school must find a way to avoid repaying taxpayers for building on public land valued at $2 million.
The private school has had persistent problems getting a building permit from the City of Minneapolis. DeLaSalle hasn’t found a way to meet minimum parking requirements for a 750-seat stadium and so far hasn’t got an adequate plan to handle stormwater for a project that would be just feet from the Mississippi River.
DeLaSalle also faces significant hurdles in its effort to avoid repaying taxpayers for the removal from the regional park system of $2 million in parkland for the project. A faulty land swap that failed to settle the debt is the subject of a lawsuit now pending at the state Court of Appeals.
Finding space for parking and handling stormwater runoff are basic requirements for building a 750-person stadium on a cramped 40-acre island in the middle of the Mississippi River. Joining Friends of the Riverfront in asking DeLaSalle to consider alternatives are the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, Friends of the Mississippi River and the Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter.
Nicollet Island is part of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District and a national park: the National Mississippi River and Recreation Area. It’s also part of Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, which attracts a million visitors every year.
Friends of the Riverfront is a citizens group that works to conserve, protect and enhance the resources of the Central Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park. Visit http://www.ourbeautifulriver.org for more information.
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