Minnesota House lawmakers will take up a proposal on Thursday for some major renovations to Downtown St. Paul.
The capital city and the Minnesota Wild want the state to foot half of the bill for the $769 million project that focuses on the Xcel Energy Center, the Saint Paul RiverCentre and the Roy Wilkins Auditorium.Â
The oldest building of the three, Roy Wilkins, was built in 1932 and last underwent upgrades in 2005.
The newest is the X, which was built in 2000 and had its last upgrade in 2014.Â
The plan is to transform the three neighboring buildings into an entertainment district called the Xcel Energy Center Arena Complex.
City leaders say the changes will spur new opportunities for entertainment, restaurants, retail, housing, hotels and more.Â
To make the vision into a reality, they’re hoping the state will invest about $395 million into the project.
The Wild will take care of 30% while the remaining 20% will be footed by St. Paul and local partners.Â
The project is expected to boost downtown spending to nearly half billion dollars a year and create approximately 2,300 union construction jobs.
.