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Approving the Legislative Hearing Officer's recommendation, with conditions, for the application submitted by the University of St. Thomas (License ID #20110002908), d/b/a same, to add an Entertainment (B) license and expand liquor service areas under the existing Liquor On Sale - 291 or More Seats license, located at 2115 Summit Avenue.
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WHEREAS, the University of St. Thomas (License ID #20110002908), d/b/a same, located at 2115 Summit Avenue, has submitted an application to add an Entertainment (B) license and expand the liquor service areas under its existing Liquor On Sale - 291 or More Seats license; and
WHEREAS, the proposed expansion includes two new liquor service areas, as indicated in the enclosed map (See, Updated Campus Liquor Map) with locations highlighted in purple; and
WHEREAS, the applicant notified the Union Park District Council and the Macalester-Groveland Community Council prior to submitting the application and secured their support for the license application requests; and
WHEREAS, a notification regarding the license application was sent from the Department of Safety and Inspections to the affected neighborhood for the period of August 1, 2025, to August 16, 2025; and
WHEREAS, during the notification period, objections were received which triggered the hearing and a hearing was held on October 13, 2025; and
WHEREAS, various categories of objections were raised, with parking and traffic repeatedly cited as major concerns, including assertions related to the lawsuit brought on behalf of the community that proceeded to the Minnesota Court of Appeals regarding the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW), which is required for any proposed arena exceeding 5,000 seats; and
WHEREAS, in the first instance, the Minnesota Court of Appeals remanded the matter to the City of Saint Paul for additional findings; and
WHEREAS, in response, a revised EAW was completed with updated traffic management analysis and additional mitigation measures, after which the Court of Appeals affirmed the City’s final determination that no significant environmental impacts exist (See, Court of Appeals Opinion); and since no further appeals were filed, that decision is now final; and
WHEREAS, as part of its findings, the City-through the Director of the Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED)-required a detailed Event Management Plan (EMP) as a condition of mitigation; this plan is an ongoing regulatory document subject to review and modification by the City should issues arise; and
WHEREAS, the PED Director’s analysis (See, University of St. Thomas Multipurpose Arena Findings of Fact Report) identified the following key EMP components addressing potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures for the University’s arena project:
• On-site police and parking enforcement officers;
• Enforcement of permit-only parking zones;
• Shuttle service from designated off-site locations (e.g., St. Catherine University and a park-and-ride at Tiffany’s);
• Free Metro Transit passes for ticket holders;
• Uber/Lyft discount codes;
• Clear signage and pedestrian routing from parking areas to the arena; and
• Advance parking assignment notifications indicating whether a ticketholder has a parking spot (only 500-600 spaces are available per event, and those without assigned parking are encouraged to use alternative transportation); and
WHEREAS, the specific neighborhood concerns regarding parking and traffic impacts near the University of St. Thomas were duly considered and have been litigated and adjudicated by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which upheld the University’s traffic management guidelines as meeting the required standards; and
WHEREAS, additional concerns raised included noise, neighborhood safety, and alcohol-related behavior; and
WHEREAS, in response to these concerns, the licensee has agreed to work collaboratively with the city to comply with all necessary requirements to minimize nuisance activities that could disturb the surrounding residential neighborhood as part of its operational plan; and
WHEREAS, the University’s current request is solely to add an Entertainment (B) license and to expand the liquor service areas, and does not revisit the broader arena project or its associated EAW or EMP plans; and
WHEREAS, after conducting the hearing and considering the testimonies and evidence presented, the Legislative Hearing Officer recommends approval of the application submitted by the University of St. Thomas (License ID#20110002908), d/b/a same, located at 2115 Summit Avenue, subject to the following conditions:
1. The University of Saint Thomas (UST) agrees that service and consumption of alcohol will only be allowed within the areas outlined on the UST Campus Liquor License Locations Map (Locations Map) dated 10/10/2025. UST understands and agrees that modifications to the Locations Map must occur in accordance with the procedural guidelines for modification of liquor licensed premises outlined under the Saint Paul Legislative Code.
2. The licensee is responsible for taking all appropriate measures to ensure that the sale/service/consumption of alcohol is contained within the designated UST campus liquor service area(s) on file with DSI.
3. There shall be no permanent bar and/or liquor service area established by UST, unless UST has submitted a requested amendment to their business plan and premise site plan that requests an event-based food and liquor service area and that has been approved by the Department of Safety and Inspections in writing. The intent of this condition is to prohibit UST from conducting business in a manner similar to operations such as, but not necessarily limited to the following: a restaurant with regular hours which also serves alcohol, a bar etc.
4. All employees/managers/servers providing alcoholic beverages under the UST license shall undergo Alcohol Awareness Training every three years through an agency approved by DSI to operate such a program. All new employees/managers/servers shall be required to undergo training within two (2) weeks of their starting date. The licensee shall have proof of each person who has completed this training on-site, and this proof shall be made available to DSI upon request.
5. Licensee will adopt procedures to ensure that alcohol is not served to anyone under the age of twenty-one (21).
6. The sale of alcoholic beverages shall occur between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and midnight, with last call at 11:30 p.m. NOTE: The sale/service of alcoholic beverages on Sunday is permitted with this license.
7. There shall be an annual review of the license and conditions. As part of the review, UST will provide documentation from the previous year regarding events at which liquor was sold, including calls to UST security regarding patron behavior at these events.
8. UST will provide to the West Summit Neighborhood Advisory Committee (WSNAC) and/or to DSI upon request a log of events where sales of alcoholic beverages have occurred. UST will cooperate with WSNAC and DSI to address any complaints filed with the City regarding sales of alcoholic beverages by UST, including discussing the need for new or modified conditions at the time of annual license renewal.
9. The sale of alcoholic beverages outdoors at events with more than 150 attendees shall occur only in the following outdoor locations: (a) Monahan Plaza-lower academic quadrangle; (b) Upper (residential) quadrangle; (c) Sabo Plaza (in front of science center); (d) Science center rear plaza; (e) North Athletic Fields; (f) Palmer Athletic Field; (g) Fowler Veranda; and (h) O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
10. UST will position trash receptacles at each exit of events attended by more than 150 individuals with signage encouraging trash to be discarded upon exit.
11. UST will control access to and from each authorized service and consumption area outlined on the Locations Map to prohibit individuals from exiting those areas with open containers of alcohol.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Saint Paul hereby approves this license application with the aforementioned agreed-upon conditions and finds that the license conditions are reasonable, and the application is in order and there are no grounds to deny the approval of the license.
The conditions affidavit was signed and submitted on October 29, 2025.