Saint Paul continues revitalization efforts as Minnesota sports excitement brings more people to the city

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — With sports excitement sweeping the Twin Cities, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter met with community members at a watch party hosted at local bar Black Hart of Saint Paul on Thursday to discuss the city budget and cheer on the Minnesota Timberwolves and Frost. 

“Our Timberwolves are on a magic run. We're excited about what's coming up for the Vikings. We're excited about our Lynx,” Carter said. “Minnesota Aurora had their home opener tonight, and our Frost are running to repeat their championship. There's a lot of magic going on, and it's exciting.”

The mayor is on a mission to revitalize Saint Paul, as the city addresses challenges of slowed foot traffic, downtown commercial space vacancies and some business closures post-pandemic. As part of its long-term downtown revitalization strategy, the city has proposed a $488 million renovation project at Xcel Energy Center.

“We had a lot of momentum pre-pandemic that we were really excited about, and the pandemic kind of took the rug out from under us,” Carter said.

Still, signs of recovery are emerging, Carter said. According to city data, the Xcel Energy Center welcomed one million visitors in the first quarter of the year alone. It typically welcomes two million visitors annually.

“Our numbers when it comes to a Wild game, our numbers when it comes to a Frost game or concert downtown, are pretty incredible,” Carter said.

For the first time in more than a decade, Visit Saint Paul, the organization dedicated to attracting visitors to the city, has launched a strategic three-year plan aimed at revitalizing the city’s appeal and economy. A key focus of the initiative is to increase the number of conventions and major events hosted in Saint Paul by 2027.

“We are seeing people come back,” said Visit Saint Paul President and CEO Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson. She noted that the city is preparing for a vibrant summer, with longstanding festivals returning and new events on the calendar.

“The list goes on and on,” she said.

"We're starting to see kind of those green buds pop up that are giving us a lot of excitement," Carter added.