Mayoral candidate wants more parking for Lowertown ballpark

Mayoral candidate Tim Holden wants the city to incorporate parking into the design of the new Lowertown ballpark for the minor league St. Paul Saints.

At a news conference Wednesday, Holden accused Mayor Chris Coleman of rushing the project and ignoring downtown residents' concerns about the 300-plus parking spaces it will eliminate.

"This ballpark is not ready for prime time. We need to slow the project down. We need to listen to the community," Holden said. "We need to do the job right, and that's the bottom line."

Holden is the sole challenger to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, who announced last month he will seek a third term. Holden has previously spoken out against the ballpark.

The St. Paul Public Works department says there are more than enough parking spaces available in downtown St. Paul to accommodate the 2,700 cars it estimates will travel to the area on game nights.

A parking study found more than 7,000 spaces within six blocks of the ballpark site.

The site is currently occupied by an abandoned factory and several surface parking lots, which would be eliminated by the project. The ballpark design does not include any public parking.

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