Ramsey sports dome plans are delayed over parking

A disagreement over parking has plans for a sports dome in Ramsey tied up in court, delaying construction for at least one season.

The nonprofit Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association (ARAA) wanted to start construction on the 180,000-square-foot facility near the intersection of Hwy. 10 and Armstrong Boulevard this spring. But the owner of adjacent properties sued the association and the city, claiming the facility — which likely would be the largest of its kind in Minnesota, and possibly in the continental United States — doesn't have enough parking.

With 135 stalls planned, Matt Kuker, the chief operating officer of PSD, LLC, said visitors would likely end up using lots on his properties, which include businesses in a nearby industrial center and a strip mall.

"I am not against this dome. I think it is severely under-parked," Kuker said at the Feb. 14 Ramsey City Council meeting before the council approved the site plan. "There is going to be a problem."

Now, Kuker is asking the court to reverse the approval, according to the suit filed in Anoka County District Court. The council acted in an "arbitrary and capricious manner" in approving the final plans, the suit reads.

Ramsey City Administrator Brian Hagen said the city is working through the legal process and "trying to find a solution that would allow the project to progress in Ramsey on terms all parties can accept."

At about 675 feet long and 260 feet wide — the average sports dome is 230 feet wide — the athletics center would have 1½ green-turf fields, large enough for three softball games to be played at once. The facility also would have eight full-size basketball courts, volleyball courts, batting cages and a weight training area.

In the suit, Kuker claimed the association undercounted the number of players on a team, didn't account for employees and volunteers running the facility and did not assume parents will stay around after dropping off their kids.

The suit also notes ARAA would not need a permit to run scrimmages — common in youth and high school sports — and that would increase the number of parking spaces required.

"The dome will have room for 336 seats," the suit reads. "If half of those seats are full and occupied by a driver, parking would be greatly exceeded."

In its reply to the suit, ARAA denied that the 135 stalls would be insufficient and said its calculations and estimates are correct.

The site plan also indicates that on-street parking could be available on Ferret Street, and stormwater basins with underground storage tanks could be capped and paved over to increase parking possibilities.