Minnesota Wild and Saint Paul unveil $600M arena renovation plan, seek state funding

The Wild and Saint Paul mayor are asking the Minnesota legislature for $200 million to renovate Grand Casino Arena, Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the River Centre.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold and Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her announced a new $600 million plan to renovate Grand Casino Arena, Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the River Centre in a project they call “Capital City Live.”

Both the Wild and the city are each investing $162.5 million to fund the first phase of the project and they are asking the Minnesota state legislature to chip in $200 million. 

The city and a private partner will also invest $75 million to fund Phase 2 of the project, which will focus exclusively on Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Leipold says this will be his third time asking the Minnesota legislature for help.

“We really think we have the most momentum we have ever had,” Leipold said.

The renovation project includes new public gathering spaces, increased accessibility for visitors who have disabilities, and an indoor-outdoor patio, along with less glamorous upgrades behind the scenes.

“There will be things that we rely on like bathrooms, escalators, concourses, HVAC, internet systems,” Leipold said.

Saint Paul Mayor Kaoly Her says the project will not raise property taxes in the city, because the funding will come from an extension of the existing half-cent sales tax.

The Wild is also prepared to cover the extra cost if the project goes over budget.

Her says she has met with lawmakers several times this month to discuss the project and she is fairly confident the deal will go through.

“You know, stuff happens at the 11th hour and something that was not breathing at all suddenly has life. So, I will say I am someone who believes in the Melissa Hortman strategy of being cautiously optimistic,” Her said.

During a press conference, Leipold was asked whether he would ever consider moving the team out of Saint Paul if a deal doesn’t go through and he told reporters that it’s not an option he is considering at this time.

“There’s no ‘Plan B’ in my thought process here. This is Plan A, Plan b, Plan C,” Leipold explained.

Mayor Her says she is preparing a possible “Plan B” for the city in case the state funding doesn’t come through, but she is not prepared to fully explain what a possible backup option would look like.

“Plan B is just for us thinking about what does financing of this look like and how do we move forward and what other options we might have. So, that’s something we are exploring right now,” Her said.

Based on Her’s comments during the press event Thursday morning, it doesn’t seem like lowering the cost of the project is much of an option, because Her says the project has already been scaled down from around $1 billion to $600 million.

The last day of the 2026 Minnesota Legislative Session is May 18.