RiverCentre planning ramps up.

Byline: William Morris

St. Paul leaders won't lack for options as they plan for the future of the aging RiverCentre parking ramp across Kellogg Boulevard from Xcel Energy Center.

Six developers, both local and national, have submitted plans for projects on or around the 49-year-old ramp, which is due for substantial repairs or replacement to address salt and chloride damage, an outdated design and other deficiencies.

Officials want to see more than simply a newer parking structure on the 3.4-acre site, and the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority published a solicitation for proposals in October to "maximize the potential of this key downtown St. Paul site and that complement and/or support nearby facilities" such as the RiverCentre convention center.

As of the Dec. 6 submission deadline, the city had received responses from Reuter Walton Development and Sherman Associates, both of Minneapolis; Indianapolis-based Flaherty & Collins; Denver-based Swerdling & Associates; and Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, an agency of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Capital City Properties, the nonprofit arm of the St. Paul Port Authority, also submitted a proposal.

Sherman Associates is one of several developers intrigued by the air rights above the current ramp, which are included in the solicitation. Sherman's proposal envisions a 250 to 350-room hotel built atop the ramp and connected directly to Xcel Energy Center. Just to the east, Sherman would build a 25-floor residential tower of roughly 250 units, which would connect both to the ramp and hotel as well as a revitalized river promenade.

In an interview, CEO George Sherman said the company has long been interested in the downtown St. Paul riverfront, including a proposal it submitted to redevelop the nearby West Publishing site at 50 Kellogg Blvd. W. That project eventually was awarded to Los Angeles-based AECOM, but Sherman said the RiverCentre site actually better fits Sherman's goals for the area, including a strong connection to the river and high-profile housing and hospitality development.

"Our housing proposal allows both the amenity of the downtown and connection to the downtown but also the walkability of the river so it's a little bit more accessible," Sherman said, noting a river walk and river balcony that are incorporated into the proposal. As for the hotel, "Xcel Center does have a demand for hotel rooms connected to it from the number of events it has, and someone is going to...