A new sports arena could help deliver a spending boost to Rochester's sports and entertainment scene, but it'll come with a higher price tag, too.

Those are some of the takeaways of a study of the proposed arena's business impact conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and aired Tuesday at a meeting of the Mayo Civic Center Commission, the Post-Bulletin reports.

The city has been considering a new arena — possibly as a home for a new U.S. Hockey League or NBA G league team — for years. (The Business Journal reported on initial plans back in 2015.)

The cost for the arena has risen to $58 million since then, according to the study. The facility, which would replace Rochester's Taylor Arena, would generate an extra $2.25 million in direct spending each year, and another $3.3 million boost from related purchases.

But the City Council would need to sign off on the project, and one member who attended the Tuesday meeting said he wasn't convinced a new arena was needed. Nick Campion said that a new arena would still be in competition with larger venues in the Twin Cities for acts, and he rated other concerns like housing as higher priorities.

 

Source:bizjournals.com

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