A historic preservation group opposing the planned DeLaSalle football stadium on Nicollet Island filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court, alleging that the project violates state environmental laws.

In a statement released Wednesday, representatives from Friends of the Riverfront said the stadium would destroy a historic area in violation of the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act and they demanded that the city of Minneapolis and DeLaSalle officials explore other alternatives.

“The community deserves a fair and public process that considers alternatives that do not destroy historic areas of the city,” the group’s president, Judith Martin, said in a statement.

State law requires that any developer seeking to build a project on land with historic designation must first demonstrate that “feasible and prudent” alternatives have been adequately explored. The lawsuit asserts that no such effort has been made.

The City Council last month ruled that DeLaSalle’s proposed stadium would not destroy a historic district, overruling the decision of the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission.

last revised: July 25, 2007

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