Opponents of a 5,000-seat University of St. Thomas hockey and basketball arena have filed legal action against the city of St. Paul aimed at pausing construction already underway near Cretin and Summit avenues.

The 5,500-seat multi-use arena will be the home for Tommies hockey and basketball games and will also be used for other purposes, such as commencement ceremonies and career fairs.

When the Minnesota Supreme Court this week declined to hear an appeal by the University of St. Thomas regarding the environmental impact of its new hockey/basketball arena under construction, neighbor and arena foe Dan Kennedy said the “ethical” thing for the university to do was stop construction until neighbor concerns are addressed.

The Minnesota Supreme Court will not consider a legal appeal filed by the University of St. Thomas, which had objected to being required to revisit traffic, parking and air quality concerns surrounding a new Division 1 sports arena on its St.