Rezoning is a change in use or density from that permitted in the existing zone.

In the City of Saint Paul, public hearings are conducted by the Planning Commission and the City Council for rezoning requests. The Planning Commission reviews the proposal and makes a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council makes the final decision for all rezoning applications.

The Planning Commission is a 21-member citizen board appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council. Their 8-member Zoning Committee holds the public hearing and makes a recommendation to the full Planning Commission. All property owners within 350 feet of the subject property and the Citizen Participation District Council for the area are notified by mail at least 10 days prior to the public hearing.

The Zoning Committee holds public hearings every other Thursday. The hearings start at 3:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers on the third floor of the City Hall/ Courthouse. It is essential that the applicant or their representative attend the hearing. At the public hearing, the Zoning Committee hears a staff report and recommendation, hears public testimony and makes a recommendation on the request. The Planning Commission receives the recommendation of their Zoning Committee at its next meeting, 8:30 a.m. on the Friday of the following week, when they decide whether to recommend approval or denial of the rezoning application to the City Council. This is a public meeting, but no public testimony can be heard.

Approximately one month later, the City Council holds their public hearing for the rezoning request at a meeting on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Notification is mailed to everyone on the original notification list. If the rezoning is approved, an ordinance is drafted. It is read before the City Council four times. The ordinance is then published in the Legal Ledger. The rezoning becomes effective 30 days after its publication. If the City Council denies the rezoning, the same request cannot be made within one year from the date of the denial.

Rezonings from residential to commercial or industrial zoning districts cannot be considered unless a notarized petition of two-thirds of the property owners within 100 feet of the property has been obtained stating support for the use

Some of the issues that are evaluated by the City with respect to rezoning proposals include:

The Planning Commission may act as the Board of Zoning Appeals and grant Zoning variances in accordance with the variance provisions in the Zoning Code.

If you are considering a rezoning application, you should call to schedule a pre-application conference with staff from the Zoning Section. At this conference staff will discuss your plans to determine the most appropriate request and to determine if any other zoning actions will be required (i.e., site plan review, special condition use permit). Also, for a fee, staff will review the consent petition requirements, prepare a parcel map delineating all parcels within 100 feet of the property to be rezoned and generate a corresponding ownership listing from Ramsey County taxation records (a private title company can also provide this information).

You must submit an application that includes the following:

Please submit the above with:
Department of Planning and Economic Development
Zoning Section
1400 City Hall Annex
25 Fourth Street West
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 266 - 6589

The decision process for Rezonings takes three to four months. See Planning Commission Hearing Schedule for their hearing dates.