Comprehensive Plan Amendment
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The Saint Paul Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment regarding The Heights, a 112-acre development site at the southwest corner of Larpenteur Avenue and McKnight Road. The amendment would change Comprehensive Plan Map LU-2 2040 Land Use to reclassify a portion of The Heights site from “Urban Neighborhood” and “Mixed Use” to “Industrial” and another portion from “Urban Neighborhood” to “Mixed Use” in order to better align with the zoning previously approved by the Mayor and City Council in 2022.
A background memo is here. A map of the currently adopted and proposed future land uses is here.
The Planning Commission will hold the public hearing on:
Friday March 15, 2024 at 8:30 a.m.
Room 40 City Hall (Basement)
15 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55102
All comments concerning the zoning study and proposed zoning code text amendments will be heard at the public hearing. Comments submitted in writing should be addressed to:
Saint Paul Planning Commission
c/o Bill Dermody
1400 City Hall Annex
25 West Fourth Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Or to Bill Dermody at Bill.Dermody@stpaul.gov. For written testimony to be included in the official public record you must include your name and address (or another locational identifier like block or cross streets).
Call Bill Dermody at 651-266-6617 with any questions.
Neighborhood Plans
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There are two updated plans for St. Anthony Park (District 12) that are in the process of being approved:
- The Saint Anthony Park Community Plan; and
- The Westgate Station Area Plan
The Saint Anthony Park Community Plan is a major update to the previous plan (adopted in 2008 and amended in 2013). The Saint Anthony Park Community Council (SAPCC) undertook an extensive survey and engagement process in 2017 and drafted the plan thereafter. The plan guides the ongoing development of Saint Anthony Park with a vision for the next 20 years. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on March 5, 2021. To learn more about the Saint Anthony Park Community Plan see the reports to the Planning Commission:
The updates to the Westgate Station Area Plan capture the substantial public effort that went into developing Westgate Public Realm Plan in 2017. The Westgate Public Realm Plan was completed in conjunction with acquisition of the new park space and the multi-family housing projects built at the former Weyerhaeuser Lumber site in the Westgate Station Area. Updates to the Westgate Station Area Plan reflect the changes to the recommended layout of the public realm due to the new park and development. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on July 27, 2018. Additional information is available here:
Both plans have been recommended for approval by the Saint Paul Planning Commission. The next steps for approval include holding a public hearing for each plan at City Council on July 18, 2022, followed by approval by City Council and Metropolitan Council.
Zoning Studies
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Saint Paul’s Zoning Code controls how much housing can be built in certain parts of the City. These requirements make it difficult to build enough new housing to fix Saint Paul’s current housing shortage. City Council Resolution 18-1204 and the 2040 Comprehensive Plan call for studying ways to allow more housing in all areas of the City.
The 1-4 Unit Housing Study has two phases. Phase 1 of the study focused on small housing, accessory dwelling units, and parcels that are smaller or larger than normal; these amendments were adopted by the City Council on January 19, 2022 in City Council Ordinance 22-1 and go into effect March 5, 2022. Phase 2, the broader and more in-depth study, has been receiving technical analysis from housing, development, and financial experts, and is entering a stage of intentional public engagement around zoning and housing. This page will be updated with more details as they are available.
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The Saint Paul Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Drive Throughs Zoning Study on Friday June 7, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 40 (basement) of City Hall at 15 W. Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55102. Written comments may be submitted to the Planning Commission via staff at Bill.Dermody@stpaul.gov. For written testimony to be included in the official public record you must include your full name and address (or another locational identifier like cross streets or block).
The Planning Commission specifically asks for community input on these questions to inform their recommendations to be made in the weeks after the hearing.
Please also see the proposed amendments, a background memo to the Planning Commission, an implementation analysis, a map of existing drive throughs, and a matrix of existing drive throughs.
Questions to Bill.Dermody@stpaul.gov or 651-266-6617.
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The City of Saint Paul is working on a Zoning Study to consider Zoning Code text changes to the East Grand Avenue Overlay District in response to policy direction in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the new Summit Hill/District 16 Neighborhood Plan, which is currently in progress. The Zoning Study includes technical analyses completed by Planning and Economic Development staff as well as an Advisory Committee led by a consultant.
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Policies and market forces are moving us towards an electric vehicle (EV) revolution, with most new light-duty motor vehicles sold in the United States predicted to be electric by the 2030s. However, installation of the requisite EV charging infrastructure is much more cost efficient with new construction than with retrofits, which can be prohibitively expensive (cost 2x to 10x as much). With some 11,000 new multifamily units anticipated in Saint Paul by 2040, the Planning Commission and City Council will consider whether to require some amount of EV charging infrastructure and EV charging capability (conduit and panel space) for new or expanded parking to serve development that chooses to include parking above a certain threshold. On December 8, 2023 the Planning Commission recommended zoning code amendments for consideration by the City Council, who will be holding a public hearing on April 3, 2024. Questions to Bill Dermody at 651-266-6617. See the memo to the Planning Commission for more background information.
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The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) was designated by Governor’s Executive Order in the 1970's to provide coordinated land planning and regulation for the 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River through the seven-county metropolitan area.
Governor’s Executive Order 79-19 required local units of government to adopt local plans and regulations for the MRCCA based on standards and guidelines it provided to preserve and enhance the natural, aesthetic, economic, recreational, cultural and historical values of the corridor, including providing for continuation and development of a variety of urban uses where appropriate and protection of environmentally sensitive areas.
The draft local ordinance would replace the existing River Corridor Overlay Districts chapter of the Saint Paul Zoning Code and move the newer, 2010-era floodplain management ordinance based on FEMA flood insurance requirements back into the Zoning Code.
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In Saint Paul, most properties must have a certain amount of off-street parking. These “minimum parking requirements” have serious impacts on housing affordability, business flexibility, economic development and climate change. Updating these requirements was identified for study by the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and a 2018 Planning Commission resolution. Additionally, the City’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan cites reducing off-street parking requirements and encouraging alternative modes of transportation as strategies to reduce greenhouse gases.
After Planning staff proposed two alternative options for updating the city's minimum parking requirements (to "reduce" and to “eliminate”), the Planning Commission recommended the elimination option and later the City Council adopted the same, effectively eliminating minimum parking requirements in the City of Saint Paul on August 18, 2021 (Ordinance 21-27). The ordinance took effect on October 1, 2021.
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The City Council adopted an ordinance August 3, 2022, that eliminates consent petition requirements for certain zoning applications. Click to see the ordinance. Click to see the zoning study.
Questions can be directed to City Planner Kady Dadlez at 651-266-6619 or kady.dadlez@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
Major Redevelopments
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The Ford Site is 135 acres of land along the Mississippi River and the former home of Ford Motor Companies' Twin Cities Assembly Plant. After closure, the City of Saint Paul and multiple partners spent a decade engaging with the community, studying environmental impacts, and approving a final plan for the site's redevelopment. Ryan Companies, as master developer of the site, is executing the City's plan of a new connected, livable, mixed-use neighborhood with clean technologies and high-quality design for energy, buildings, and infrastructure. It will be woven into the existing community; support walking, biking, and transit; and provide services, jobs, and activities that every generation can enjoy.
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The Hillcrest Master Plan will determine future land uses and a new street network for the 112-acre former golf course on Saint Paul’s East Side. In 2019, the Saint Paul City Council approved bonds for the Saint Paul Port Authority to purchase the site. The Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED) has led the master plan process, in collaboration with community members, consultants, and the Port Authority. Community engagement throughout the process has outlined how to build opportunity and community wealth on the redeveloped Hillcrest site – bringing more housing, jobs, and public amenities.
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Minnesota United FC, a North American Soccer League team, constructed a 20,000 seat major league soccer (MLS) stadium at I-94 and Snelling Avenue, as part of a planned and coordinated redevelopment of the entire 34.5 acre site that also includes the Midway Shopping Center (property owned by private landowner RK Midway). The goal is to create a new urban village surrounding the stadium that includes retail, office, residential and public open space uses, recognizing that this development will take place in phases over time.
