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Overview 

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan is Saint Paul's "blueprint" for guiding development in the city over the next 20 years.

Saint Paul is a community that is welcoming to and a place of opportunity for people of all incomes, ages, races, ethnicities, and abilities. The Comprehensive Plan helps accomplish this by addressing the place-based dimensions of our neighborhoods: embracing growth; offering a wide range of housing choices for its diverse residents; providing a transportation system that meets the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, riders and drivers; preserving, celebrating and building on our histories; and supporting infill development that sensitively accommodates a growing, aging and increasingly diverse population. Saint Paul is defined and enhanced by its location on the Mississippi River - an economic, environmental, cultural, historic and recreational amenity that enriches our quality of life and economic prosperity. 

The Comprehensive Plan is used by City staff and private developers as a blueprint for future development. It is used to guide the expenditure of public funds, secure outside public funding, guide private investment, respond to trends, and inform policy decisions related to development, especially zoning actions. Community groups, development partners, housing and transportation providers, and other governmental agencies also use the Comprehensive Plan as a guide for their work in Saint Paul. 

The Comprehensive Plan is made up of goals and policies. Goals are statements of desired outcomes by 2040. They state the plan's intent as clearly as possible, so that we as a city know what we are working to accomplish. Policies are high-level statements intended to guide city decision-making in a manner that achieves the Comprehensive Plan goals. The plan also has a series of maps, statistics, and other appendices that help support and explain the policies, as well as action steps to make the goals and policies a reality. 

​On November 18, 2020, after Metropolitan Council review and approval, the City Council adopted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.  Its Transportation Chapter was amended (Policy T-31 only) in 2022. 

Download the 2040 Comprehensive Plan (large file:105MB)

Chapters

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan is divided into seven main chapters including land use; transportation; parks, recreation and open space; housing; heritage and cultural preservation; water resources; and, the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area.

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Community Feedback

The City Council approved the 2040 Comprehensive Plan on June 19, 2019 and forwarded it to the Metropolitan Council for their review.  The Planning Commission recommended approval of the draft after making many changes in response to a public hearing they held on January 11, 2019 and written comments they received.  

Earlier, on the front end of creating the draft plan, City staff conducted an extensive community engagement process to learn the community’s priorities for the future of Saint Paul. Staff talked to nearly 2,300 people in 2016, with a focus on reaching diverse communities. Below are the nine priorities we heard were most important to the community. These priorities are woven throughout the Comprehensive Plan.

  • Livability, equity and sustainability. When we asked about regional themes established by the Metropolitan Council, you said livability, equity and sustainability are the most important for Saint Paul. Other regional themes we will incorporate into the updated Comprehensive Plan include prosperity and stewardship.
  • Parks and open space. Parks and open space, from Como Park to Swede Hollow to the Mississippi River to your local playground, were consistently identified throughout the city as cherished places that we should preserve and enhance.
  • Sense of community. Many people identified social connections, diversity, and their neighborhood’s character – whether “vibrant” or “quiet” – as key advantages of living in Saint Paul.
  • Public safety. People want to be safe and feel safe in their communities, and to have positive relationships with police officers. Strategic investment and thoughtful design can improve public safety. While this issue goes beyond typical development policies covered in the plan, we will seek to incorporate this deep concern in meaningful ways.
  • Road safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Pedestrian safety at crossings and improved facilities were frequently identified as issues, as were bicycle facility improvements and safety.
  • Invest in people. Whether job training or programming at recreation centers (especially for youth), you identified this as an important issue for Saint Paul. Many commented that these investments pay dividends for livability, prosperity, and public safety.
  • Jobs. You said we need more and better jobs to allow people to provide for their families and lift up the entire community.
  • Quality affordable housing. You said we need more affordable housing, and that existing housing must be well-maintained.
  • Saint Paul is full of opportunity sites. The range of “places with potential” identified was astounding, including major projects like Snelling-Midway (soccer stadium area) and the Ford site, large geographies like “the East Side,” “the Green Line” or “the riverfront,” commercial corridors like White Bear Avenue or Selby Avenue, and individual sites throughout the city. You said there are gems throughout the city, ready for (re)discovery and investment.

Core Values

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan is informed by the City’s values of equity and opportunity; building on our assets; resiliency and sustainability; celebrating parks; innovation; people-centered; health; welcoming and safe; growth and prosperity through density; and, integration and coordination.

  • Building on our assets. We are a city that recognizes and builds on the unique human, physical and cultural assets of our diverse residents and neighborhoods.
  • Resiliency and sustainability. We are a city that understands the importance of environmental stewardship of our abundant natural resources.
  • Celebrating parks. We are a city that ensures its parks and open space system meets the needs of a growing and more diverse population and is accessible to all.
  • Innovation. We are a city that builds on a strong core of innovation and creativity to address our challenges, celebrate our strengths, and take advantage of our assets.
  • People-centered. We are a city that puts people first, recognizes and celebrates our complex and interrelated histories, and treasures our young and older residents as integral members of our community.
  • Health. We are a city that recognizes that everything we do impacts the health of our residents, and that housing, transportation, land use, parks and economic development opportunities need to be designed to enhance personal health.
  • Welcoming and safe. We are a city that welcomes all, where everyone feels safe and empowered to participate in decisions that impact them.
  • Growth and prosperity through density. We are a city that supports well-designed development that responds to its neighborhood context, fosters diversity and prosperity, and brings economic opportunity to all residents.
  • Integration and coordination. We are a city where policies, programs and departments collaborate and coordinate to provide an integrated set of services for all residents.

Focus Areas

To ensure this plan reflects Saint Paul’s many assets both today and in the future, each section of the Comprehensive Plan addresses the following focus areas:

  • Racial and social equity. Equitable cities create opportunities for all residents to achieve their highest potential. How Saint Paul grows, develops and invests over the next 20 years must be done in a way that reduces racial disparities in jobs, income, education and homeownership. Download a fact sheet.
  • Aging in community. Aging in community means that residents can stay in their community as they age. The entire community – not just a house or neighborhood – becomes a resource for health and activity. When people “age in community,” they continue to use the resources of their community – housing, transportation, services, shopping, health care, recreation – to stay active, healthy and engaged. Download a fact sheet. 
  • Community health. Community/public health is impacted by everything a city does. Housing, transportation, land use, parks, and economic development opportunities need to be designed to enhance personal health. A healthy community provides for personal safety, a clean environment, access to nutritious food, and a robust parks and open space system. Download a fact sheet.
  • Economic development. Economic development includes efforts to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of a community by creating and/or retaining jobs, and supporting or growing incomes and the tax base. In Saint Paul, economic development is a critical component of meeting our equity, diversity and growth goals, especially as we seek out innovative economic models for our culturally rich neighborhoods. Download a fact sheet.
  • Resiliency. Resiliency focuses on sustainability strategies aimed at protecting Saint Paul families from the effects of climate change. This includes creating green building standards, developing robust transit, designing multi-modal streets, and reducing our carbon footprint through energy and resource efficiencies. Download a fact sheet.
  • Urban design. Urban design is the thoughtful arrangement of the public realm, or the public spaces between buildings (including parks, streets and sidewalks). Good urban design – the interaction between private development and public space – fosters activity, connection, beauty, safety, and economic value. Download a fact sheet.