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Overview

In 2020, the City of Saint Paul adopted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, setting forth policy direction for future development at a citywide scale. District plans are intended to refine general Comprehensive Plan policies and establish goals and objectives that are unique to the opportunities and challenges of smaller geographical areas of the city. District plans are adopted as addenda to the Comprehensive Plan and used to inform development decisions.

View a map of Saint Paul with locations of all the district plans and a map with all of the planning districts.

Creating or Revising Neighborhood Plans

District Councils or community organizations lead the process for creating or revising District Plans, in coordination with City staff and the Planning Commission. The purpose of and process for plan creation is described in the document District Plan Guidelines.

A helpful reference guide for neighborhood planning, "Road to the Community Plan," explains and illustrates key steps to guide communities as they undertake a community plan process. The road map was created by CURA student researcher Andrew Tran in partnership with the Macalester-Groveland Community Council and City of Saint Paul.

District Plans

Resources

There are many resources available to support funding, implementation and other considerations throughout a district plan update process, including:

  • Resilient Communities Project (University of Minnesota). The Resilient Communities Project connects Minnesota agencies with University of Minnesota faculty and students to advance community resilience and student learning through collaborative, course-based projects.
     
  • Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (University of Minnesota). The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) works with community leaders and local government partners to produce knowledge that drives change. CURA aims to connect institutional resources with the interests and needs of urban communities.
     
  • Minnesota Design Center (University of Minnesota). The Minnesota Design Center uses innovation and education to address emerging issues, identify problems, and develop creative solutions.
     
  • Our Town Grant Program (National Endowment for the Arts). Through project-based funding, the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant program supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities. Our Town projects advance the local economic, physical, or social outcomes in communities, ultimately laying the groundwork for equitable change.
     
  • Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant Program (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants, which support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans focused on housing, people, and neighborhoods.
     
  • Museums Advancing Racial Justice. The Science Museum of Minnesota along with the Smithsonian Institution provided partnership grants to organizations to develop racial justice projects/programs in the past and may do so again in the future.