Focus Area: City Center and Riverfront

Downtown Saint Paul and the surrounding riverfront is the heart of the eastern Twin City. Downtown has evolved into a center of government, finance, and insurance. It is a hub of culture, home to many museums, theaters, concerts, and sporting events. It has also come into its own as residential hub that takes pride in its livability and historic charm.
Recognizing these assets, Smart Growth American rated the downtown opportunity zone as having the tenth-highest "smart growth potential" among the 8,700 Opportunity Zones designated nationwide. Develop Advisors rated it in the top 0.5% for investment among tracts rated nationally.
Over the last twenty years, Saint Paul has undertaken wide-ranging efforts to reorient itself and its city center to the Mississippi River. Not long ago, the Great River Passage Master Plan established vision and momentum for a 17-mile-long system of riverfront parks and trails that tie together Mississippi River neighborhoods.
Just across the river on the West Side Flats, major investments in cultural amenities continue to anchor these communities to their unique history and cultural assets. The many small businesses along the West Side's District del Sol draw energy from the area's longtime Latino residents. Along West Seventh, the newly restored Jacob Schmidt Brewery complex repurposes a historic icon as artist housing and a vital indoor marketplace that opened in 2018.
This is a dynamic and diverse focus area, and the opportunities are similarly wide ranging. Used strategically in coordination with city efforts, Opportunity Zone funding will help our urban core come into its own.
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Click here to view the City Center and Riverfront Opportunity Map!