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RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA Presented By Referred To Committee: Date 3� 2 4 FINAL ADOPTION OF LAND USE CHAPTER OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2QQ1 6 7 WIIEREAS, under Minnesota Statutes § 473.864, Subd. 2, Saint Paul is required to 8 update its Comprehensive Plan regulazly and submit it to the Metropolitan Council for review and 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 approval; WHEREAS, in 1999 the City Council reviewed and adopted the citywide Land Use Plan subject to review by the Metropolitan Council; WI�REAS, the Metropolitan Council reviewed and approved the Land Use Plan together with six other citywide chapters of the Comprehensive Plan on February 23, 2000 with several amendments; WTIEREAS, the Planning Commission and staff incorporated these amendments and reviewed eazlier Comprehensive Plan chapters to verify that the new Comprehensive Plan, when finally adopted, would not omit important City policies that remain valid from earlier chapters of the Comprehensive Plan; WIIEREAS, the Planning Commission completed these revisions and recommended final 24 approval of these seven citywide chapters of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001, including the Land 25 Use chapter, by their resolution no. 01-13 dated February 9, 2001; and the Planning Commission 26 subsequently completed similaz review and revision steps for the eighth chapter, the River 27 Corridor chapter, on November 2, 2001; 28 29 WHEREAS, the City Council considered all eight citywide chapters of the Comprehensive 30 Plan of 2001 on January 9, 2002, and gave final approval to seven of the chapters, the exception 31 being the Land Use Plan, wluch was laid over to allow for a meeting between Planning staff and 32 neighbors of the University of Saint Thomas regarding the continuation of the 1990 policy stating 33 that the two-block azea to the south of the traditional campus, across Summit Avenue, is an 34 appropriate place for future campus expansion provided that all of the City's normal regulatory 35 requirements can be met; Council File # O.� — �t�('p Green Sheet # �� 1 WHEREAS, the Planning staff put together a chronology and the documents leading to 2 the adoption of the 1990 policy on the University of Saint Thomas, provided this information to �a„ � �O �° 3 neighborhood representatives, and met with them on January 18, 2001 to discuss the policy; � 5 WHEREAS, as a result of this meeting the Plauning staff, the neighborhood 6 representatives, and the L3niversity of Saint Thomas agreed to add two update pazagraphs to the 7 1990 policy (AppendiY D in the Land Use Plan); the addition explains that the continuation of this 8 policy in the Comprehensive Plan of 2001 is not to be interpreted as a new action by the City 9 Council or as an endorsement of the proposal for campus expansion that the University of Saint 10 Thomas announced in 2000, which has been the subject of an Environmental Assessment 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Worksheet during 2001. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council hereby adopts in final form the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001, as recommended by the Planning Commission and with the additional two paragraphs in Append'vc D, and rescinds and decertifies the old Land Use chapter of 1980 as it was amended from time to time. Adopted by Council: Date �.�. [,� goo� Adoption Certified by Council Secretary By: •... By: Re est� partm�R� c�f : (1 � t � c�-'`-^ � \ By. Form Ap ved by City Attorney sY : �W ��yw-� �— 2 Y- o'z_ Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council DEPARTMENT/OFFICFJCOUNCII.: DATE INITIATED GREEN SHEET No.• 113153 PED 1/16/02 ' p a, – l0( CON'LACS' YERSOPS &.YHONE: ll�T1WNA2E in[c�nifnaTE I,azry Soderholm 266-6575 � 2 DEPAR'1'MF.N'C DIIL� ��..!( � 5 c{'_crcycouxcu. MUST BE ON COLNCII. AGENDA BY ATE 3 CTfl ATTORNEY (-{Y.�+ 1 c. ^° 1 CITY CLERK � � NLJMBER ��CIAL SERV DIIt FINANCIAL SERV/ACCTG Laid over to i/23/02 ��'7��p j0�i Fpg MAYOR (OR ASSTJ _ CIVII, SERVICE COVIIvIISSION ROUTLNG 1 Plamivg Administrator �� Ii� - — ��1 ORDER TOTAL # OF SIGi IATURE PAGES 1 (CLIP ALL I,OCATIONS FOR SIGNAI'URE) acriox �QUESrEV: Council final adoption of the Land Use Chapter of the citywide Comprehensive Plan 2001. Resolution attached. The plan document was previously distributed to the Council for the 1/9/02 meeting. RECOMMENDATIONS: Approve (A) or Rejec[ (R) PERSONAL SERVICE COIVTRACTS MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QIIESTIONS: 1. Hasthispeison(fumeverwodcedunderacontrnctforthisdepazhnrnt? A PLAIVNINGCOMMISSION Yes No CIB COMMIII'EE 2. Has this person/fum ever been a city employee? CIVILSERVICECOMMISSION Yu No A PED 3. Does this person�fvm possess a skill not nonnally possessed by any waent city employee? Yes No Eaplam allyes answers un separrte skeet and atfac4 to green sheet IHITIATING PROBLEM, ISSUE, OPPORTI7NITY (1Vho, Whay When, Where, Why): Seven of the eight citywide chapters of the new Comprehensive Plan of 2001 were adopted by the Council on January 9, 2002. However, the Land Use chapter was laid over for two weeks for the Planning staff to meet with representatives of the neighborhood around the University of Saint Thomas and expiain the history and reasons for the City policy, adopted in 199Q on the expansion of the university. The Land Use chapter was approved by the Council in 1999 subject to Metropolitan Council review. This review was completed and certain amendments were required, which were negotiated with Metro Council by City staff The Planning Commission and the PED staff recommend approval of the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001. ADVANTAGESIFAPPROVED: The City will be in compliance with state law. The Metro Land Planning Act requires all metro area municipalities to have a comprehensive plan that is approved by the Metropolitan Council, and the Land Use Plan is a required chapter. The Land Use chapter is being used to guide redevelopment activities, transit corridor development, and housing location decisions. It sets out the ground rules for neighborhood planning. It incorporates the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework principles into the City's official plans. DLSADVANTAGES IFAPPROVED: None. — DISADVANTAGES IF NOT APPROVED: The City will be out of compliance with state law. The City would likely become ineligible for various types of funding from the Metropolitan Council, the DNR, and the National Park Service. The Land Use Plan is a primary basis for zoning and redevelopment decisions. , TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRANSACTLON: S N.A COST/REVENUE BUDGETED: L, �� FUNDINGSOURCE: ACTIVITYNUMBER: �1}9R.� �c�a��sr ��" FINANCIAI, INFORMATION: (EXPLAIN) - � � � � � �� K\Sfuied�Ped�SODERHOl\Comp Plan 2001 geensheM 5m DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Tony Schenler, ]nferim Dvector CTTY OF SAII�IT PAUL Randy C. Ke11y, .Lfayor DATE: T0: FROM: RE: 1/24/02 Councilmember Jay Benanav Larry Soderhol� 25 WestFossrth Sbeet Smnt Pau1, MN 5�102 University of St. Thomas and the Land Use Plan �t� Telephone: 657-266-6655 Facs�mr Le: 651-228-3314 After the meeting in your office on 1/18(02 with repxesentatives of the neighborhood around St. Thomas, Peter Warner, Marc Manderscheid, and I met and discussed what the update pazagraphs for Appendix D in the citywide Land Use Plan, regazding St. Thomas campus expansion, shauld say. On 1/22/02 Peter and I drafted the paragraphs and a similar "whereas" clause for Council resolution to adopt the Land Use Plan. As of this morning, both Mazc, as a neighborhood representative, and Doug Hennes for St. Thomas have approved the update language. The following paragraphs are to be inserted at the end of the e�sting Appendix D: February 2002 Update to Appendix D: The City Council is adopting the new citywide Land Use Plan pursuant to the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. The 1990 policy regarding the campus boundary of the University of St. Thomas is being carried forward into the new plan because the Planning Commission and the City Council have not yet restudied the whole issue or made any changes in the policy. The continuation of this policy in the Comprehensive Plan of 2001 is not to be interpreted as a new action by the City Council or as an endorsement of the proposal for campus ea�pansion that the University of St. Thomas announced in 2000, which has been the subject of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet during 2001. In 1990, the Land Use Plan policy was one of three actions that the City Council took in relation to the University of St. Thomas' plans for future expansion on the south side of Summit between Cleveland and Cretin Avenues. The actions were: Establishment of Summit Avenue West Heritage Preservation District on March 1, 1990 Approval of Land Use Plan amendment (Appendix D above) on May 3, 1990 Approval of University of St. Thomas Special Condition Use Pernut on May 22, 1990 cc: Jane Prince, Tony Schertler, Peter Wamer, Donna Dnxmmond K:\Shared�Ped\SODEREiOL�I.UPIan update 2002-UOtStThomas.wpd � The remainder of the two-block area south of Summit is appropriate for future expansion of the St. Thomas campus (shaded area on map). This total area is to be considered as the definitive, long-term campus for the Colle�e of St. Thomas. Expansion beyond this area should be considered contrary to city policy. Objectives The �oal of the Plannin� Commission's Colle�e Zoning Committee has been to minimize conflicts between residential and institutional uses, and pro- mote the long-term stability of the nei�hborhood as a whole. The commit- tee finds that the two-block area south of Summit between Cretin and Cleveland Avenues where the Colle�e has already acquired considerable property is a reasonable area for expansion of the campus, particularly if recognition of potential expansion here is coupled with a commitment to limit expansion to this area. The Committee also finds that the block west of Finn Street contains con- siderable property that is presently solid residential area, primarily single family. In recognizing the potentia] expansion, the committee also affirms the importance of maintaining the residential character of this block until such time as substantial conversion to campus use is to be made. Policy Property in the two-block area south of Summit Avenue, east and west of Finn Street not presently included within the official boundary of the campus of the College of St. Thomas is appropriate area for future expansion of the campus. Further modifications of the campus boundary to include portions of this area shal] be made on the basis of specific development plans. These shall include provisions, includin� appropriate building setbacks and other bufferin„ to protect the residential character of any substantial remaining non-college residential uses in the area. ��,3e�'�' ��.t� �� .� Comprehensive Plan / ,�a1. - tof. .. � �ti h '/y �YN��/�ijN^ �.; � / y��/ g„�6'_ h y�i„/�' . i�i` �i" �� ' � �.,i �,� `�i;� ,n ;,y , ,- �.� �" u � � �y �� : . `��, ��;-; � �,.x � �,,; � � % �_ � r �''` ' � \ � �� ' �� , x , � ;� �� _ F �, .. � �r� � ..�;; _. ` e, �.�... , ... �., � � � .. �� ;- , z :: � n. � _, , YY 1:.fVii'SS��.'�7.�' _ _ �_-� -- � =-' - - � - -_-- _-- �._ �:. - = s`= - --� .— >: :� ; I . —. . �. ` 1 � �e —. �'��// � �r � _' _ -�,�.---T..—_ : _€ �rl —. . �� . `� i - - ,�� ... . � �_ �.— = c� _ J (; ..'A _. : �.'. � --�; " _ �; = _ �--- '• - - it t , =.. c�� a �rs�; ��%� .' �� _ �,�r::, - - -- � - : .�... .. -- ------ _�-- ,�- r rE : � i � i ; sr:.T,rt : :� t ` � — -- — — �- , ,.. r ..-- ....__.� ._-.__.., � ., —. — _ M� Lc:�: T T� YeiS^•� •:o�XS€>1E.;.S •.••�• -••• - _ �7Cx.mp<5&nuA%.zy � Ex:arG. 73 o �.- �o fA an amendment that will limit lar�e low-employee-density truckin� use of industrial land. The proposed amendment should act to make consistent, with re;ard to truckin� uses, the zonin� code and hi�h density employment requirements outlined in Appendix A of the Land Use Plan and Policy 24 of the Summary and General Plan addressin� intensive use of industrial land. University of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan (Adopted by the Saint Paul Ciry Council as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan on �a, 1990) Backgroun� Following adoption of zoning Code amendments regulatin� colleges in St Paul in April of 1989, the Planning Commission developed as special condi- tion use permit for the College oF St. Thomas tha± creates a regulatory framework for future development of the campus. The permit includes the concept of a definitive, long-term boundary for the campus. The purpose of this amendment to the City's Land Use Plan is to incorporate the potential boundary concept into the City's land use policy. Campus Boundary Concept The traditional College of St. Thomas campus, which has been in existence for over 100 years, is bounded by Summit, Cretin, Selby, and Cleveland Avenues. In 1987, St. Thomas purchased the majority of the St. Paul Seminary Campus bounded by Summit, Cretin, and Goodrich Avenues, and Mississippi River Blvd. The Seminary retained a small seven-acre campus at the northwest corner of this area. Prior to this major acquisition, St. Thomas had also acquired some properties on the blocks south of Summit Ave. Between Cleveland and Cretin Avenues, which it has used for college purpos- es over the years. These properties include the Christ Child and McNeely buildings on Summit Ave. (office/classrooms), 30-32 Finn St. (offices), the PresidenYs House and the Alumni House on Summit, and several other prop- erties on Grand east of Finn St. (used for offices, surface parkina, and rental housing). In establishing a current campus boundary for St. Thomas in its special con- dition use permit, the Planning Commission determined that the two main campus areas (see map, Areas A and B), plus all of the properties currently owned by St. Thomas in the block south of Summit Ave. and east of Finn St. (Area C on map), should be included within the campus boundary. 72 City of Saint Pacil 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2� 21 22 23 24 25 oa- � �� WHEREAS, these agency reviews produced minor amendments that were negotiated aa -39 w .e PED planning staff--including mandatory amendments from the DNR--and these have been r_:: iewed and recommended by the Planning Commission in their resolution no. O1-96 dated Ncvecnber 2, 2001; WHEREAS, the Planning Commission is working on the Comprehensive Plan in two parts--the first part being a set of citywide pian chapters, and the second part being summaries of all the officially adopted neighborhood plans. The present resolution deals with the citywide section. During 2002 the Planning Commission wili do more work on organizing and updating the neighborhood plans; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council hereby adopts in final form the following Comprehensive Plan chapters, which comprise the citywide Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan of 2001: Land Use Plan — L Transportation Plan Parks an�� Library Services Plan River Corridor Plan Implementation ov¢.-'c-c Jo.t�. 0'(3, 3ooa c�C Nc�` � { � Mee� i z 3 4 � 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 O�-lQf�, AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the foliowing old citywide chapters of the oa -�9 Comprehensive Plan are hereby decertified and aze not longer in force: Overview ofthe Comprehensive Plan (1981) Implementation Strategy (1980) Housing Policy for the 1990s (1990) Plan for Streets and Highways (1979) Transit Plan (1981) Transportation Control Plan (1977) A Plan for Bicycles (1978) Comprehensive Sewer Plan (1980) Plan for Multi-Service Centers (1976) Plan for Fire Services (1975, update 1990) Pazks and Recreation Plan (1985) ;'lan for Libraries (1982) �wimming Pool Policy (1977) Slc; way Plan (1987) Economic Development Strategy (1990) River Conidor Plan (1981, update 1987) Residential Improvement Strategy (1977) 1990-1999 Program for Capital Improvements (1991) 1992-1996 Capital Allocation Policy (1991) FURTHER Thomas new tment of Plannine and .e history ot and reasons for the Universit of and Use Plan, an amendment added in 1990, and recommends inclusion of this nolicv in the Adopted by Council: Date �p,. "T 6� Adoption Certified by Council Secretary HY° �� _��-� Approved by Mayor: D te By: Requested by Department of: aY _ � S Form Approved by ty Attorney BY= �O�v��G�� IZ-T/-o/ Approved by Mayor for Submissi to Council By: `-'"W./ (��-�/�� 1 3 Presented By Referred To RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA �m�'f��.e� - �w�v. �. 3oc3a- �� Committee: Date FTNAL ADOPTION OF CITYWIDE CHAPTERS OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2001 4 WHEREAS, under Minnesota Statutes § 473.864, Subd. 2, Saint Paul is required to 5 update its Comprehensive Plan regulazly and submit it to the Metropolitan Council for review 6 and approval; 8 WHEREAS, the City Council, between 1995 and 1999, received, reviewed and adopted 9 recommendations from the planning commission to update citywide chapters of the Saint Paul 10 Comprehensive Plan pertaining to land use, transportation, housing, parks, and libraries subject 11 to review by the Metropolitan Council; 12 13 WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council reviewed and approved the said chapters on 14 February 23, 2000 with several amendments; 15 16 WHEREAS, the Pianning Commission and staff incorporated these amendments and 17 reviewed eazlier Comprehensive Plan chapters fo verify that the new Comprehensive Plan, when 18 finally adopted, would not omit important City policies that remain valid from earlier chapters of 19 the Comprehensive Plan; 20 - 21 WHEREAS, the Planning Commission completed these revisions and recommended final 22 approval of the citywide chapters of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001 in resolution no. 01-13 23 dated February 9, 2001; 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 3� WHEREAS, under Minnesota Statutes § 116G.10, Subd. 3, Saint Paul is required to submit the City's plan for the Mississippi River Critical Area for review by the Metropolitan CounciI a:nd, where applicable, far approvai by the Minnesota Departrnent of Natural Resources (DNR) a� ±o conformance with Executive Order 79-19; WHEREA�, under the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Act (Public Law 100-696, Title VII) the City is also required to submit its Mississippi River Critical Area plan to the National Park Service (NPS) far comments by NPS staff regarding conformance with their Comprehensive Management Plan; WHEREAS, the City Council received the Mississippi River Comdor Plan from the Planning Commission and adopted it on Mazch 14, 2001, subject to review by the Metropolitan Council, the DNR and the NPS; a�� l �� Council File # �3 - 3q � Cneen Sheet # � � 3 \ �� oa-to DEPARTMENT/OFFICE/COUNCIL: DATE INITIATED G1�L' EN SHEET Nor 113149 �� 3� PED 12/28/O1 ' CONTACT PERSON & PHONE: mma7/DATE 7rv1'nni/D/+TE Lany Sodernetm 266-6575 � 2 DEPARTMENT DIR. s crrr courrciL MC�Sf BE OY C'JUNC'.L AGENDA BY ATE A5SIGt�` 3 CITY ATTORNEY 3•0 CITY CLERK � � £INANCIAL SERV DIR. £INANCIAL SERV/ACCTG NUMBER .T2S1U3Iy �OZ FOR 4 MAYOR(ORASST.) _CIVII.SERVICECOMMISSION ROUTING 1 Planning A�i..��,,;a.a.or �/� ` ��' ORDER `�� TOTAL # OF SIGNATURE PAGES (CLIP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SIGNATURE) ncrionr �QuESrEn: Council final adoption of citywide Comprehensive Plan 2001 RECOMMENDATIONS: Approve (A) or Reject (R) PERSONAI, SERVICE CONTRACTS MUST ANSWER THE EOLLOWING QUFSTIONS: 1. Has this person/fum ever worked under a coutract for Uvs departrnenl? A PLAt�ININGCAMMISSION Yes No CIB COMMITTEE 2. Has this persocJfum ever bern a city employee? CIVILSERVICECOMMISSION Yes No A PED 3. Dou this person/fum possess a skill not no[mally possessed by any cuaert ciTy employee? Yes No ___ _ Explain aR yes answeis on sepa�ate sheet and attach to green sheet INITIATF�G YROBLEM, ISSUE, OPPORTUNITY (Who, What, When, Where, Why): The citywide chapters of the new Comprehensive Plan 2001 have been adopted by the Council previously subject to review by the Metropolitan Council. In the case of the River Corridor Chapter, it was also subject to review by the Minnesota DNR and the National Park Service. Now these reviews have been completed and amendments made accordingly through negotiations by City staff and by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission and the PED staff recommend approval of the Comprehensive Plan 2001. ADVANTAGESIFAPPROVED: The City is in compliance with state law. The Metro Land Planning Act requires all metro area municipalities to have a comprehensive plan that is approved by the Metropolitan Council. The new Comprehensive Plan is also being used to gu;ce redevelopment activities, transportation initiatives, housing construction, zoning decisions, and capital investme:�ts in streets, sewers, parks, and libraries. In addition the Minnesota Critical Areas Act requires the City to maintain a �vlississippi River Corridor Pian that meets DNR standazds. The new River Corridor Plan meets the requirement. Obviously, River Corridor planning has had a big impact on development opportunities in the city. DISADVANTAGESIFAPPROVED: None. � DISADVANTAGES IF NOT APPROVED: The City will be out of compliance with state law. The City would likely become ineligible for various types of funding from the Metropolitan Council, the DNR, and the National Pazk Service. The confusion about what plans are ir ;,riect may cause trouble in legai cases about zoning and development. f ' TOTAL A,vIQUNT OF TRANSACfION: S N.A COST/REVENUE BUDGETED: FUNDING SOURCE: ACTIVITY NUMBER: � �� FINANCIAL INFORMATION: (EXPLAII� �,' � e ,? LOO ! K\Shaz MPed\SODERHOL\COmp Plan Y001 greenshee[ frm , � Oa-io� T H E S A I N T P A U L C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N �� . � �: , z �� s �� _ �� y �� . ��;." � � :a� �, � �f � � � n � � � � � z . .� > � � . :� "� u x „ �..b�is ;:`�':: �:. mission -r.: �� /�,� � The citywide portion of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan consists of the following as of adoption by the Saint Paul City Council in 2001: Plan Summary and General Policy Land Use Plan (1999) Housing Plan (1999) Transportation Plan (1997) Parks and Recreation Plan (1997) Library Services Plan (1996) Water Conservation and Emergency Response Plan (1996) . _ _ _ River_Corzidor_Plan_(1987,_updateto be completed_in_2001) _. ______,__ ___ ______ _ ______ ____ _ _ , _.__. Sewer Plan (1980, update in progress) Implementation (1999) A separate Area Plans wlume identfies all smail area plans and d�'s- trict plans that have been officially adopted as amendments or addenda to the Comprehensive Plan. It also includes summaries of all area plans that have been adopted in summary form under the curre�t neighborhood planning policy. The Plan is subject to arnend- ment, and a publication noting all amendments in force will be available after amendments are adopted. Plan documents are available at the Saint Paul Public Library and copies may be obtained from the Department of Planning and Economic Development, 25 W Fourth Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102, telephone: (651) 266-6573. (fhe Water Conservation and Emergency and is not available from PED or on-line.) As preparation can be completed, most or all chapters will be accessible from the City of Saint Paul web page at ci.stpaul.mn.us (departments, PED, comprehensive plan). oa-� o� �., V �� , • � , THE SAINT PAU L COMP REHEIV SIV E P LAN 1999 2000 M . Land Use Aetion Agenda (Summary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 � Strategy 1: A Vital City Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Strategy 2: Neighborhoods as Urban �llages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Strategy 3: Corridors for Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Strategy 4: Environmental Stewazdship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Implementation ................ ..........................5 � Introduction .................................................9 � 2.1 Saint Paul Land Use Plan and the Metropolitan Land Planning Process ................................9 2.2 Purpose of the Land Use Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 2.3 Time Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 2.4 Land Use Plan Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 I The Setting "a 3.1 3.2 Objective 3.3 Objective 3.4 3.5 ................................................ia Existing Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Land Use 1Yends and Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Equitable Metropolitan Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 RiverLandforms ................................14 Ten Principles for City Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I S Stt'ategy 1: A �tal, Growing City Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 i Objective 4.1 Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Objective 4.2 A Complete Downtown Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Objective 4.3 Riverfront Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Objective 4.4 State Capitol Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Objective 4.5 Sites for Housing and New Urban Villages ........... 22 Objective 4.6 Neighborhood Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Strategy 2: NeeghborF000ds as lJaban �Ilages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 • Objective 5.1 Urban Villages: A Theme with Variations . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Objective 5.2 Mixed Land Uses/Mixed Use Development . . . . . . . . . . 27 Objective 5.3 Range of Housing Types and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Objective 5.4 Market for New Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Objective 5.5 Coordinated Land Use and Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Objective 5.6 Neighborhood Business Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Objective 5.7 Parks and Open Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Objective 5.8 Institutions and Major Employers in Neighborhoods ....33 Objective 5.9 Heritage Preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Comprehensive Plan 3 � � � Da -1 DI� .� S[rategy 3: Corridors for Growih . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 , 8 Objective 6.1 Corridor Planning and Redevelopment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Objective 6.2 River Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . . . .38 Objective 6.3 University Avenue Corridar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Objective 6.4 Phalen Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Objective 6.5 West Seventh Street Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Objective 6.6 Great Northem Como Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Objective 6.7 Freeway Development Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Objective 6.8 Neighborhood Bus Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Strategy 4: EmironmeMal Stewardship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 � Objective 7.1 Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) Tier II Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Objective 7.2 Topographic Features and Sensitive Resources ........49 Objective 7.3 Air Quality: Transportation and Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Objective 7.4 Water Quality: Drainage Basins, Site Planning and Individual Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Objective 7.5 Soil Cleanup/Brownfield Reclamation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Objective 7.6 Airports and Airport Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Objective 7.7 Access to Solar Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Objective 7.8 Visual Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Implementation ...............................................56 I 8.1 Citywide Land Use Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 8.2 Map Summary of Redevelopment Opportunities .......56 _ _ 8.3__ __,_ , Neighborhood Pla_nning .__. . . . . . . . . 56 __-- ----- ._-- - --- - - - - --- - - 8.4 Zoning Code Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 8.5 Capital Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 t 8.6 Intergovernmental Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 8.7 Urban Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 8.8 Other Land Use Amendments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 APPendices ................................................64 � Appendix A. Land Use'ITends and Assumptions 64 Appendix B. Existing Land Use and Projected Change . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Appendix C. Summary of Zoning and Other Regulatory Changes Proposed in the Land Use Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Appendix D. Universiry of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan ......72 ' ppen x . ensi ive eso rce aps° . . : : . . . . . Appendix F. Saint Paul Sewer Plan: Tier 1 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . .77 Credits ................................................84 4 City ofSaint Paul aa-io6 . ,, ;,��;x Land Use Action Agenda he Saint Paul Land Use Plan is the 'floor plan"for the city. It designates where housing, businesses, oJfices, indusiries, and parks should be located and provides policies to guide redevelopment decisions. The purposes of the Land Use Plan are to encourage private investment in the ciry and to guide public investment within a framework that enhances e,�sting communi- ties and the natural environment. The Land Use Plan is one of the chapters of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan. Other citywide chapters deal with Housing, Transportation, Parks and Recreation, Libraries, Water Management, Sewers, and the River Corridor. Many neighborhoods also have plans which have been approved previously by the Planning Commission and the City Council. Change in the city is continuous; there are small changes in stable neighbor- hoods and large changes in redevelopment areas. This plan puts most of iYs emphasis on areas where redevelopment is happening or should happen dur- ing the next ten or twenty years. But it also recommends the urban village concept as a goal for smallex changes within fully developed neighborhoods. During the next decade the city has an opportunity to grow by building new housing. With the metropolitan region growing and baby boomers becom- ing empty nesters, there is a market for downtown and townhouse living. Saint Paul's goal is to build 400 new housing units per year and to add 9,000 households in the city between 1990 and 2020-7,000 additional househoids between 2000 and 2020. �� w��'� The 199os have seen more economic growth in the city than housing � growth. The goal of the Comprehensive Plan is to achieve 35,000 net addi- ~�� tional jobs between 1990 and 2020 or 22,000 jobs over the 2000 level. Th�s ,,.; .;� ,� z� is double the Metropolitan Council's job growth projection for Saint Paul. �"� �' M �€ �. � � t � Strategy 1: A�tal City Center ♦ Downtown should continue to be the "capital" of the East Metro area, center of business, government, culture, entertainment, and hotels. ♦ Downtown, including the Capitol Area and the central riverfront, will grow by roughly 9,000 more jobs and 3,000 more housing units by 2020. �� ; �� „� .�. � �;. � _a �� w��„, Comprehensive Plan 5 oa-io� ♦ The Land Use Plan affirms the policies of the Saint Paut on the Mississippi Development Framework, which is the downtown and river- front plan completed in 1997. Key policies that reflect Framework con- clusions include: buiiding new urban villages, improving public spaces beginning with Wabasha Street, and designing buildings to meet the sidewaik and promote public life on downtown streets. Strategy 2: Neighborhoods as Urban �Ilages ♦ The city is composed of neighborhoods. Each tteighborhood should have a range of housing types suitable for people at ail stages of life and a range of housing prices. Each neighborhood needs to have a suc- cessfui niche in the housing market so that home values rise parallel to increases in the metropolitan housing market. ♦ Having transportation alternatives to the automobile is an important benefit of city living. Saint Paul neighborhoods should be accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. New housing and more jobs should be located along the University Avenue and West Seventh Street Corridors, which are the two highest priority public transportation corri- dors in the city. ♦ Neighborhood commercial strips built during the streetcar era should be - preserved and retain their pedestrian-oriented design. Commercial buildings should be located along the sidewalk. In these areas the Zoning Code sfiould" no "Conger aTlow parking tots fronC new bnild= ings, except for gas stations. ♦ 4,500 new housing units need to be built outside of the downtown area by 2020. (ASSUming 1,500 units will be demolished, the net growth will be 3,000 units.) The Planning Commission wiil ask neighborhood organiza- tions to help plan where this housing can be developed throughout the city. Strategy 3: Corridors for Growth ♦ In addition to downtown, redevelopment efforts over the next 20 years �se-� � : .� . �, �, � _.. and the Midway; the Phalen Corridor; the West Seventh Corridor; the Great Northern (Como) Corridor. These corridors include many large redevelopment sites that can be linked together and can provide new economic vitality to the neighborhoods near them and to the city as a whole. They provide good opportunity for linking new housing, jobs and transportation. g City of Saint Paul � od- ♦ Neighborhood bus lines with high levels of service will be a focus for smaller scale, infill redevelopment. New urban housing near bus ser- vice will help support transportation alternatives and neighborhood business centers. Cooperation from the Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit is necessary to accomplish this goal. ♦ Cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields (polluted industrial sites) is a high priority for the city. Significant public funding is necessary to level the playing field between these sites and suburban greenfields. Regional, state, and federal assistance is necessary to accomplish this important task. =�st�i�ic� Strategy 4: Environmental Stewardship ♦ In the River Corridor, the City recognizes that there wiil be a shift away � ';�° from industry and toward recreation, housing, and mixed use. The �'� ` river will continue to be a working river and industries, especially river-dependent industries, will continue to be located along segments , of Shepard Road and downstream from the Robert Street bridge. Comprehensive Plan o a -�� ♦ The city's natural topography relates most of the city to the river. Bluffs, ravines, and wetlands should be protected and enhanced as urban amenities. ♦ The City supports the green corridors project of the state DNR, which p]ans to fund the restoration and protection of land with native habitats and to connect them with parks and trails. In Saint Paul, the river valley and the 1Youtbrook Reach are parts of the DNR pian. Implementation ♦ Neighborhood planning is essential to refine and implement citywide land use policies. But with dozens of existing full-length neighborhood plans, the City's Comprehensive Plan has become unmanageable and dif- ficult to understand. In the future, the City Council, on recommendation from the Planning Commission, will adopt summaries of neighborhood (or other sub-area) plans that highlight decisions appropriate to City development policy. When neighborhood plans are adopted, discrepan- cies between adopted citywide plans and neighborhood plans must be reconciled so that the Comprehensive Plan is internally consistent. ♦ As soon as this plan is adopted, the City will undertake revision of the Zoning Code to make its maps and regulations consistent with the plan. There will be public participation in the zoning revisions. ♦ Public_invesiments_are.needed to_initiate major land_use changes_The Land Use Plan contains a list of capital budget investments for redevel- opment projects and neighborhood revitalization activities. Intergov- ernmental tunding is needed for pollution clean-up, public transit, hous- ing, redevelopment and major infrastructure costs. ♦ Urban design concepts need to be effectively applied to development projects in the city. The Saint Paul Design Center has recently been established through the collaboration of a number of organizations. Its mission can be advanced through utilization of this Land Use Plan as well as through public education, neighborhood planning, and design guidelines or regulations. g City of Saint Paul Introduction .;:y : .., 2.1 Saint Paul Land Use Plan and the Metropolitan Land Planning Process The Land Use Plan is the city's "floor plan" for development. There are many major development concepts and neighborhood improvement strate- gies taking form in Saint Paul. Some examples are the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development f7amework, the Phalen Corridor Initiative, planning for the Riverview (West Seventh), University Avenue, and Great Northem transit corridors and for Ayd Mill Road, and neighborhood plans for the West Side, Dayton's Bluff, Selby Avenue, and Hamline-Midway. How well do all of these concepts and plans fit together? The Saint Paul Land Use Plan and the other chapters of the Comprehensive Plan try to ensure that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts. Saint Paul is not an island. Implementing major plans depends in large part on public and private resources beyond the control of city government. The Regional Blueprint of the Metropolitan Council makes revitalization of the central cities and older suburbs a top priority. In Saint Paul half the housing units and much of the infrastnxcture were built before World War II. Like other older American cities, Saint Paul needs supportive policies and pro- grams from higher leveis that affect broader real estate markets and private location decisions to foster reinvestment and redevelopment and to imple- ment regionai policy. The current round of planning provides an opportunity for reinvestment in older parts of the metropolitan area. State law required all "IWin Cities municipalities to draft updates to their comprehensive plans by the end of 1998. Saint Paul's last citywide Land Use Plan was written in 1980 and has not been updated, although many neighborhood plans have been devel- oped since then. With this new Land Use Plan and other current revisions, Saint Paul's Comprehensive Plan is part of an up-to-date regional growth management strategy that has strengthening the urban core as one of its basic goals. Many land use recommendations are implemented through zoning. Recent changes in Minnesota law require that zoning be consistent with municipal land use plans. Therefore, this Land Use Plan wiil carry more legal clout than the 1980 Land Use Plan carried and the City will have to keep the Comprehensive Plan up-to-date. aa - � � � .-� � � �a � � H '�` �� Comprehensive Plan 9 �a-�� 2.2 Purpose of the Land Use Plan The general purposes of the Saint Paul Land Use Plan are: 1. To set a framework for preserving and enhancing existing communities, commercial and industrial districts, and the natural environment, and to ensure that this framework is supported by transportation and other Comprehensive Plan policy. 2. To encourage private investment. 3. To guide public investments in urban preservation, revitalization, and redevelopment. 4. To stimulate and coordinate actions among private, nonprofit, and public development organizations and provide a framework for community stakeholders. 5. To outline governmental actions that will help meet the needs of people for land for housing, employment, business opportunity, recreation, edu- cation, and other uses. More specific purposes of the Saint Paul Land Use Plan are: ♦ To support the Comprehensive Plan themes of providing for growth, enhancing the quality of place, and supporting community well-being. ♦ To identify the major redevelopment and revitalization opportunities in the city_ and establisk criteria for evaluating_them --- --- - __ - -- _ . . _ ._ - - -- -- ---- ------- ♦ To provide land use themes and guides that community groups can use in their planning and that the Planning Commission can use in review- ing neighborhood plans and proposed development. ♦ To promote a balance of land uses in the city to strengthen the city's tax base. ♦ To encourage and assist real estate developers to make investments in Saint Paui at a time when govemment subsidies for urban reinvestment are constrained. ♦ To inter-relate land use and transportation to minimize traffic conges- tion and to reduce dependence on automobiles. ♦ To take advantage of anticipated regional growth by attracting a signifi- cant share of residentiai, commercial, and industrial development to ♦ To take advantage of regional and national trends in urban develop- ment, such as brownfield reclamation, mixed use, traditional neighbor- hood design, and ecological development patterns. � p City of Sain t Paul 2.3 Time Frame The broad horizon for this plan is 2020, consistent with the Metropolitan Council's projections for population, households, and employment. By state law, the pian will need to be updated at least every ten years, but more fre- quent amendment will be required if the plan is to keep pace with changes that cannot be predicted. 2.4 Land Use Plan Strategies Strategy i: A�WI City Center Downtown Saint Paui, including the riverfront and the Capitol Area, will continue to be the primary center of the East Metro area, and should be a well-rounded downtown where people live, work and shop and enjoy cul- tural and recreational opportunities. Strategy 2: Neighborhoods as Urban �Ilages Saint Paul will continue to be a city of diverse neighborhoods. Each will be a good place to live and raise a family and invest in a house. Each will have housing suitable for people at different stages of life and with different incomes. "I7aditional neighborhood design will be maintained because it supports healthy community life. Strategy 3: Corridors for Growth Redevelopment opportunities are often linked to changes in transportation systems. Old land use patterns are changing along the river and the rail- road corridors. Land use patterns in the city are still adjusting to the free- way system. Efforts to increase public transportation ridership will also pre- sent redevelopment opportunities. Redevelopment should be focused on transportation corridors. Strategy 4: Environmental Stewardship Saint Paul is reclaiming its river heritage. By 2020, most of the river valley will be green and the river park system will be more fully developed. Industry will also remain in several areas of the River Corridor. Most neigh- borhoods will be connected to the river by trails and natural landscaping along ravine edges. The city's air, water, and soils should all be cleaner. f M,,. F� . � �� '� Comprehensive Plan 11 oa � o�, The Setting 3.1 Eadsting Land Use Saint Paul is about 56 square miles in size. One third of the land area is in EXISTING u►ND USE, residential use, and of that, s7 percent is occupied by single family homes SUMMARY and duplexes. A summary of land use by major category is shown to the left. A more complete breakdown is included in Appendix B. Type of Land Use Percent Residential 35 Commercial Industrial Parks and Open Space Public and Institu[ional Rivers Lakes, WeBands 10 Environmental Protection 8 Vacant 5 Source: 19881and use survey by PED,updated. Most land uses in Saint Paul will not change. They're built and they're going to stay. The question is whether they will be viable and healthy. The challenge for both public and private leaders is to guide the city and the region so that the private market for existing buildings and neighborhoods remains (or becomes) strong and people reinvest in Saint Paul. 13 14 Between 1990 and 2020, approximately five percent of the land in the city will be redeveloped. Since this five percent is the land most likely to be used differently, it is where the Land Use Plan places the most attention. Small changes in stable neighborhoods are also very important far the preservation of the city. Change is continuous in all parts of the city. The urban village theme in the Land Use Plan provides objectives for ongoing, smaller changes in stable neighborhoods. 3.2 Land Use Trends and Assumptions The main trends and assumptions that underlie the recommendations in this Land Use Plan are as follows: 1. Opportunity for growth. From 2000 to 2020 the 11Nin Cities region is pro- jected to grow and Saint Paul can expect to share in the growth by adding 7,000 households and Z2,000 jobs. 2,��!Lqre t�a�spo ation o tions. Althou h freewa s and automobiles will _ continue to be the primary mode of transportation, there will be increas- ing reliance on public transportation, bicycling and walking. 3. Competitive advantages of a central city. Downtown and older city neighborhoods have a sense of place and history that is special in a region where suburbs predominate. Large infrastnxcture investments are 12 City of Saint Paal already in place and have additional capacity. The mixture of people and businesses and housing types and architectural styles and parks—all within wallcing distance— creates market opportunities. The city must remain competitive and retain and attract residents, businesses, and institutions. 4. Building the citywide economic base. Economic development is at least as much an issue of jobs and human capital as it is an issue of real estate development. Redevelopment sites in the city should provide significant numbers of jobs that pay family-supporting wages for skills that fit Saint Paul workers. The Land Use Plan supports economic development in the downtown, the neighborhood retail areas, and industrial districts. 5. Helping the environment. For the health of the planet, how we live in urban settings is just as important as protecting wildemess, forests, and farmlands. The preservation and enhancement of the urban environment is a key ingredient in the region's quality of life. Appendix A expands on this list, giving 17 trends and assumptions for land use planning in Saint Paul. Objective 3.3 Equitable Metropolitan Development The research of the National League of Cities shows that over the years the economic destinies of central cities and their suburbs are interdependent. Metropolitan areas that have tolerated central city decay have a poorer quality of life, which eventually hurts the suburbs' economic attractiveness to national and intemational investors. Geographicaliy there is increasing physical distance between rich and poor people across the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The trends of increasing poverty and its physical concentration need to be reversed. To change the trend, the City of Saint Paul and community organizations need to keep working on local improvements. But their efforts, no matter how wise and dedicated, will achieve only partial success unless they are matched by action at higher levels in the public and private sectors. The tendency of housing markets in this country is for newly built homes on the metropolitan edge to be bigger and more costly than older homes near the center. This tendency has been supported by govemmental invest- ment in infrastructure, by tax policies (e.g., the mortgage interest deduction and the use of the local property tax for education), and by the distribution of subsidized housing. These mega-policies in Minnesota and the United Comprehensive Plan i3 ��-�r�� States help make central cities in our country different and often less vibrant from central cities in Canada and Europe. Policies: 3.3.1 Saint Paul will support an increase in the number of jobs and hous- ing units in the city, and will try to focus growth along transit corridors, thereby supporting the strategies of the Metropolitan Council's Regional Blueprint. 3.3.2 The City will continue to work with the Metro East Development Partnership to foster connections and cooperation between Saint Paul and its suburbs. 3.3.3 The City will advocate changes to tax and infrastnzcture policies at the state and federal levels to enhance the opportunities of the central cities and older suburbs in residential, commercial, and industrial real estate markets. 3.3.4 The City should express its interests with regard to how suburban East Metro communities develop. The City supports holding employment centers inside the I-694 beltway, maintaining fairly tight urban growth boundaries, and preserving rural character outside the urban service area. The City opposes the creation of "Edge City" concentrations like the Bloomington strip. 3.3.5 The City should express its support and, where appropriate, join in housing programs and projects that contribute to balanced populations – - - ---- _ -- - --- — _- - __– (age and income) m communities and neighborhoods throughouf Che East Metro area. Objective 3.4 River Landforms The relationship between the Mississippi River and Saint Paul's develop- ment pattern runs through this whole plan—in Section 4.3 about the down- town riverfront; in Section 62 about redevelopment opportunities down- stream from the downtown; in Section 6.5 about redevelopment opportuni- ties along the West Seventh Street corridor; and in Sections 7.1 and 7.2 the river as a key to Saint Paul's identity is seen in the planning and public investment which is setting the stage for new private development. A side-benefit of the focus on the river is a new appreciation of the city's landform and how all parts of the city were sculpted by glaciers and the 14 City of Saint Paul river. Protection of the river corridor and its bluffs will be further addressed in revision of the River Corridar (Critical Area) Plan that will foilow adop- Uon of this Land Use Plan. Policy: 3.4.1 The City will work to protect and enhance the topographic features of the city, such as the bluffs, ravines, hiils, overlooks, ponds, and wet- lands. The City will promote development that is consistent with enhanc- ing the ciry's physical setting. 3.5 Ten Principles for City Development Figure B City i.andform and Neighborhoods The recent Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework, a planning report for the downtown and central riverfront, contains ten principles that are applicable throughout the city. Policy: 3.5.1 As development opportunities arise and projects are designed, the City will refer to the Ten Principles for guidance and consistency over time. r k �>'%� ';'s � � � Comprehensive Plan 15 oa-i�� 16 City of Saint Paul c�a - � :��,z,�<; ��; :,�-: � ;��:.x � ..;: f � �u � �� Y w �� A � h { ::...;�� v Comprehensive Plan 17 � �s, `s' s°:�. � � �" oa-�� Strate�y 1. A number of trends demonstrate and support revitalization of the down- town—declining office vacancy rates, major private construction, public transportation improvements, increasing number of empty nester house- holds, and development of riverfront amenities. In 1998 there is a record- setting amount of construction underway in the downtown. Lowertown is already recognized nationally as a successful model of a downtown urban village. The Metropolitan Council's regional policies now support invest- ment at the urban core. Objective 4.1 Scunt Pmil on the Mississippi Development Framework Implementation I n 1998 there is a record-setting arriount of consiruction underway in the downtown. The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework is a plan for the downtown and central rivedront completed in 1997. It has won both state and national awards. Policy: 4.1.1 The City, together with many downtown partners, will promote the main land use themes of the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development - - — -- ----- ------- ----- - - --- ------- Framework: ♦ Re-greening of the downtown river valley (Great River Park concept) ♦ Bringing people to the riverbanks and bluff tines ♦ Connectivity, or complementarity, of each land use with others nearby ♦ Creating new mixed use urban villages to frame the office core ♦ Designing streets to accommodate transit, bikes, and pedestrians as well as cars ♦ Improving the public realm beginning with Wabasha Street ♦ Downtown parks as centers for development ♦ Designing buildings and promoting land uses to meet the street and increase pedestrian activity on the sidewalks ♦ Continuous urban fabric so that the streets are interesting for Figure C shows major land use directions for the downtown. G E-3 City of Saint Paul �. „ �� '' �::, , �� _�a � � �� .�, � .., Objective 4.2 A Complete Downtown Mix (Office, Retail, Government, Arts, Entertainment, Visitors, and Housing) Policies: 4.2.1 Downtown Saint Paul should retain its position as the "capital" of the East Metro region; both the City and business organizations should promote it as such. East Metro residents should feel proud of their down- town and want to take visitors there. 4.2.2 Downtown Saint Paul should continue to evolve as more than a central business district. It should have all of the land uses of a healthy downtown—office, retail, government, culture, entertainment, visitor accommodations, and housing. People should live, work, and recreate downtown. 42.3 The City supports the buiiding design guidelines in the Saint Pau! on the Mississippi Development Framework, which emphasize the urban design quality of buiidings at the street level. Each building, including parking ramps, should contribute to the life of the street and contribute to the public realm. This is especially important for the Wabasha-Saint Peter corridor, the Rice Park and Mears Park areas, and the other pro- posed urban village areas. Comprehensive Plan 19 .� „�"3 f ,,& t � ?3:::3 \'\�{' i W` � �� ., �. oa-�o� 42.4 As the downtown grows, more public parking must also be built; but, at the same time, the City and downtown employers should work pro-actively to improve bus service, increase bus ridership, and provide for bicycling and walking to work. Objective 4.3 Riverfront Development 4.3.1 Figure C and Figure O(page 39) show the best current plans for sites along the downtown riverfront—the Upper Landing, Shepard Road, Harriet Island, Wabasha-Robert, the land around the former Department of Revenue Building. Objective 4.4 State Capitol Connections The State Capitol Area is a beautifizl amenity and state employment is a large stable economic base for the city. 4.4.1 The Capitol Area should become an anchor for reinvestment and infill development in the surrounding areas through cooperative actions by the city and state govemments, private developers, and communiry development corporations. 5ee Figure D. _ - -- -- - - ___ 4.42 The City govemment agrees with the land use concepts in the Comprehensive Plan for the Minnesota State Capitol Area done in 1997 by the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. See Figure E. Even though the plan identifies a Capitol "campus," new buildings should be designed as an open part of the city. They should relate to the streets and communities outside the campus; the edges of the campus should not seem closed off or unneighborly. 4.4.3 The City will encourage state office development and leasing to select Saint Paul sites that help to link the Capitol with downtown and to intermix state office and downtown buildings. As a second priority, other city locations, weli connected to the capitol area on major streets, may be appropriate for some state office buildings. Zp City of Saint Paul ....�.... �� Campus Rapons e i (SPRMC) . l��i NorN�east Quadrant � i ceMmral ^� , '�. P�_eul�� '�.) � �.?�e.�....+ ul � � Yy1 �uadrdM �� ... ..1 V F Saint Paul Ce�Val eusiness District �. CapimlArea "� NeighboMOOtls wiNin CAAPS PlanningAreas �� CapitolArea Neighborhootls ' ;� (sPAnac> . � ," t_ I �� i � �� `,! �` ��r � %.r .. �� ._� '�' .,\'~ Nortneast �,. Quadrant R q � �� /9 "F � q � � � ° � �` � t' �� a�•.� � °y,} � a ` _,.; � � Saint Paul Cathetlral F .�'��' NoMwest °� � Centrel eusiness of Saint / <' Quatlrent . Disttic[ Paui ��.� �"; �.M "�"...-.o Residen5al � Mucetl Use state retail ° ��sCapROlCampus cuttural office (non-proffi) resider�tisl Comprehensive Plan % Figure D � Developmeat Areas a ^^°� :- �� Around the Sfia�e ">, Capitol Figure E Capitol Area Land Use � i � g E � � , 21 ��-i��, Figure F Urban Yllage OpporWnities Dovmtown Objective 4.5 Sites for Housing and New Urban V'illages 4.5.1 The City's goal is to build 3,000 housing units in linked urban villages around the downtown and on the West Side flats by 2020 (see Figure F) and create live-work environments throughout the downtown. Preliminary planning should proceed for all potential urban viliage locations, recognizing that before constnzction starts priorities among the altematives will need to be set both for public investment and for market absorption. (Note: A more detailed discussion of opportunities for new housing is found in Section 5.4.) State 1 C ��v,• c'°ne� � � J �,, ,, �� . �?„-} . "� ,-�' G✓� - ��. � vLL �� <� � :---- �t' Emerging Urban Yllages proposed Urban Villages Y. Concord-Ro6ert 6. Northeast Quatlrant 11. Lower Landing 2. frvine Park 7. Fitrgerald Park t2. The Espianade 3. Rice Park 8. Northwest Park 13. South Wabasha 4. West Sevenffi 9. Upper Landing Bridgehead 5. Lowertown 10. Kellogg Mall 14. Harriet Island 22 City ofSaint Paul f 4.5.2 For downtown urban villages, the Design Center should promulgate design guidelines that will be helpful for new development attracted by the opportunities and that can be supported through land sales and financing agreements and through the City's site plan review process. (In the down- town zoning districts, all urban village land uses are already permitted.) objecrive 4.6 Neighborhood Connections ;�,, Downtown approach and neighborhood-link areas include the Upper Landing/Irvine Park/Science Museum area, West Seventh/Kellogg, `' S<; Cathedral Hill, lower Rice Street, East Seventh Street, Mississippi River bridges and their connecting streets, and the extensive river flats on the - west side. � 4.6.1 The City will encourage development in the downtown fringe that provides convenient and inviting access to and from adjacent neighbor- hoods. 4.6.2 The City will encourage development and improvements at down- town "gateway" locations that supports and complements adjacent neighborhood business, residential and natural areas and recognizes their special contributions to the heart of the city. ;� � � [ _ . �' '� �� ;3 � ° "�t � � - �.: � �", -��,-�' °*c � � �� :> � c� � � �.Y`�� .: a -.�, s � � �.,.._ .,_ Comprehensive Plan 23 C�o�-/ �� Strate�y 2. Figure G Saburban "AOd" DevelopmeM Compared to 7Faditional Neighborhood Design Saint Paul is a city of strong, well-known neighborhoods, each with its own character and community organizations. It is long-standing City policy to maintain and enhance the unique character of Saint Paul neighborhoods. During the 1990s a new national movement called New Urbanism advo- cates "urban villages" or "traditional neighborhood development," two terms used to describe physical development pattems which closely resem- ble most of Saint Paul's neighborhoods. The popularity of traditional neigh- borhood development will help the marketing of Saint Paul neighborhoods. Urban villages are contrasted with the dominant trend of auto-dependent suburbs with their subdivisions of homogeneous housing, large business parks, and shopping malls ringed by asphalt. (See Figure G.) New Urbanists criticize fhis dominant suburban development pattem on environmental, sociological, and economic grounds. Many suburbs are now trying to recre- yq City of Saint Paul ate the physicai sense of community that Saint Paul neighborhoods already have. (See Figure H.) The Livable Communities Program of the Metropolitan Council, which makes urban development grants to municipalities, is based largely on urban village principles. This is not to suggest that there is one mold for city neighborhoods. There are many physical forms for good neighborhoods in Saint Paul, for example: ♦ Saint Anthony Park: Most like the "pure village" model with a small . commercial center and well-defined neighborhood boundaries. ♦ Macalester Groveland: Small commercial centers scattered at almost every intersection of collector streets. ♦ Highland Park: One large shopping district that is a hybrid of pedestrian and automobile site planning. ♦ Battle Creek: SunRay Shopping Center and Suburban Avenue together make an even larger automobile-scaled center for a post-Worid War II neighborhood. As mentioned in the previous section on downtown, Saint Paul has a few large, cleared sites where new urban villages may be built. But it is even more important for the city to use traditional neighborhood development concepts for protecting and reinforcing the strengths of the city's existing neighborhoods. Objecrive 5.1 Urban V'illages: A Theme wiCh Variations Policies: 5.1.1 The City, neighborhood organizations, developers and realtors should use the urban village principles listed below, which are con- densed from the Charter of the Congress for the New Urbanism, for assessing neighborhoods and promoting the advantages of city living. ♦ Good neighborhoods are compact and pedestrian-friendly. ♦ Good neighborhoods have a mixture of land uses. ♦ Good neighborhoods have a broad range of housing types. ♦ Good neighborhoods are designed to support mass transit with appropriate land uses and densities within walking distance of public transportation. ♦ Good neighborhoods have commercial, civic, and institutional activi- ty embedded, not isolated in remote, single-use complexes. ♦ Good neighborhoods have schools within walking and short bicy- cling distance for most children. ♦ Good neighborhoods have a range of park facilities, from tot-lots to village greens to ballfields to community gardens. (Large parks and conservation areas serve as boundaries between neighborhoods.) Comprehensive Plan 25 Do� -/t� l� ♦ Good neighborhoods are safe and secure. ♦ In good neighborhoods, the azchitecture and landscaping physically define the streets and public places. 5.12 Neighborhood planning participants should consider the social and economic factors implied in the notion of "village" as well as physical design factors, which are emphasized on the preceding list. Of course, social and economic factors are sometimes beyond the control of either the neighborhood or even the City. Available responses may only partial- ly address underlying problems. Figure H Comparison of New Urbanism and Saint Paul Neighborhoods Seaside, FL. is the best-known New Urbanist community in the country. It is 80 acres in size and has 550 hous- ing units (6.9 units per gross acre). The residential core of the Snelling- Hamline neighborhood, shown here at a corresponding scale, is about 120 acres with 670 housing units (5.6 units per gross acre). • Grid of streets and alleys • Pedestrian scale blocks • Can walk to shops and transit • Institutional buildings within neighborhood • Mixture of houses, duplexes, and apartments • Porches irt front garages in back yg City of Saint Paul Similarities: New Urbanist Communities 5.1.3 The City, through the Public Works Department, should encourage public infrastructure that promotes streets and sidewalks that are pedes- trian friendly and visually appealling as important components to the success of neighborhoods. Objective 5.2 Mixed Land Uses/Mixed Use Development 5.2.1 In traditional neighborhoods, the Ciry will support compatible mixed use within single buildings and in separate buildings in close proximity. Mixed use reduces transportation time and cost. National surveys show that, on average, city residents drive only half as many miles per year as suburban dwellers, primarily because each trip is shorter in the city. 5.2.2 At neighborhood commercial centers, the City, in collaboration with individual neighborhoods and business districts, will give more attention to the pedestrian realm and will implement design guidelines for pedes- trian districts, beginning with a half-dozen prototype areas. (See Figure I for candidate areas for pedestrian-oriented design guidelines.) If design guidelines for neighborhood commercial centers take the form of regula- tions, they might work through the City's site plan review process or the creation of design districts. Any regulatory process should have a fast- track for plans that clearly support the village center concept. Urban vil- lage design concepts can be promoted through public education and neighborhood planning. 5.2.3 The design guidelines for pedestrian-oriented village centers should include the following: ♦ Buildings out to the sidewalk ♦ Parking lots to the side and rear of buildings, not in front ♦ Parking lots screened from the street ♦ Human-scale lighting ♦ Architecture that respects the neighborhood context ♦ Windows to the sidewalk 52.4 To promote the workability of mixed land uses, the City will use zoning, licensing and environmental regulations to prevent and mitigate land use conflicts along boundaries between residential areas and com- mercial or industrial areas and will encourage buffering with landscaping and intermediate land uses to mitigate potential incompatibilities. ,,:.. ,,, � � � � �� :, �� z. ;: � � ;, � _�,,� - Comprehensive Plan 27 �a `o� Figure I Pedestrian Neighborfiood Commerciat CeMers Figure J Design Guidelines for Pedestrian Overlay Distriets sroaeFaatrs,�s,wo srr� usNrs fi�r��l 28 �'i _L _ "_ _ __?� _ __ � .l ...; Ciry of Saint Paal 1KM�fiONRL ST.flk1L TREFS �NUEfAG{OE RfRKfNC� SCREENED 6RCKfDMMERG,- IANfERN S7YLE 5TkEE� N1D PRINfDE WALL OF pROM qIREE: 3NLDIKGS wRF, LIGNiS MAWiAIN£D EMCWSURE WR'CN� BYU1W yIRIl85 v�SW'�Y OPE1i 5�R£G'r SrREFR�"fr5 vpc- Objective 5.3 Range of Housing Types and Values „ 5.3.1 Each of the seventeen planning districts in the city should have life- cycle housing, that is, a mixture of single-family houses, townhouses, condominiums, apartments, and seniors housing. People of all ages should be able to live conveniently in every part of the city. 5.3.2 The Ciry will support expansion of the range of housing values in each neighborhood, especially in low-income areas. As govemment hous- ing programs shrink, it becomes even more essential to the whole ciry that every neighborhood find a self-sustaining niche in the real estate market. Every neighborhood should provide for a sound economic housing invest r ment. � 5.3.3 The Planning Commission will propose for consideration a Zoning Code amendment allowing accessory ("mother-in-law") apartments in owner-occupied, large single family houses. Accessory units are current- ly illegal in Saint Paul. Objective 5.4 Market for New Housing 5.4.1 The City will promote building new housing to meet the growing market of empty nesters as the baby boom ages. There is a substantial growing demand for market rate townhouses, condominiums and apart- ments with high amenities. Figure K shows how the market for city living could grow in Saint Paul over the next twenty years. � � ,.. a � _ � :,, .. � ,�, . �;;= <: �,: `` �?. Comprehensive Plan 29 il • I � 5.4.2 The City will support private market efforts to build enough new housing to provide a net increase of 6,000 more housing units by 2020. The City accepts the Metropolitan Council allocation of 9,000 more house- holds over the 1990 base for Saint Paul as an appropriate, though ambi- tious, target for growth. New housing should supplement the eacisting stock with new types, complement existing neighborhoods, and strength- en their position in the housing market. Realization of this objective is contingent on market factors that cannot be easily predicted. Three thou- sand more households can be housed in e�cisting housing units that were vacant in the base year of 1990. (Vacancy rates in e}dsting housing, that is vacant homes and apartrnents for sale or for rent, were quite high at six percent.) This leaves a goal of 6,000 net additionai housing units to be constructed. Demolition is likely to remove 1,500 units, raising the new construction goal to 7,500. Given slow growth from 1990 to 1998, the city's goal is to have 340 new housing units built per year until 2020. While this may seem to be a large number in a built-up city, it is less than the 10,000 units added between 1970 and 1990. Figure L shows where major sites with potential for new housing are located. Geographically, the goal for housing growth (net increase in (Appendix B lists potential sites for housing development). 5.4.3 The Planning Commission will ask district councils and community development corporations to help in identifying housing development opportunities throughout the city that are consistent with the objectives of the Land Use and Housing chapters of the Comprehensive Pian. Citywide coordination is essential in order to meet the goal of 6,00o net a i iona ousmg uni y . i ou ne g o o e e i�r� a sense of fair play among all the neighborhoods in the city, the NIMBY ("not in my back yard") reflex to preserve vacant lots and oppose addi- tional housing will almost certainly come forward. Seattle and Portland are examples of cities that work with neighborhood organizations to achieve city housing goals that support urban villages, transportation alternatives, and control suburban sprawl. 30 City of Saint Paul housing units, 1990-2020) can be broken down as follows: 5.4.4 The City wili use the foliowing guidelines for sites for new housing: ♦ Sites close to amenities where residential value will be sustained over time should be developed with housing. ♦ Housing sites along major transportation corridors and near com- mercial centers should meet the market demand for townhouses, condominiums, and apartments. ♦ Prime sites for townhouses, condominiums, and apartments should be protected from other development that prevents their develop- ment as such. x oa -1 ok y ❑ C x � Largar sites X Scattered irfill sites �� Objective 5.5 Coordinated Land Use and Transportation Transportation access and traffic impacts are dominant factors in peoples' decisions about where to live or to open a business. The 'I7ansportation Policy Plan, which is another chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, contains the City's objectives for protecting neighborhoods from traffic, supporting economic development, and giving citizens transportation choice. 5.5.1 The City will coordinate transportation planning and air quality analysis with land use planning. Coordination is needed from the general � �€ �::� ��: Comprehensive Plan 31 o�-l�� T e major sirategies of the Parks and Recreation Plan are to shape the physical character of the city, to build community within neighbor- level of transportation system design, to corridor studies, down to site plans for new buildings. 5.5.2 The City will encourage more housing and jobs to locate along high- service bus routes (15-minute headways during rush hours; 30-minute headways in the off-peak). This recommendation is discussed in more detail in Section 6.8 of this report. Objective 5.6 Neighborhood Business Parldng Large parking lots erode the charm of traditional neighborhoods that were developed in the streetcar era. Surface parking should not be allowed to wreck a neighborhood. Case studies by the Department of Planning and Economic Development have found that any commercial area where more land is devoted to parking than to buildings is a bad place for pedestrians. A place like Grand Avenue and Lexington is pedestrian friendly: parking is just barely adequate; it is distributed around and behind buildings; it does not overwhelm the pedestrian character of the street; and there are enough buildings to define the pubiic realm on the sidewalk . 5.6.1 In pedestrian-oriented neighborhood commercial centers, the City will support the provision of just enough commercial parking in small parking lots fitted into available space. The City will limit the number of curb cufis on commercial blocks. Parking lots should be located at the side or rear-of buildings and-prit�aiy-business e�t�ancesshould be-or.i -. - ented to the sidewalk. (Please refer to the related Sections 52.2 and 5.2.3.) 5.6.2 As bus service improves, the City will consider reductions in off- street parking requirements for businesses located on bus lines with fre- quent service (15-minute headways during peak hours; 30-minute head- ways during non-peak hours). Objective 5.7 Pat�ks and Open Space hoods, and fo focus parks and open space provide urban amenify and are part of the public ub11C reSOUrCes realm that shapes urban development. The Parks and Recreation Plan is p another chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and it contains City policy and innOValrvely. maps for the park system. The major strategies of the Parks and Recreation Plan are to shape the physical character of the city, to build community within neighborhoods, and to focus public resources innovatively. [n next 3Y City of Saint Pau7 five years, e�cpansions of city park lands are planned at Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, along Shepard Road, and on the Highwood bluffs. ( More is said about parks and land use in Chapter 7 on Environmental Stewardship.) 5.7.1 Community gardening is highly consistent with community-building objectives and is supported by the City. Community gardens are best located on unbuildable lots or on excess right-of-way or little-used park land where there is suitable soil and access for gardening. The City wili grant long-term leases on these types of properties so that gardens will benefit from year-to-year improvements. The City will not generally grant long-term leases for community gardening projects on buildabie lots where there is clear development potential. 5.7.2 In open space planning, the City will take advantage of opportuni- ties to enhance awareness, enjoyment and protection of its topography and natural setting, the Mississippi River corridor and its tributaries and the bluffs rising from the river, and to strengthen connections to and among natural corridors. objective 5.8 Insritutions and 1v[ajor Employers in Neighborhoods Institutions and major employers often give identity to the surrounding community, as in the case of Hamline-Midway, Macalester-Groveland, Cathedral Hill, many Catholic parishes, the historic breweries, and 3M. Some institutions have beautiful buildings and campuses and some offer special services that enrich neighborhood life. But institutions and major empioyers are often subject to major changes. Hospitals have consolidated, and converted buildings to other health functions. Colleges have expanded; Metro State moved to Dayton's Bluff. Parochial schools have consolidated; public schools went through a cycle of closings and now are building new schools. Houses of worship have gone through cycles as congregations have moved to the suburbs and been replaced by different congregations or have sold the old property for a different land use. State government, which has approximately 12,000 employees in the city, has dealt with recurring questions about whether to lease or build, whether to disperse or cluster in Saint Paul, whether to locate in the Capitol Area or the downtown or in cheaper locations around downtown with surface parking. Plant closings (Whirlpool, Amhoist, Schmidt, West Publishing, Stroh's) have hit neighbor- hoods hard. In recent years, more institutions and businesses have joined collaborations for community improvement. Some examples are the Campus Compact, , -i � ��_._ � �. � �" �; r� � � �',r �j� � ,� � ; , � ��._.__�=� Comprehensive Plan 33 oa-l�� Figure M Anchoring Institutions and Employers Concordia's neighborhood participation, Macalester's High Winds fund, Metro State and 3M's contributions to the Phalen Corridor Initiative, and projects of the Greater Saint Paul Tomorrow Program led by local founda- tions. (Figure M) Policies: 5.8.1 The City will encourage and support significant collaborations between institutions and their surrounding communities, such as the ones listed above that are already taking place. 5.82 When an institution located in a neighborhood seeks to expand, the Department of Pianning and Economic Development should maintain channeis for dialogue and try to manage potential conflict between the institution and the neighborhood. 5.8.3 Colleges and certain smaller institutions that have landmark build- ings and park-like grounds in the residential grid contribute strongly to neighborhood character and quality and provide valuable community 34 G[y Of SQ17![ PQU] resources. Accommodation of their continued presence and health should be supported and their positive neighborhood impact strength- ened as changes are made. 5.8.4 The City will participate with the Saint Paul School District to pro- mote neighborhood improvement in conjunction with school construc- tion or major remodeling. 5.8.5 Neighborhood organizations should capitalize on major local employers and institutions as neighborhood economic engines, which may hire local folks, may buy from local suppliers of goods and services, and may invest in neighborhood improvement. Objective 5.9 Heritage Preservation Saint Paul's Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) was created in 1976 to preserve and promote the city's heritage and historic character. It is an advisory body to the Mayor and City Council on heritage preservation mat- ters and recommends to the city council sites, buildings, and districts to be designated as historic sites. The commission also must review and approve building permits for most types of exterior work concerning designated buildings and districts. (See Figure N for locally designated Heritage Preservation Districts.) In the case of four of the five local historic districts— Dayton's Bluff, Lowertown, Irvine Park and Historic Hill—preservation has been used quite successfully as a tool for community development and revitalization, building on a primary asset of these neighborhoods—historic buildings. Saint Paul's historic character is one of our strong assets, and one which distinguishes this City from surrounding suburban communities. Policies: 5.9.1 Many parts of the city have historic character and infill construction and renovation generally should respect the traditional character of the immediate neighborhood, even where it is not legally required. 5.92 The City Council has previously directed that consideration be given to the preparation of an Historic Preservation Plan for Saint Paul. The scope and usefulness of a plan and the resources available for it will be assessed. At a minimum, planning for historic preservation in the City in the near future should address 1) building code requirements that may be inconsistent with effective reuse of historic properties and maintenance of historic character, and 2) altematives to historic district designation that would protect the character of more neighborhoods in a cost-effective way. Possible additional methods might include voluntary design guide- � � a-�o i ° _ : � � _ t �� Comprehensive Plan 35 oa-`a� lines, more public educauon, training for lenders, tax incentives, city loan ` programs, neighborhood conservation districts, and regulatory flexibility on parking standards and zoning and building codes. 5.9.3 Preserving historic buiidings and character sometimes increases rehabilitation and redevelopment costs. It is diTficult, and often impossi- ble, to cover this cost with public resources. The Heritage Preservation Commission, together with its partner organizations including the Historic Saint Paul Foundation and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, should assess available and potential incentives, financial and othenvise, and recommend means for improvement. Figure N Local Heritage Preservation Distriet 36 City of Saint Paul 6 0 St�ate�y 3. � Corridors for Growth Cihanges in transportation and manufacturing have left several corridors . with vacant and underused land which should be reclaimed. Recent corridor studies have brought to public awareness several large redevelopment sites with potential for housing, jobs and increased tax base. Studies or plan implementation are happening in the River Corridor, the University Avenue (Midway) Corridor, the Phalen Corridor, the Great Northem (Como) Corridor, and the West Seventh (Riverview) Corridor. (See Figure A on page 3.) Much of the underused or vacant, and often polluted, industrial land lies within these corridors. While other uses will be possible and appropriate in some cases, this land is a primary resource for industrial growth. Since 1960, and continuing in the 1990s, land is being reclaimed for modem industrial development at the rate of approximately 30 acres per year. Land inventory, market demand, and need for economic opportunity and central city growth would support a more rapid rate of reclamation. Land inventory and demand would support a rate in the neighborhood of 50 acres per year for the next 20 years. Cleanup and redevelopment costs are the chief obsta- cle to a faster rate of reclamation. The City supports the central corridor between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis as the top priority for development of transitways— busways and/or LRT—in the City, but this does not preclude consideration of additional corridors. Objective 6.1 Corridor Planning and Redevelopment Policies: 6.1.1 The City will continue working with community and business orga- nizations and other units of govemment on planning and redevelopment projects along corridors where several opportunities are interconnected. � �� <;; . ' �: . � � m"s,,. i� 6.1.2 In corridor redevelopment programs, the City will seek new ways for integrating business and industrial job creation with housing develop- ment and the improvement of existing neighbarhoods. 6.1.3 The City and the Saint Paul Port Authority will work with the State of Minnesota, the Metropolitan Council, and the private sector to achieve Comprehensive Plan 37 oa-l�� a significant increase in the rate at which underused and vacant industri- al land is reclaimed. Objective 6.2 River Corridor While the Mississippi River was responsibie for Saint PauPs origin and much of its livelihood, the river's ecology and dramatic geography were largely ignored in the decades of industrial development. Today the com- munity intention to "retum to the river" is clear, an intention symbolized by the Greening of the Great River Park and the enthusiastic volunteer support it has generated. Perhaps the biggest change in the use of land in Saint Paul over the last two decades has been the exit of heavy industrial uses from the downtown and western portions of the river corridor (e.g., Amhoist, elevators, Kaplan Scrap Metal, tank farms, Soo Line Intermodal Yard). This change enables reconnection of the urban fabric to the river. Establishment of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) along with significant progress in cleaning the river's water and earlier improvement of open space such as Crosby Farm Park and Harriet Island have all added to the momentum of change, upstream from Robert Street, from heavy industry to mixed use. Policies: 62.1 The City will maintain a high priority on appropriate management of the River Corridor and will support changes consistent with enhance- ment of the corridor's natural ecology within an urban segment of the river. Generalized land use and large sites with redevelopment potential are shown on Figure O. 6.22 The City will continue to improve public access and recreational uses where possible throughout the corridor. 6.2.3 The urban villages across the Robert and Wabasha bridges from downtown are envisioned to be mixtures of existing and new buildings and also mixtures of land uses—residential, office, and some retail and industriai. Some low-intensity land uses will be replaced by redevelop- ment. Urban village areas should have a finer pattem of streets than the current industrial park configuration. 38 City of Saint Paul , _ -- - _ A �� £�,,�> .� �: . �� r�z:�� : ��: � " �;. <i��.. .I _ . . � � _ �+;`' ;.' �� =a: ,�� ,� \,�'?� g ;f� ��ti s��-. t � — -- -� . ; � '� �i � �. -j ry�-� �� t s a �� f�' � �� r . �.:: � \\ � ��`-��. �'".=��'�. d � ri� �x��"0.. ?' � I I � Concorcl - Robert Park Restoration (�m��9 L CeMral Rhrer Flats ° (Muced Use Study Area) Harriet Island / S. Brldgehead Esplanade (Urban �Ilages) ��rypprt (Industrial) Industry Burid�ardt (Housing) A � Highwaod (more hou: 62.4 The City supports continuation of industrial uses in appropriate portions of the corridor as indicated on Figure O. (Also see Figure R on page 43 for the West Seventh reach of the River Corridor.) Modifications or additions to industrial uses in the corridor should be supported only when they have no adverse impact on water quality or air quality for the corridor and adjacent neighborhoods, and when they do not substantially impair the visual character of the corridor from adjacent neighborhoods or from the river itself. 62.5 New development in the floodplain or within 300 feet of the ordinary high water mark should have a relationship to the river, a need for a river location, and/or should enhance the river environment. (Environmental policies for the River Corridor can be found in Sections 7.1 and 72.) Comprehensive Plan 39 � -._ :,_- �� ; =' �.,;_ �13 ..L � :`" =_ �. �.�.;. — .� � � �� >F ��a ' � S ��. 4 � � ?. 1 ` i_ . a : - .: \ys��.';":r �1 � .;: = �,: �.^'. y .�� _�^_<w. �' ;'. i��, "�: �' „ . �M '.' ��' ;� t o-�i�,� �i f 4 :_ �� '¢.-�. .�-; ,a.:. T`,�.3aFkJ I `�� i�� - :�'1{ ry � a • ` .;�' A r`, z, `_ _ - - ,s!;�*w — . �z `�� _ �'F.: .. � ,1.:' ; ;°','. ! `E;�i;._ _: � �.] 4 :j�e�;�, �,' v'A I �� > � � e. , �a � � � -/ � � et '� �` �: � � � �s� � 6� � � o � � ''� '� >� � � � � �: � �. � �: oa-�� Objective 6.3 University Avenue Corridor The University Avenue Corridor Study was prepared by University UNITED in 1988. Since then the Midway Marketplace redevelopment has restored the Midway as the city's primary regional shopping center. The Frogtown end of University Avenue has witnessed the growth of Asian businesses. The west end of University Avenue is being revitalized by the Westgate redevelopment and the rehabilitation of buildings near University and Raymond. The Midway now has a strong market for office space. Planning is underway for improved transit in the central corridor, for beautifying University Avenue, and for more redevelopment sites. 6.3.1 Figure P shows redevelopment sites and general land use policy for the University Avenue Corridor. 6.32 New urban housing, offices, retail, and industrial development should all contribute through density and site design to the ridership base for public transportation on the University Avenue and I-94 bus routes. Already, these routes have the highest ridership in the "IWin Cities. In 1997 Ramsey County designated the Midway (University Avenue) Corridor and the Riverview (West Seventh) Corridor as the top priority corridors for public transportation improvements in the East Metro area. 6.3.3 Future redevelopment planning and efforts to redesign University Avenue itself should find ways to make the auto-oriented regional shop- ping ("big box° retail) work for pedestrians, who are often bus riders and __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ . _ also_ to enhance the storefront, pedestrian-oriented commercial centers - --- - __ along the avenue. 4O Ciry of Saint Paul Also see 6.72 on City support for the Midway regional shopping area. FYgure P Universiqr Avenue DevelopmeM OpporWnities r� Objective 6.4 Phalen Corridor The Phalen Corridor Initiative is a model for neighborhood revitalization work. It is a community partnership among residents, businesses, service agencies, and different levels of government. It is tying economic develop- ment, workforce development, human services, and housing rehabilitation together. Policies: 6.4.1 The goals for physical development along the Phalen Corridor are: • To create a mix of new jobs (up to 2000) • To increase the tax base • To be economically sustainable • To be integrated and compatible with the area's natural amenities and historic neighborhoods 6.42 The planned land uses along the Phalen Corridor are as shown in Figure Q. There are ten significant redevelopment sites along the corri- dor; the biggest ones are the Williams Hill Industrial Park, Hamm's Brewery, and Phalen Village. 6.4.3 The City and the Port Authority will continue to support and seek � � �^� __ 1 �_ � �� I : � Comprehensive Plan �� e � � � C� 41 Y . �,.,: - t � '^'„ ti � t �y,..��'�� - � �3=� r� �' ` , ��' �'� ; P°� " �..� ��j�..� rv � J €�re�� :�� r��1 — �.:.:::.. • ,. � �r - �� - _ i. . p,�.f,C_ __ � �E�� .�. � .. ............ WIM1St[ �i/i !^f......� 't:Y: '._—' ..-� N � I : ..._. �._ __- ��-:_ _` � ° � :� :-.: ;;�;.� r. ' :c?� �; ,w �� :� m- iF � ":ry� �� ..� � � � �� :� � �¢ � >` q� � 4� Y� �� ` �� a-�b� funding for Phalen Boulevard and the other infrastructure necessary to prepare the redevelopment sites for sale. 6.4.4 The City will support the strengthening of the urban village charao- teristics of neighborhoods along the Phalen Corridor, particularly at Phalen Village and East Seventh and Arcade, by making good connec- tions (pedestrian, bicycle, and transit, as we[I as vehicles) between the corridor and neighborhoods. 6.4.5 As an emerging major employment center, good access by public transit is a high priority objedive for all industrial, commercial and resi- dential development of the Phalen Corridor. 6.4.6 The Phalen Corridor should also be an amenity, with a trail and nat- ural landscaping on ravine edges. Objective 6.5 West Seventh Street (Riverview) Corridor As mentioned previously, the Riverview Corridor, the westem portion of the larger river comdor, has been designated by Ramsey County as one of the two prioriry corridors for public transportation improvements because it runs from downtown to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Intemational Airport, where it meets the Hiawatha Corridor, and runs on to the Mall of America. Planning studies of the West Seventh Corridor are underway and there are ___ _ _ _ _ ._ _ _ _ _._ _ _ _ . _. _..._sevecai redeve.lopm.e.nt opportunities along_it, The downtown end is anchored by the new RiverCentre conference facility, the new Science Museum and the new hockey arena. The Brewery neighborhood received a Livable Communities grant from the MetropoIitan Council for housing revi- talization. Several redevelopment sites along the corridor have views of the river valley. � The transit potential of the Riverview Corridor depends on new develop- ment more than it does in the Midway. Located on a land terrace between the river valley and the upper bluffs, the corridor is a"thin" strip of neigh- borhoods. The transit ridership base along the corridor can be increased if land use decisions for redevelopment sites are supportive of transit. Proximity to downtown and other employment centers, transit potential, an , pa cu ary, e nver an i u s give e com o ai�r^ residential development. 6.5.1 The planned land uses for redevelopment sites along the Riverview Comdor are shown in Figure R 4y Ciry of Saint Paul .. ..._ , _ �� Pedestrian st Koch-Mobil (Housing) �� ; _ :� �`"% ,r ADM/Metaicote (Study Area) Sites Lake (Industrial) Shepard Davem (Housing and Business Study Areas) 6.5.2 A primary goal of redevelopment planning for the Riverview Corridor is transit-oriented development. The mix of land uses, densities, and site plan arrangements should augment the ridership base and make riding public transit an attractive option. The City will join with Ramsey County in advocating public transportation improvements in the conidor. 6.5.3 Along West Seventh Corridor bluffs, development should take full advantage of the views and amenity of the river valley, while at the same time improving views from the river to the bluff lines and protecting the ecology of the river. 6.5.4 The southwest end of the corridor at the river is an important gateway to Saint Paul adjacent to the intemational airport. Landscaping and signage and improvement of adjacent development and pedestrian areas are among the improvements needed to change its character to that of an invit- ing urban neighborhood and business center and entrance to Saint Paul. 6.5.5 Any major transit developments within the Riverview corridor should be incorporated into the existing residential, commercial and enviommen- tal character of the corridar. In particular, physical changes should respect and complement natural amenities in the corridor, such as Crosby Park, Hidden Falls Park and the Mississippi River Boulevard Park and should avoid unnecessary intrusion. Comprehensive Plan 43 � � � ' �° ; � . y.: � ��' , ��: e � r �� % � � � �: � , .. �.� ➢ �b i .. +.. � FiJ/ � . oa-i�� Objective 6.6 Great Northern (Como) Comdor Planning for the Great Northem Corridor began in 1996 and started by focusing on the redevelopment of the Maxson Steel/Dale Street Shops area. But the whole corridor is seen as running from the Bridal Veil Industrial Park in Minneapolis through the Empire Builder Industrial Park near I-35E, at which point the Great Northem and Phalen Corridors meet. Taken together, the two corridors have the potential to provide a ribbon of new industry and household-supporting jobs that runs between several of the city's older neighborhoods. 6.6.1 The City and the Port Authority should support and work to imple- ment the Great Northern Corridor Community Vision of 1997 and should support further redevelopment planning for more sites along the corri- dor. See Figure 5. Broad community participation will be sought for any additional changes in the corridor, including the widening and extension of the Pierce Butler Route. 6.62 The City will extend Pierce Butler Road into the Dale Street Shops site and improve truck routes to I-35E. 6.6.3 The City will encourage work to determine the feasibility of com- muter rail service on the BN tracks and work on the vision of extensive reforestation along the corridor to provide an amenity foe alI of the Midway neighborhoods. — 6.6.4 There should be further study of the potential of the Dale-Como area - - -- --- - - to become an urban village with major new housing development near the new Front Street Elementary School under construction. 6.6.5 Good public transit access will be an objective for all redevelopment efforts of the Great Northem Corridor. Figure S Great Northern Corridor _J . 44 Ciry of Saint Paul ► � 0 2015 Sl�est GW ClefeMStl by Functlon FaI�tlMBbM� FIWMCSIMb III�I�IIIIIIIiI w�MO��m�IY� ............... •R"YImrlXxhU Objective 6.7 Freeway Development Sites For many types of business, the best sites have good freeway access. � j� 6 � � 3 :�/ 3 � Z i.xai:s '^ � d ii �� , ', �� t --._�?�� I 6.7.1 The City will promote redevelopment of sites with good freeway access. Sites that are currently candidates for redevelopment are shown on Figure T. 6.72 Regional shopping centers are continuing to develop along I-94 around SunRay and in the Midway between Snelling and Lexington. These are the two strongest retail locations in the city for capturing the trade of large residential populations and east-west commuters. The City will be supportive of these two centers and help them hold Saint Paul's share in the marketplace. Objective 6.8 Neighborhood Bus Corridors More townhouses and apartments in a neighborhood contribute to the aggregate purchasing power that sustains neighborhood business. Take Comprehensive Plan 45 � �z t �^ , � � oa �� Grand Avenue, for example. People presume that Grand Avenue is a suc- cessful commercial street because of the neighboring higher-income resi- dentiai streets; they miss the fact Grand Avenue also has a high concentra- tion of apartments. In fact, 58 percent of Summit Hill households are renters compared with 46 percent citywide. Figure U Nousing Development Opportunities Along Bus Corridors � ToU ofYUN oonnlorm , �Vnm�po8t 6.8.1 As opportunities arise along neighborhood bus corridors, townhous- es, apartments and condominiums should be built in order to help to support both the public transportation system and neighborhood com- mercial centers. Neighborhoods with a good mix of incomes can suc- cessfully include many rental buildings. At a minimum, new housing development within a quarter of a mile of public transportation lines should have at least ten housing units per net acre, which is the mini- mum needed to support local bus service. Figure U shows where major redevelopment or housing infill sites are located along primary bus routes. The focus areas for housing infill are within a quarter of a mile of nodes in the bus system. To NarYer, Rmetl�M aM nwlMm wbnW RatevON CenM � „./ y ii�Y / �u a x `� �,. `!«_ � J .� . ..�.E, � ...w ....... . . )K � � /� �� ; i \ To Mlmiiupolk � mn�wctln9 b Me�'aNa Cortldof Pr000satl Tamit Cortidors O rm.n � wrwdnraM mn.a. ` PomuY trwlt �wm� wnMm � s.mmm� d.ma wMaen ra leel bis rrrlo ImP�m'�mnn � �� PobMW iul« �mr Feeu e�ee� M I�MI Te Fort Smllinp.� xtr.aw wnmar, nhwrt a11tl WII M N1leflu 46 To Maplawaod Nall uitl noMan suMubs HWaeat \. / To 3M aM � eastem subu�W �'. _.. City ofSaint Paul 4 The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development F7amewark says that the ability of the city to balance the needs of the economy, the community, and the physical environment determines the city's quality of life, which in turn provides a primary competitive advantage in the global economy. This three-way balancing of the economy, the community, and the envi- ronment over a long time period is the goal of "sustainable development." It is defined as meeting our needs today without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Land use planning can support sustainable development by helping to do the following: reduce the num- ber and distance of trips; improve the livability of neighborhoods with urban densities; protect and restore wetlands and natural habitats; pro- vide habitat corridors for wildlife; promote ecological storm water man- agement; and protect solar energy access. ,� ;� a� Objective 7.1 Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) Tfer II Status Policies: 7.1.1 The City will continue to enforce bluff, shoreland, and wetland pro- tection measures adopted in 1982. These measures—which prohibit development on steep slopes, require setback from biuff lines and water, and limit alteration of the naturai environment—will be reviewed and improved as necessary as the River Corridor Plan is updated. 7.12 The City will ensure that public and private development in the des- ignated CritiCal Area is consisten'_ with Critical Area site design and development standards. The City's guidelines for meeting Critical Area and Mississippi Nationai River and Recreation Area objectives are detailed in the update of the River Corridor (Critical Area) Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan which will be adopted early in 2001. It is the City's intention with the new chapter to achieve MNRRA Tier II status, making the city eligible for federal finding from the National Park Service for river-related projects. Some of the issues for Tier II planning are: ♦ preserving native plants, wildlife, and archeological sites ♦ careful planning for a 300-foot shoreline zone ♦ increasing natural landscaping along shorelines, bluffs, and bluff crests Comprehensive Plan 47 � � loli� � ,, r. Figure V Surfa�e Water and the River Corridor oa-�o� ♦ reducing storm water run-off and the chemicais in run-off ♦ identifying incentives for industrial land on the river to be used by businesses that need river locations ♦ increasing tourism and recreational use of the river and improving public access to the river 7.1.3 The City has existing shoreline regulations for the river pursuant to the state Critical Areas Act and will re-evaluate them as part of the MNRRA Tier II Study. 7.1.4 The City will continue to promote the vision of the Great River Park and to support the reforestation projects of Greening of the Great River Park. The reforestation effort applies to all types of land uses in the river corridor, not just to parks and residential areas. — _�,.: Surface Water Systems � River Corridor `v ,f � .Stf28filS � Lakes and Rivers Floodplain Source: 7) Minnesofa Departrnerrt of Nalurai Hesources 2) Mississ�Opi Na6pnal River and fleveaGon Area 48 Ciry of Saint Pau1 � Objective 7.2 Topographic Features and Sensitive Resources Sensitive natural resources in Saint Paul are illustrated by maps of natural areas, slopes, and groundwater in appendix D of this report (p.71) in addi- tion to Figure V, Surface Water Systems (p. 48). Policies: 7.2.1 The City will integrate its plans with the work of the DNR's metro . regional Greenways and Natural Areas Collaborative. This metro area collaborative has identified high quality native habitat remnants and is seeking state funding to link the remnants into greenways, which will provide continuous habitat corridors to support native plant species and wildlife. The greenways will also improve park and trail systems. Greenway opportunities usually follow rivers, drainage courses, and bluff lines. The mapping done in 1997 shows more greenway opportunities in the East Metro area than elsewhere. The collaborative is working with MNRRA, the Metro Parks Commission and loca] citizens. 7.22 The City, neighborhood organizations and environmental groups should reconnect neighborhoods to the Mississippi River visually with nat- ural landscaping along ravine edges (Phalen Corridor, Trout Brook, Shepard Davem, Ayd Mill, etc.) and along bluffs facing the river valley. Where feasi- ble, surface water systems—pands, wetlands, and streams—should also be restored. 7.2.3 The City, together with other government units, should reconnect neighborhoods to the Mississippi River by completing the parkway and trail systems that provide access to the river valley and extend the influ- ence of the river valley further into neighborhoods. (These systems are already planned in detail in the Parks and Recreation Plan.} 7.2.4 Realtors and groups doing neighborhood improvement and market- ing should take greater advantage of sites with river valley views. Sites on the West Side, Mounds Park, Dayton's Bluff, and Payne Phalen enjoy beautiful views even though they are not directly on a river bluff. 72.5 On the freeways, the City and affected neighborhood groups will ask MnDOT to stop mowing the slopes a safe distance from the shoulders of the pavement and allow natural vegetation and trees to grow wild so that the freeways wili look more like Highway 61. � � € � � � �� Comprehensive Plan 49 oa-�o� Objective 7.3 Air Quality: Transportation and Industty Automobiles are the largest single source of air pollution in American cities. Policies: 7.3.1 The City will help to reduce air pollution by planning neighborhoods where walking, biking, and taking the bus are attractive alternatives to dri- ving. The City will undertake these efforts to contribute to a reduction in regional emissions of air pollution as quantified by instruments which mea- sure pollutants such as particulates, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioatide. An e�mple of such an instrument would be the Pollution Standards Index which is monitored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. 7.32 The City and the Port Authority through regulation, enforcement, and financing agreements will make all reasonable efforts to substantial- ly decrease any negative environmental effects of industry in the city, including air pollution, noise, odors, vibration, and exterior appearance. Objective 7.4 Water Quality: Drainage Basins, Site Planning and Individual Action Polieies: 7.4.1 The City will promote the use of natural stormwater management — - --_. _ . - _ _ ____. _ - _ _ __ __ _solutions. The_central theme for reducing_the ecolo�ical impact of storm _ __-- drainage includes slowing down stormwater to minimize peak flows, allowing pollutants to settle out and promoting infiltration. Some of the techniques used by the City and identified in the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework are: upland buffers, swales, set- tling basins, created wetlands and public education on nonpoint source pollution. 7.4.2 The City of Saint Paul will adopt design standards for new stormwa- ter ponds as required in the Metropolitan Council's Interim Strategy to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution to All Metropolitan Water Bodies. The City will incorporate these standards into its land use controls within six months of the adoption of the City's comprehensive plan. These stan- ar w� a o e rncorpora e zn o e i s s orm a er a a e plan. The Metropolitan Councii will be notified when the amendments have been adopted. 7.4.3 All projects that go through the City's Site plan review process are required to provide for erosion and sediment control as specified in the 50 City of Saint Paul Ramsey County Sediment and Erosion Control Handbook (Zoning Code 62.108). 7.4.4 At this time, the City is not required by the Department of Natural Resources to adopt a shoreland ordinance. The City has existing shore- line regulation for the river pursuant to the state Critical Areas Act, which will be re-evaluated as part of the MNRRA Tier II Study. The City does not need shoreland development regulations for lakes because all lakeshore property in the Ciry is publicly owned. 7.4.5 The City will develop a stormwater management program in response to the stormwater discharge permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The stormwater management program will address stnzcturai controls, areas of new development, roadways, flood control, pesticide and fertilizer use, illicit discharges and improper dis- posal, sanitary sewers, construction site runoff, construction of storm sewexs and public education. 7.4.6 The City will incorporate the above or equivalent standards and per- mit requirements into its local stormwater management plan. This plan will be completed two years from the completion of the Middle Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization's plan. Objecrive 7.5 Soil Cleanup/Brownfield Reclamation Policy: 7.5.1 The City will continue to redevelop sites with contaminated soil as rapidiy as the funding for soil cleanup and site preparation and the legal steps for acquiring polluted land permit. Roughly speaking there are 1,000 acres of polluted, oid industrial sites in the city. Ideally, the City wouid need about $20 million dollars per year for the next 20 years to redevelop ail of these sites. (Redevelopment costs include acquisition, relocation, and infrastructure as well as land clean-up.) Most of the sites are best-suited to industrial re-use, but a significant number of polluted sites should be transformed to residential or commercial land uses. j' � � � � � � .. Objective 7.6 Airports and Airport Noise ,�' ,� � .. The Metropolitan Airports Commission reduces airport noise impacts through nxnway design, flight pattems and scheduling, land use planning, and noise insulation programs. Significant and problematic airport land use �,:� �;� Comprehensive Plan 51 oa-`o� impacts for the City include the attractiveness of nearby sites for long-term parking for airport customers and for storage and servicing of rental cars. The official MSP Airport Noise Policy Area (See Figure W) encompasses a portion of the Highland Park area of Saint Paul in Zone 4, the outer most noise zone described in the Metropolitan Development Guide Aviation Policy Plan as"a transitional area where aircraft noise exposure might be considered moderate." All of the area in Saint Paul is in the ouYer portion of this zone which is a one-mile buffer zone. The Policy Plan states "The area is considered transitional because potential changes in airport and air- craft operating procedures could lower or raise noise levels." The airport noise zone shows no impact on Saint Paul from the use of Runway 22, the "east-west" runway, not because take offs and landings here have no impact, but because they are so infrequent relative to opera- tions on the other runways. Runway 22 is little-used at times of high-vol- ume air traffic because of conflict with the major "north-south" runways. Flights using this runway are more apt to occur during the night when the disturbance is more serious for a residential area. When this tunway is used, a band of neighborhoods through Highland, Macalester-Groveland, and even Summit Hill are affected. It is not possible to mitigate airport noise in these areas through land use changes. No increase in noise impact for Saint Paul is projected from changes in the use of Runway 22, or with completion of the new north-south nxnway anticipated for 2003. Hoiman Field, the Saint Paul Downtown Airport, is an important intermedi- ___ -__ ._.____ _ __ ate airport_in the_ regional sy_stem used primarily for corporate aircraft Facilities for corporate aircraft parking and operations are being expanded, and this use can be expected to grow. A new instrument landing system cunently being instatled is responsible for some of the recent chan�es affecting surrounding areas including a revised glide slope (air space that must remain clear of obstructions for landing and take of� and lights at runway e7ctensions. While consideration is being given to updating the air- port plan completed in 1992, no significant change in use of the airport is planned for or anticipated. He]icopter operations by military units at Holman Field have produced some of the most serious noise problems for nearby residential areas. This disturbance has been reduced over the last few years both by reduction in ' en ero ei pe noisiest aircrafr with quieter models. No sites planned for residential development lie within the noise zones for Holman field. See Figure X. The Ravoli Bluff site lies just outside Zone 4, the transitional zone, at its northem end, and the northeast quadrant of downtown Saint Paul (Lowertown) lies just outside the zone. Aitport- 52 City of Saint Paul ii St. Louis Park St. Paul West � St Paut South St. Paul Bloomington Eagan � � ' � € �} �` Figure X ° ��,`* ;�� ; SaiM Paul � - g � , ` DowMown �' � � Airport Noise � '' Zones � Comprehensive Plan 53 oa-�o� related noise has not been identified as an issue in planning work with the residential community in Lowertown and should not be a problem for these sites unless the noise pattem changes. Policies: 7.6.1 MSP and Holman Field airports are both very important to Saint Paul's economy and quality of life. The City supports maintaining and improving them in their present locations with full attention to noise mit- igation. 7.6.2 The City encourages the intemational airport to take the steps it can to ensure improving compatibility with Saint Paul's existing residential and commercial character. Actions shoutd include: I} restricting new flights over Saint Paul's neighborhoods; 2) enforcing federa] noise miti- gation requirements on aircrafr at MSP; and 3) Locating on-airport space for all car rental storage and service needs. 7.6.3 The City will continue to monitor MSP airport noise impact and any changes in MSP plans that might change the impact on Saint Paul neigh- borhoods. Support for sound insulation in structures may be an appro- priate measure within the noise zone and within the noise pattern for Runway 22's less frequent flights. 7.6.4 Changes in use that might alter the noise zones for Holman Field would be of concern to the City because of the proximity of residential __ _ _ __ ._ _ _ .__. __ .. _ . _ __ _ . areas includingsites, for new deyelo_pment._, __ _ 7.6.5 Current zoning for adjacent areas is generally compatible with the Holman Field airport. An earlier effort to create a special zoning district for airport protection was dropped because of liability for the costs rep- resented by restrictions on use, and no new special zoning is planned. Glide slopes are consulted in the City's review process in any review of development within the airspace. 7.6.6 To ensure an early response to any proposal that would obstruct general airspace, the City will notify the Minnesota Department of Transportation of any proposed construction or alteration that would exceed a height of 200 feet above ground level or exceed the height of an Tmagmary su ace e en n ou a a . from the nearest point of an airport runway at the earliest reasonable opportunity and at least 30 days in advance. 54 City ofSaint Paul Objective 7.7 Access to Solaz Energy State law requires Land Use Plans to address solar energy access. During the 1980s the Planning Commission developed a Zoning Code amendment allowing property owners with solar energy systems to establish solar access rights across their neighbors' property. However, there was so little public demand for solar zoning that the zoning amendment was never adopted. ProperCy owners with solar energy systems apparently were satis- fied that the risk of shading was negligible or they could arrange private solar easements with their neighbors. 7.7.1 The City supports the conservation of fossil fuels and increased use of solar and wind energy, but does not find a need for municipal regula- tion of solar access. Objective 7.8 V'�sual Beauty Many features of the natural environment, and of the built environment as well, enhance a sense of place and contribute to well being as long as they remain prominently visible. 7.8.1 The City supports the preservation of views and vistas. Major view- points or corridors are shown in Figure Y. They are further specified in the River Corridor Plan and in area plans. 7.82 The City will encourage protection and enhancement of the visibility of architec- tural landmarks. These may be identified in area plans, including plans for down- town, and many have heritage preservation protection. Some examples are the State Capitol, the Cathedral, St. Agnes and Sacred Heart churches, the Highland Park water Tower, Torre de San Miguel, Metropolitan State University, Landmark Center and the old breweries. � . : '-.�-: � �� x` ,. �„ �� .� � � � � ` � � � �� Comprehensive Plan 55 o a i�� Implementation 8.1 Citywide Land Use Map The Citywide Land Use Map is Figure Z. It is a concept map that conveys policy directions. It does not provide specific land use designations for indi- vidual parcels of land. There are two reasons for not doing a citywide map that is parcel-specific. First, most of the property in the city will simply stay in the same land use category it is now; land use planning apart from the current zoning is unnecessary. (Maintenance and reinvestment may be desirable in these areas, but not changes in land use.) Second, unlike the clear separation of land uses typically found in suburbs, the Saint Paul Land Use Plan seeks to increase the fine-grained mixture of different land uses. Fine-grained land use pattems must be planned and illustrated in neighborhood plans, one smail area at a time. To show all of the parcels in the city, the zoning maps divide the city into 44 different sheets. Citywide mapping is too coarse. 8.2 Map Summary of Redevelopment opportunities Map - _ _ — ---- --- _ - -- - -- - - -- , - _- - - ne of Sc11nt PaU1'S The major redevelopment opportunities throughout the city are shown on Figure AA. g1'eQ1eSC Sl7'ell�P�IS IS �IE C01217I1iC17lCrit Of TfSlL�Cl2LS r0 �Iell 8.3 Neighborhood Planning neighborhoods. One of Saint Paul's greatest strengths is the commitment of residents to their neighborhoods. Over the last twenty years, neighborhoods have done many neighborhood plans. Approximately 40 district plans and small area plans have been adopted by the ciry govemment as components of the Comprehensive Pian. (Figure AA shows where small area plans have been done.) Many of t e plans ave een very e ecrive an ave e o pu ic improvements and private reinvestment. Now, as the citywide Comprehensive Plan is being updated, it is a good time to reaffirm and clarify the role of neighborhood plans. The new Comprehensive Plan, according to a change in state law, will be 56 City of Saint Paul .o a i o� °-=��:: r �� F s � G I � }`�:.: � a c � A m � D J CL ' i` n ¢ 0 � a � � � �+ > � v a �; A R '� ,Y - U C U � �+�' � � ' � C R � C R d d N H �� a � L M �p [i. �I Comprehensive Plan 57 stronger. Zoning must be consistent with the plan, and the plan must be updated at least every ten years. Thus, neighborhood plans that are part of the Comprehensive Pian must also be up-to-date and consistent with city- wide plans. Maintaining consistency has become more difficult in the 1990s because, given tight City budgets, more neighborhood pians are being done independently of PED and the Planning Commission. Coordination between city staff and neighborhood planning committees has been looser. 8.3.1 Area (Neighborhood) Plans. Saint Paul's strong tradition of neigh- borhood planning should continue. Though most are properly "neighbor- hood" plans, the term "area plan" is used to encompass special district or corridor plans as well. Besides meeting a range of local neighborhood or special area needs, area plans should represent specific application of City development policy to a particular area, and should inform city plan- ning about local needs and opportunities. The Planning Commission will publish guidelines to describe those aspects of City development policy that need to be addressed in area plans. Upon review of an area plan, the Planning Commission will recommend an area plan summary for adop- tion as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. 8.3.2 Area Plan Summaries. The City will adopt summaries of neigh- borhood or other area plans as addenda to the Comprehensive Plan when recommendations appropriate for the City's development policy are included. The summaries should present an overview of the plans, highlighting those recommendations that refine City land use and other policy for the area and the high-priority actions to be taken by City gov- ernment. Copies of the full plans will be available at PED for reference. 8.3.3 Planning Commission and City Council Approval. Area plan summaries need to be reviewed and approved by both the Planning Commission and the City Council. The Planning Commission checks plans for consistency with adopted City policies; in the event of policy discrepancies, the Planning Commission will try to resolve the differ- ences and maintain the internal c�nsistency of the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission sends its recommendations to the City Council for adoption. 8.3.4 The following further describe continued area planning: a. Comprehensive Plan in TWo Parts. The citywide chapters of the new Comprehensive Plan will be published as a set. Area plan summaries that are approved by the City as components of the new Comprehensive Plan will be published in a matching ringbinder. The Comprehensive Plan must be manageable in size and format to be widely used, and this can only be done if area plans are in summary form. ,� � �� " �` � � �" �� Comprehensive Plan 5g � r � � originally adopted until they are ten years old. Plans adopted before 1990 will retain their current status as Comprehensive Plan amendments until a review, updating and summary can be completed. A five-year period (to the end of 2005) is allowed for replacement or deletion of these. c. Ten-Year Review. Any area plan appended to the comprehensive plan must be reviewed and updated or re-certified by the tenth anniver- sary of its adoption. The Planning Commission review of an updated plan, or one simply recommended for re-certification, will be the same as for a new area plan summary. In the case of an area plan adopted as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan prior to 1999, a summary lnnrlatPrl\ �nrili naP�l tn ha nran�rPA fnr ra_�-Artifirnti�� _ d. PED Staff Assistance. Planning assistance for doing new neighbor- hood plans or for reviewing and summarizing previously adopted ones will be provided by PED staff through normal pricrity-setting processes. PED works together with community groups in deciding priorities. 60 City of Saint Paul Figure BB Sman Area Pians b. Previously Adopted Area Plans. Area plans adopted in the 1990s as amendments to the Comprehensive Plan will retain their status as 8.4 Zoning Code Revisions Appendix F identifies a number of zoning changes that would implement recommendations in the Land Use Plan. Some of the key changes are: ♦ Design standards for downtown urban villages ♦ A zoning district for new urban villages outside the downtown ♦ Design standards for pedestrian-oriented neighborhood commercial centers ♦ Rezonings along the River Corridor and the other redevelopment corridors, when ready ♦ Rezonings for new housing development State Iaw provides that zoning must be made consistent with the new Comprehensive Plan within six months of the plan's adoption, putting the zoning deadline in mid-1999. Some types of rezoning may be done that fast, but realistically, it will take the City several years to get some of the zoning text amendments done that are proposed in this plan. 8.5 Capital Itnprovements Many of the redevelopment and neighborhood revitalization proposals in this plan will require capital improvement investments by the City. The list below is incomplete, but it suggests the type of public investments that will be needed to carry out recommendations in this plan. ♦ Phalen Boulevard ♦ Riverfront improvements/urban viliage infrastructure ♦ Stormwater settling basins, ponds, other low-impact techniques ♦ Housing site redevelopment ♦ Neighborhood commercial center streetscapes and infrastructure ♦ Bus system amenities ♦ Major transit system investments ♦ Industrial redevelopment infrastructure, e.g., Pierce Butler extension, other tnzck routes for Great Northem Corridor ♦ Downtown streetscape improvements ♦ Continue trail system development 8.5.1 The Planning Commission will continue to support the Capital Improvement Budgeting process and the work of the Capital Improvement Budget Committee by revising the Capital Allocation Policy for the 1999 funding cycle. Revision should inciude simplification of the policy for greater effectiveness and priorities which will further imple- mentation of the updated Comprehensive Plan. ';,. ' r _� � � :I ', � i � �; � E,., �� '�"�..� : s , ,. �_ � .� Comprehensive Plan 61 oa-�o � 8.6 Intergovernmental Action Many recommendations of this plan require intergovemmental coordina- tion and fiznding: ♦ State/metro infrastructure investrnents to strengthen central cities ♦ Housing subsidies changed or compensation from state level to communities carrying the costs of affordable housing ♦ Brownfield reclamation ♦ Urban transportation and ISTEA funding ♦ Public transit systems investment ♦ State government offices—locations in Saint Paul ♦ Livable Communities Program ♦ School sites as a neighborhood revitalization investment ♦ Metro greenways program of DNR 8.7 Urban Design All of the wotk done on the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework has given city leaders a fresh appreciation for the role urban design can play in providing vision for the City and in executing details. 8.7.1 The City will support the Design Center as a primary means for implementation of the vision articulated by the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework with a high level of attention to the Framework's urban design principles. _ - - 8.72 The City will continue to encourage improvement of safety through design as outlined in Design for Public Safety. 8.7.3 The City will expand use of design guidelines in its site plan review process as a means of implementing design policies adopted through smali area planning and other special area design studies. Implementation of Design District capabiliry, allowing stronger enforce- ment of design guidelines, should be explored if further experience with guidelines in the site pian review process is not satisfactory. 8.7.4 Improvement of neighborhood and special district quality should be further supported by: ♦ A zoning district for new urban villages outside of the downtown, ♦ Design Standards for pedestrian-oriented commercial centers, ♦ Rezonings along the river corridor and the other redevelopment corridors when ready, and ♦ Rezonings with appropriate community planning for new housing development. 62 Ciry of Saint Paul 8.8 Other Land Use Amendments In addition to area plans addressed above, the Land Use Plan may be fur- ther specified by amendments adopted for resolution of particular land use issues. The Universiry of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan adopted in 1990 is such an amendment. It is included in this plan as Appendix D. . oa �o� # �:._ -`"' � ;: � %;,. � ` a „ � �� > �� ,.;e' � � ;. F %�'A d 3 b?^i/ f ��Q" �..,� Comprehensive Plan 63 oa �o� Appendices �.. -• • Land Use Trends and Assumptions 1. Growth in city population, households, and jobs. Saint Paul needs to plan for more growth between 2000 and 2020 than the city has had in the 1980s and 1990s. For the'IWin Cities region, the State Demographer and the Metropolitan Council project 650,000 additional people (for a total population of 3.1 million) and 330,000 additional households between 1995 and 2020. The metropolitan growth strategy based on the regional projec- tions suggests that Saint Paul plan for increases of at least 22,000 people, 9,000 households, and 13,000 jobs in Saint Paul (over a 1990 base) by the year 2020. The Saint Paul Pianning Commission agrees with the household projection as a basis for planning, but has set a higher target for jobs of 18,000. Following is the City's forecast which shows the magnitude of growth that forms a basis for this plan: >Ghange 18,000 7,�0� 22,Q00 -- - - - - - _ _ _ _ - --- -- - ----- - -- ---__ __.. 2. Attracting people and busmess to the city. In simple terms, people, businesses, and institutions should be attracted to live, work, and invest in Saint Paul because they like the quality of city life here and they have confi- dence in the city's future. 3. Metro support for revitalizing the urban core. For Saint Paul to meet the growth projections, Metropolitan Council support is necessary. The Metropolitan Council's "Metro 2040" plan, which projects an estimated $1.6 billion savings in infrastructure costs, calis for more compact develop- ment patterns, revitalization of the urban core, and targeting certain areas for job development. . g anci ro e o pu c sector m re eve opment. Pu ic programs that subsidize redevelopment (CDBG, URAP, HOME, Livable Communities, etc.) have received smaller and smaller shares of public bud- gets over the past decade. Now redevelopment requires partnerships with multiple stakeholders and investors and greater market discipline. 64 Ciry of Saint Paul ' oa- � 5. Fewer freeway and sewer extensions; higher infrastructure main- tenance costs. As the metropolitan infrastructure ages, it will require more maintenance and replacement. Fewer resources will be allocated to e�ansions of highways and sewer systems. 6. Continued reliance on the automobile, but with a cotmter irend toward walldng, bicycles, and public transportation. Major retail, office and industrial sites must have good vehicular access and parking. In older neighborhoods, local retaii can do well with smaller parking lots beside and behind the commercial buildings. 7. More mixed use development based on "New Urbanism" princi- ples. In the contemporary search for community, there is a rising aware- ness that physical planning for whole communities should draw together a mixture of land uses in close proximity, strengthening the "urban village" pattern. 8. Higher public awareness of river ecology. Environmental knowl- edge and awareness continue to grow, placing more attention on the bal- ance between urbanization and natural systems. 9. Continued industrial park redevelopment. Port Authority industrial sites have been in steady demand and represent the most continuous urban redevelopment program in the city. There will continue to be strong demand for clean industrial land with good truck access. i O. Continued growth of office employment both downtown and in homes. If the Minnesota economy continues to be healthy, downtown Saint Paul can capture its share of office growth by offering a special sense of place (East Coast or European features such as narrow streets, small blocks, and human scale) that is different from Minneapolis and virtually the opposite of suburban centers. On neighborhood commercial strips many stores have been converted to office space. There is a strong trend toward home-based businesses and of live/work housing designs. 11. Steady neighborhood retail demand and volatile "big box" retail mazket. In neighborhood locations, smaller shops can be successful on specialty items and in special market niches (for example, ethnic foods and products). The vacancy rate in neighborhood commercial space is low in comparison either to previous years or to most Eastern or Midwestern cities. In the discount and big box retail segment, Saint Paul has less than its market share, especially given the city's moderate-income population; but these businesses seem to be risky. Retail in the downtown seems to depend primarily on the number of downtown employees and residents. ,.;, � � ��?'�i ��- � � �. Comprehensive Plan 65 oa -�a� 12. Some institutions are growing, others aze contracting. State gov- ernment continues to rebuild and relocate offices even though there is little overall growth. Colleges and other educational institutions continue to grow. Public schools at all levels need more space due to the children of baby boomers and immigrants. Hospitals have undergone great changes. Nonprofit agencies have multiplied and occupy a lot of neighborhood com- mercial space. 13. Growuig opporhmity for new urban housing. Regionally, as the population ages, there is a growing demand for urban housing for smaller households, empty nesters, and live/work lifestyles. In Saint Paul, there are growing numbers of younger immigrant families who may want to buy homes in the city and whose presence as an ethnic community would add to the stability and vitality of their neighborhoods. There is a large demand for low-income housing, which sometimes competes with neighborhood reinvestment objectives. 14. Significant need to increase the city tax base. The Saint Paul property tas base per household is among the lowest in the metropolitan area. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all share the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas, and in neigh- borhoods with depressed values. I5. Need for workt'orce development and more jobs. Even though the city had 192,000 jobs in 1996, the highest number ever, poverty is a major problem in the city. With welfare reform, hard-to-employ people urgently need work readiness skills, training, and jobs. If old industrial sites are - - - - _ - --- � - _ ------ — redeveloped and the downtown grows, Saint Paul could add 18,000 jobs between 1990 and 2020. 16. Immigration continues, but the Southeast Asian share will taper off. Over 30,000 Southeast Asians now live in Saint Paul, and this number may rise to 40,000 in ten years. Immigration rates are high nation- ally, so Saint Paul will continue to receive a share. 17. Integration of schools, public safety, and quality of life factors. Good land use planning is one of many factors that contribute to the health and strength of the city. Physical, social, and economic development need to be better connected in the city. 66 City of Saint Paul Existing Land Use and Projected Change This best-available data on existing land use is from a 1988 survey updated with significant known changes to 1998. An existing land use map, not included in most copies of this plan, is available from PED. The most significant changes anticipated in land use over the next twenty years are 1) shifts from vacant land to residential and industrial or commer- cial/industrial uses, 2) intensification of uses within current use classifica- tions such as updated industrial use, higher residential density, more inten- sive use of prime business areas including downtown, and 3) more mixed use. Under the policies established, these changes will represent accom- modation of a larger share of regional increase in households and econom- ic activity; strong economic revitalization of the city's downtown and major business areas including the Midway; steady progress in recycling of under- used and polluted industria] land; strertgYhening of traditional neighbor- hoods under urban village principles, intensification of uses in corridors to support more effective transit., and some shift away from industrial uses in the river corridor in favor of restoration/appreciation of the corridor's nat- ural character and new access for compatible activity. Residential Land Use An increase of some 204 acres in residential use will come mostly from the vacant category. The Koch Mobil site is the largest single site where residential (mixed use) development can be anticipated. Development of this site would represent a transformation of 65 acres of land presently Comprehensive Plan 67 o z-io� C� a� -/Ol seriously polluted from former industrial uses. The following table shows anticipated residential development by major geographic divisions. Actual intensity of development will depend on a number of factors including both refinement of land use and density specifications in small area planning and market e�cperience. Residential Development Opportunities to Fulfill the City's Share of Metropolitan Housing Growth ♦ PED'S Northwest Quadrant of City Target for Net New Housing Construction: 900 units Some Potential Major Sites: - Burlington Pond - Como-Mackubin - Frogtown scattered sites - Larpenteur-Cohansey - Oakland Village scattered sites - Rice-Arlington - Sneliing-Brewster high-rise - Troutbrook Jackson - Raymond-Energy Park - Raymond-University - Capitol Heights ♦ PED's Northeast Quadrant of City Target for Net New Housing Construction: 500 units Some Potential Sites: - 3M Distribution Center - Cemstone - West of Harding High School - Hazel-E. Fifth St. - North Arlington Ave. - Phalen Viilage - Rivoli Bluff 5g Ciry of Saint Paa] r ♦ PED's Southwest Quadrant of City Target for Net New Housing Construction: 800 units Some Potential Major Sites: - ADM site - Holm and Olson - Koch-Mobil - Shepard-Davern - Selby Ave./Summit University scattered sites ♦ PED's Southeast Quadrant of City (Includes Downtown) Target for Net New Housing Construction:3,100 units Some Potential Major Sites: - North Quadrant - Lowertown/River Gardens - Harriet Island Urban Village - South Wabasha Bridge Head - Highwood sites - Esplanade site - Other downtown sites Residential Densities The wide range of residential densities in Saint Paul neighborhoods includes 2- 3 units per acre in suburban-style development in the Highwood area, 5-8 units per acre in more solidly single-family areas with 40-60-foot lots (Macalester Groveland, Como, Hazel Park), 10-15 units per acre in many traditional neighborhood blocks with 40-foot lots, a number of duplexes and 3-story apartment buildings facing major streets (Hamline- Midway, the West Side), 30+ units per acre for some blocks which combine apartments facing Grand Avenue with large single family homes facing Summit Avenue, and 40-60 units per acre at the largest multi-family struc- tures. In spite of the significance of the number of new housing units pro- jected to accommodate more of the region's growth, impact on the overall density for the City will be slight. Increases in residential density that are locally significant can be expected downtown, and on key riverfront sites. At scattered locations near neighborhood business centers and transit routes, attached-unit development that can be anticipated is in the 10-I5 unit per acre range. Market experience indicates that the same is true for downtown and river front "urban village" sites, though substantially higher densities could be realized at some downtown sites and in the University Avenue corridor. %� ■ � �t . ' � , � � :�, ��, � �\ � �sz��,, �� - .si� � .�� 1_ : ` _, �' ��:� Comprehensive Plan 69 c�a-lo� Industriai Land and Employment Related Land Uses Most projected job growth will occur through intensification of activity in areas already in business and industrial use. Industrial development in indus- trial parks opened by the Saint Paul Port Authority has averaged appro�ci- mately 30 acres per year since 1960 and continues at about that rate during the 1940s. A current list of identified sites of 10 acres or more with varying degrees of potential for industrial redevelopment totals just over 1,000 acres. Smaller identified sites add 62 acres. Most of this land is currently underused but classified as industrial. Approximately 265 acres of the total inventory is cunently classified as vacant land, though 180 acres of this in the Pig's Eye Lake area will more likely be preserved as open space. Industrial redevelopment is projected to continue at the rate of some 30 acres per year. Both the inventory of land with redevelopment potential and demand for land would support more rapid growth. The primary constraint on the rate at which underused and/or polluted land can be recycled to productive use supportive of city and regional growth objectives is the limi- tation on available resources for site preparation, including site assembly, infrastructure construction, and pollution remediation. The table at the left shows where industrial development/redevelopment will most likely occur in over the neact five years. Some shifts will occur in industrial land, but subtractions and additions to the total supply could balance over the period. A reduction of industrial land in the range of 140-170 acres is anticipated in the river corridor. Other employment-related redevelopment will represent, for the most part, intensification of uses without a change in their land use category, as well as some greater intermiacing of uses. Significant change by land use catego- ry cannot be projected. Summary of Zoning and Other Regulatory Changes Proposed in the Land Use Plan 1. Review Zoning Code to support new urban viIlages and'enhance flexibili- ty at large-scale redevelopment sites: Downtown in B-4 and B-5 zones. Full range of land uses is already per- mitted. Design guidelines can be advocated by the Design Center. Design guidelines can usually be implemented by the HRA through redevelop- ment controls. 70 City ofSaint Paul New urban villages outside the B-4 and B-5 zones. A new "Urban Village (UV)" zoning district should be created. it would be a combina- tion of permitting mixed use, setting design guidelines, and providing an efficient process for public review. 2. At existing urban village (neighborhood) centers: (a) review opportunities to create more multi-family zoning; (b) reduce parking requirements for new development, perhaps by 20 percent; (c) require new commercial buildings to be buiit out to the sidewalk�.g., at least 40% of the lot frontage to be built within ten feet of the frottt lot line; (d) require parking lots to be built to the side and rear�.g., no more than 6o percent of the lot frontage can be occupied by parking. 3. Decide whether any of the downtown design guidelines from the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development FTamework (pp. 38-48) should be put into the Zoning Code, e.g., "extroverted" building design with doors and windows facing the sidewalk; design at downtown "gateways" and along "prime edges," buildings of appropriate scale, etc. 4. Make zoning map revisions along: (a) the River Corridor; (b) University Avenue Corridor; (c) Phalen Corridor; (d) Great Northern Corridor; (e) Riverview Corridor. 5. For developable sites along freeways and major arterial streets, rezone land now (1999) if the desired future land use is known. For sites where the future land use is not known, the land can be designated as a"study area" and the current zoning can be left in place. 6. Rezone land for residential development when the Planning Commission's work with district councils identifies sites and appropriate zoning categories for them. 7. Propose an accessory apartment ordinance to permit "mother-in-law" apartments in homes greater than 2,000 square feet if it is determined that the provision can be restricted to owner-occupied homes. 8. Enact higher tree planting standards in the River Corridor and maybe in the proposed greenway corridors. 9. Add a general provision to the zoning code requiring notification of MnDOT for any proposed construction exceeding 200 feet in height for pro- tection of general air space. 10. Study alternatives and propose amendment to the zoning code which would distinguish between small and large trucking operations. Consider altematives such as special restrictions on large tnxcking firms and propose ,< � � �i ..-b. �'r` � � � � /„ � � �. "�"i -�.� `y.,�z Comprehensive Plan 71 �c�-IC�l� an amendment that will limit large low-employee-density trucking use of industrial land. The proposed amendment should act to make consistent, with regard to trucking uses, the zoning code and high density employment requirements outlined in Appendix A of the Land Use Plan and Policy 24 of the Summary and General Plan addressing intensive use of industrial land. '••- � University of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan (Adopted by the Saint Patal Cily Council as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan on November20, 1990) Background Foliowing adoption of Zoning Code amendments regulating colleges in St. Paul in April of 1989, the Planning Commission developed as special condi- tion use permit for the College of St. Thomas that creates a regulatory framework for future development of the campus. The permit includes the concept of a definitive, long-term boundary for the campus. The purpose of this amendment to the City's Land Use Plan is to incorporate the potential boundary concept into the City's land use policy. Campus Boundary Concept The traditional College of St. Thomas campus, which has been in existence -- — — - --_. _ _ __ ___ for_oger_ 100_years is__bounded bx_Summit,_Cretin,_Selby, and_Cleveland___. -- Avenues. In 1987, St. Thomas purchased the majority of the St. Paul Seminary Campus bounded by Summit, Cretin, and Goodrich Avenues, and Mississippi River Blvd. The Seminary retained a small seven-acre campus at the northwest comer of this area. Prior to this major acquisition, St. Thomas had also acquired some properties on the biocks south of Summit Ave. Between Cieveland and Cretln Avenues, which it has used for college purpos- es over the years. These properties include the Christ Child and McNeely buildings on Summit Ave. (office/classrooms), 30-32 Finn St. (offices), the PresidenYs House and the Alumni House on Summit, and several other prop- erties on Grand east oF Finn St. (used for offices, surface parking, and rental housing). - a is �ng a cu en campus oun ary or St: T omas m rts specia con- — dition use permit, the Planning Commission determined that the two main campus areas (see map, Areas A and B), plus all of the properties currently owned by St. Thomas in the block south of Summit Ave. and east of Finn St. (Area C on map), should be included within the campus boundary. 72 City ojSaint Paul /%:<„ ( �YA The remainder of the two-block area south of Summit is appropriate for future expansion of the St. Thomas campus (shaded area on map). This total area is to be considered as the definitive, long-term campus for the College of St. Thomas. Expansion beyond this area should be considered contrary to city policy. Objectives The goal of the Planning Commission's College Zoning Committee has been to minimize conflicts between residential and institutional uses, and pro- mote the long-term stability of the neighborhood as a whole. The commit- tee finds that the two-block area south of Summit between Cretin and Cleveland Avenues where the College has already acquired considerable property is a reasonable area for expansion of the campus, particularly if recognition of potential eacpansion here is coupled with a commitment to limit expansion to this area. The Committee also finds that the block west of Finn Street contains con- siderable property that is presently solid residential area, primarily single family. In recognizing the potential expansion, the committee also affirms the importance of maintaining the residential character of this block until such time as substantiai conversion to campus use is to be made. Policy Property in the two-block area south of Summit Avenue, east and west of Finn Street not presently included within the official boundary of the campus of the College of St. Thomas is appropriate area for future expansion of the campus. Further modifications of the campus boundary to include portions of this area shall be made on the basis of specific development plans. These shall include provisions, including appropriate building setbacks and other buffering, to protect the residential character of any substantial remaining non-college residential uses in the area. � �; �_ Y_4 1 4A.v.r t 5�� \7tF": : _ �= � i" .____ _ ._ — . . � e=E.k�. �.' _ — --:� - � '"' / � - � �_ --- ; —_ — _;� Comprehensive Plan 73 rrr C4LkEG�GSS_Yn`.°i.i°�P�N.L�� QCZmPVSm+��.ssY � Fzvcv�a�h:ex o a -ro� � . • - . Sensitive Resources N lC d Q d 7 � . C N N N � V � V � � � �- O � L 60 � Li. V � � i �� L � � � Q C fL3 � � "'� � C � � � " ^ U L N d � � � � � � �' � v L ' -C � C6 _ � d a� � � � � 7 = _ T .j .N C N y N fl R N tQ 3 m m n a m E w .� .� .N m `m ._ 6 N � N m � m L O a � � L � � � a m � c m a N c � o rn .� � N 0 0 a �' � T C = � �� Q >. d � � o 3 U C N O � C3 '6 _ ¢ V __� __" T ti N � N O E o m a� ¢ C'S � N N V � O � 74 Ciry of Saint Paul u �� -.� ��,� ��^.!�\� �� oI � � as 3roa � x �J ��0�ii � � ��1��■�� '!�� i� : j��.. �' �. ,` � �-= .� . ��:::-�:_ �0►ii�r.�'r Comprehensive Plan _,.. . . � �-' N .� 1 ,i ii � � � �� N y � � U � � �� _ � � � Q l� N � � i ' j � � � V � j N c � � �d � - p C � N � E O O oZ � �� U O � c � � � � L � !n C U � � a {C � � � oa � � O d � q iG Z Qd �'❑ ,;� o ,p r,�,, �'c o � � za �0 �� , �� r m � O Q � �� 75 , �� :� _ �� - a� � �_ # _� .. � � � `� °>� g °r z. � � � _ � °• � �' � � is � x , � ��. .. � i— wau Y13 .< K^ � .+ - . �. a? ` ' " �,. _ f .t � € ' � � � ' a+sm< '.� : § 4..• .. . W 'T k: . : Z ., s� �� v. �� ' � Wlbl H �: a� g` T , ., .�� a^ . _, �, N . Pri f. � w r,. � . 3q� � ` N T $ ^ � � . l�—.— �_ __ . ._ � ■ � � � � E �:�� .�. �.�... �� _ � oa-�D� � �. � „; � ' `� - i _. L � � d � m m L u O � 0 0 y � o 0 � � d ' ¢ •f �y N R � � m O r z � Q Q m � O O E � � � � � m o � Q ' '`�` r << m � � � �. N �� d __ _ _�. ,-� ` � 3 � O �. N � City of Saint Paul Saint Paul Sewer Plan: Tier I Requirements This technical appendix includes the following: ♦ Adopted community forecasts of households and employment ♦ Map: sanitary sewer interceptor service areas Management of Inflow and Infiltration ♦ Map: sanitary sewer regulators ♦ Management of Onsite Wastewater Disposal Facilities ♦ Map showing existing onsite wastewater disposal facilities Wastewater Flow Projections Intercommunity Flows St. Paui has approximately 80 properties (listed below) on the borders of the City which have sanitary sewer service provided by neighboring com- munities. These properties have very low potential for redevelopment. Any redevelopment would result in similar type use and discharges. St. Paul does not have intercommunity flow agreements with these com- munities. The City does have general language in its legislative code refer- ring to intercommunity connections. (Legislative Code Chapters 79 and 80 are included at the end of this appendix). A property owner must obtain approval from both city councils to connect to the other community's sani- tary sewer system. The property owner is charged the sewer rates of their own community. ,,:. ;-;: ;,,,� � �; "t ,. a ��. �� " � � � �� ; ''� �: , '\ ' � ,_ ,•� Comprehensive Plan T7 �a-�a� 7$ City of Saint Paul St. Paul Properties with Sanitary Sewer Services Connected to Other Cities Management of Inflow and infiltration Inflow and Infiltration Program In 1986, the City developed a plan to address Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) as part of the City's Sewer Separation Program and NPDES(National Pollutant bischarge Elimination System) Permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The primary goal was to identify and to remove inflow sources, such as connected rainleaders, area drains and catch basins from the City's sanitary sewer system. The Ciry Council adopted the Public Works' Rainleader Disconnect Plan in February of 1986. Under this plan, a volun- tary rainleader disconnection program was conducted in 1986 and 1987. Tkis program emphasized providing pubtic information, technical advice and a rebate offer. The Rainleader Disconnection Ordinance became effec- tive at the end of 1987. The City continues to enforce this ordinance. Beginning in 1988, the next phase of the I/I Program focused on the elimi- nation of locations where combined sewage overflow occurred (regulators). The process of eliminating a regulator involves: identifying inflow sources, removing these inflow sources from the City's sanitary sewer system, moni- toring to verify that the regulator could safely be eliminated, and finally eliminating the regulator. Accomplishments of Inflow/Infiltration Program ♦ 300 alley catch basins and 298 street catch basins located in the public rightofivay were disconnected from the City's Sanitary Sewer System � 99% of Saint Paul's commer- cial properties disconnected rainleaders and area drains ♦ 99% of Saint Paul's residen- tial properties disconnected rainleaders ♦ 245 regulators were removed from the City's sewer system �WN � �� i ,.; � � ,.-. . �,� uMu �w., f� 0 Sanitary Sewer Service Area � Sanitary lnterceplor Comprehensive Plan 7g r The City of Saint Paul permits the building and usage of individual sewage � treatment systems in areas of the ciry that are not served by public sewer or are unable to connect to an existing sewer system. The City's manage- ment program for onsite sewage treatment includes provisions for the reg- uiation and monitoring of aIl individual sewage treatment systems. The maintenance, design, construction and location of septic systems are required to conform with Minnesota Poilution Control Agency Minnesota Rules 7080, Minnesota State Building Code, Minnesota Plumbing Code and Minnesota Water Well Construction Code. Onsite System Management City of Saint Paul ordinances regulate the installation of new onsite systems as well as the maintenance and reviews of existing systems. A permit issued by a City License, Inspections and Environmental Protection official must be attained prior to any new installation, alteration, repair or exten- sion of any sewage treatment system. The Saint Paul management and control program implements the cunent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) standards and includes: ♦ inspection of new systems ♦ inspection and maintenance of existing systems ♦ correction of nonconforming systems ♦ testing of water supply wells. Inspection of New Systems New individual sewage treatment systems require a construction permit issued by the City's building official. The building official is responsible for administration and enforcement of the design, construction and installation provisions of the City ordinances relating to septic systems. New treatment systems are permitted only where sewer service is not available to the property owner. The permit application must include the identification and location of various physical features and characteristics, ground slope, details of the proposed installation, soil and percolation test data, location of an altemate site and a site evaluation as well as evidence of compliance with all state and other jurisdiction regulations, including Minnesota Rules 7080. Permit applications are evaluated by LIEP officials to determine com- pliance with all the above stated regulations. No altemative or experimen- tal systems are allowed. L �..., - � � � � �� " � Inspection and Maintenance of E�sting Systems Existing systems must be inspected and maintenance reviews conducted at least once every 2 years by a MPCA certified inspector or pumper. Each �m,. septic tank must be maintained in proper operating conditions at all times. Septic tanks are required to be pumped as inspection indicates or at least once every 2 years. Septic tank pumping must be performed by a MPCA � Comprehensive Plan 81 � Record Keeping The Office of License, Inspections, and Environmental Protection maintains the records pertaining to individual treatment systems. The records main- tained include the following: ♦ A list of ali active septic systems. ♦ Permit applications for new systems. ♦ Inspection and maintenance reports, performed and recorded by a licensed inspector and submitted by the properiy owner. This report includes a locarion map of the septic system, well and building structure. ♦ Test reports of private water supply wells. ♦ Pumping reports periodicaliy submitted by a licensed pumper or the property owner. The property owners with septic systems are notified by letter every 2 years requesting submittal of maintenance reviews. Maintenance reviews must be completeQ by individuaLs licensed by the MPCA. The results of this review can be used to determine whether the property owner is issued a correction notice. Records of these reviews have been maintained by the Office of Licenses, Inspection, and Environmental Protection over the last five years. Property owners failing to submit these reviews are issued cita- tions and are subject to fines. Enforcement The Office of License, Inspections, and Environmental Protection enforces the provisions outlined above of the recently amended Saint Paul Legislative Code, Chapter 50, regulating the installation and maintenance reviews of individual treatment systems. A copy of this ordinance is includ- ed on page #. The building official has the authority to inspect and review all individual treatment systems. This official may ♦ issue orders to revoke or suspend permits where work is not performed in compliance with the provisions of this chapter, ♦ require property owners to stop use of a system that is operating in a manner creating a hazard to the public health, safety or welfare, ♦ condemn a dwelling that is a hazard to the public or the dwelling occu- pants, and ♦ require correction of any defective system. The City will consider variances to this code if there is undue hardship on the property owner, as long as there is no threat to public health, safety or welfare. Comprefiensive Plan 83 o.�;, ,.,.,,, i',£ ��. -� � � � �: � .` �� . �� ' ��;� �' � a� _ ��,�,� oa `�� , c�dits ` 84 Ciry ojSaint Paul The City ofsaint Paul does not discriminate on the basis of disabiliry, race, sex, sextaa/ or affecfional orienta6on, age, color, creed, natlonal origin or ancestry, marital stanas, re7igion, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance in the admission or access to, or treatrnent or employment in, its pro,grams or acaviaes. t��``�� _..; � � i � �; ; �.. RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA Presented By Referred To Committee: Date 3� 2 4 FINAL ADOPTION OF LAND USE CHAPTER OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2QQ1 6 7 WIIEREAS, under Minnesota Statutes § 473.864, Subd. 2, Saint Paul is required to 8 update its Comprehensive Plan regulazly and submit it to the Metropolitan Council for review and 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 approval; WHEREAS, in 1999 the City Council reviewed and adopted the citywide Land Use Plan subject to review by the Metropolitan Council; WI�REAS, the Metropolitan Council reviewed and approved the Land Use Plan together with six other citywide chapters of the Comprehensive Plan on February 23, 2000 with several amendments; WTIEREAS, the Planning Commission and staff incorporated these amendments and reviewed eazlier Comprehensive Plan chapters to verify that the new Comprehensive Plan, when finally adopted, would not omit important City policies that remain valid from earlier chapters of the Comprehensive Plan; WIIEREAS, the Planning Commission completed these revisions and recommended final 24 approval of these seven citywide chapters of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001, including the Land 25 Use chapter, by their resolution no. 01-13 dated February 9, 2001; and the Planning Commission 26 subsequently completed similaz review and revision steps for the eighth chapter, the River 27 Corridor chapter, on November 2, 2001; 28 29 WHEREAS, the City Council considered all eight citywide chapters of the Comprehensive 30 Plan of 2001 on January 9, 2002, and gave final approval to seven of the chapters, the exception 31 being the Land Use Plan, wluch was laid over to allow for a meeting between Planning staff and 32 neighbors of the University of Saint Thomas regarding the continuation of the 1990 policy stating 33 that the two-block azea to the south of the traditional campus, across Summit Avenue, is an 34 appropriate place for future campus expansion provided that all of the City's normal regulatory 35 requirements can be met; Council File # O.� — �t�('p Green Sheet # �� 1 WHEREAS, the Planning staff put together a chronology and the documents leading to 2 the adoption of the 1990 policy on the University of Saint Thomas, provided this information to �a„ � �O �° 3 neighborhood representatives, and met with them on January 18, 2001 to discuss the policy; � 5 WHEREAS, as a result of this meeting the Plauning staff, the neighborhood 6 representatives, and the L3niversity of Saint Thomas agreed to add two update pazagraphs to the 7 1990 policy (AppendiY D in the Land Use Plan); the addition explains that the continuation of this 8 policy in the Comprehensive Plan of 2001 is not to be interpreted as a new action by the City 9 Council or as an endorsement of the proposal for campus expansion that the University of Saint 10 Thomas announced in 2000, which has been the subject of an Environmental Assessment 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Worksheet during 2001. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council hereby adopts in final form the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001, as recommended by the Planning Commission and with the additional two paragraphs in Append'vc D, and rescinds and decertifies the old Land Use chapter of 1980 as it was amended from time to time. Adopted by Council: Date �.�. [,� goo� Adoption Certified by Council Secretary By: •... By: Re est� partm�R� c�f : (1 � t � c�-'`-^ � \ By. Form Ap ved by City Attorney sY : �W ��yw-� �— 2 Y- o'z_ Approved by Mayor for Submission to Council DEPARTMENT/OFFICFJCOUNCII.: DATE INITIATED GREEN SHEET No.• 113153 PED 1/16/02 ' p a, – l0( CON'LACS' YERSOPS &.YHONE: ll�T1WNA2E in[c�nifnaTE I,azry Soderholm 266-6575 � 2 DEPAR'1'MF.N'C DIIL� ��..!( � 5 c{'_crcycouxcu. MUST BE ON COLNCII. AGENDA BY ATE 3 CTfl ATTORNEY (-{Y.�+ 1 c. ^° 1 CITY CLERK � � NLJMBER ��CIAL SERV DIIt FINANCIAL SERV/ACCTG Laid over to i/23/02 ��'7��p j0�i Fpg MAYOR (OR ASSTJ _ CIVII, SERVICE COVIIvIISSION ROUTLNG 1 Plamivg Administrator �� Ii� - — ��1 ORDER TOTAL # OF SIGi IATURE PAGES 1 (CLIP ALL I,OCATIONS FOR SIGNAI'URE) acriox �QUESrEV: Council final adoption of the Land Use Chapter of the citywide Comprehensive Plan 2001. Resolution attached. The plan document was previously distributed to the Council for the 1/9/02 meeting. RECOMMENDATIONS: Approve (A) or Rejec[ (R) PERSONAL SERVICE COIVTRACTS MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QIIESTIONS: 1. Hasthispeison(fumeverwodcedunderacontrnctforthisdepazhnrnt? A PLAIVNINGCOMMISSION Yes No CIB COMMIII'EE 2. Has this person/fum ever been a city employee? CIVILSERVICECOMMISSION Yu No A PED 3. Does this person�fvm possess a skill not nonnally possessed by any waent city employee? Yes No Eaplam allyes answers un separrte skeet and atfac4 to green sheet IHITIATING PROBLEM, ISSUE, OPPORTI7NITY (1Vho, Whay When, Where, Why): Seven of the eight citywide chapters of the new Comprehensive Plan of 2001 were adopted by the Council on January 9, 2002. However, the Land Use chapter was laid over for two weeks for the Planning staff to meet with representatives of the neighborhood around the University of Saint Thomas and expiain the history and reasons for the City policy, adopted in 199Q on the expansion of the university. The Land Use chapter was approved by the Council in 1999 subject to Metropolitan Council review. This review was completed and certain amendments were required, which were negotiated with Metro Council by City staff The Planning Commission and the PED staff recommend approval of the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001. ADVANTAGESIFAPPROVED: The City will be in compliance with state law. The Metro Land Planning Act requires all metro area municipalities to have a comprehensive plan that is approved by the Metropolitan Council, and the Land Use Plan is a required chapter. The Land Use chapter is being used to guide redevelopment activities, transit corridor development, and housing location decisions. It sets out the ground rules for neighborhood planning. It incorporates the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework principles into the City's official plans. DLSADVANTAGES IFAPPROVED: None. — DISADVANTAGES IF NOT APPROVED: The City will be out of compliance with state law. The City would likely become ineligible for various types of funding from the Metropolitan Council, the DNR, and the National Park Service. The Land Use Plan is a primary basis for zoning and redevelopment decisions. , TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRANSACTLON: S N.A COST/REVENUE BUDGETED: L, �� FUNDINGSOURCE: ACTIVITYNUMBER: �1}9R.� �c�a��sr ��" FINANCIAI, INFORMATION: (EXPLAIN) - � � � � � �� K\Sfuied�Ped�SODERHOl\Comp Plan 2001 geensheM 5m DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Tony Schenler, ]nferim Dvector CTTY OF SAII�IT PAUL Randy C. Ke11y, .Lfayor DATE: T0: FROM: RE: 1/24/02 Councilmember Jay Benanav Larry Soderhol� 25 WestFossrth Sbeet Smnt Pau1, MN 5�102 University of St. Thomas and the Land Use Plan �t� Telephone: 657-266-6655 Facs�mr Le: 651-228-3314 After the meeting in your office on 1/18(02 with repxesentatives of the neighborhood around St. Thomas, Peter Warner, Marc Manderscheid, and I met and discussed what the update pazagraphs for Appendix D in the citywide Land Use Plan, regazding St. Thomas campus expansion, shauld say. On 1/22/02 Peter and I drafted the paragraphs and a similar "whereas" clause for Council resolution to adopt the Land Use Plan. As of this morning, both Mazc, as a neighborhood representative, and Doug Hennes for St. Thomas have approved the update language. The following paragraphs are to be inserted at the end of the e�sting Appendix D: February 2002 Update to Appendix D: The City Council is adopting the new citywide Land Use Plan pursuant to the Metropolitan Land Planning Act. The 1990 policy regarding the campus boundary of the University of St. Thomas is being carried forward into the new plan because the Planning Commission and the City Council have not yet restudied the whole issue or made any changes in the policy. The continuation of this policy in the Comprehensive Plan of 2001 is not to be interpreted as a new action by the City Council or as an endorsement of the proposal for campus ea�pansion that the University of St. Thomas announced in 2000, which has been the subject of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet during 2001. In 1990, the Land Use Plan policy was one of three actions that the City Council took in relation to the University of St. Thomas' plans for future expansion on the south side of Summit between Cleveland and Cretin Avenues. The actions were: Establishment of Summit Avenue West Heritage Preservation District on March 1, 1990 Approval of Land Use Plan amendment (Appendix D above) on May 3, 1990 Approval of University of St. Thomas Special Condition Use Pernut on May 22, 1990 cc: Jane Prince, Tony Schertler, Peter Wamer, Donna Dnxmmond K:\Shared�Ped\SODEREiOL�I.UPIan update 2002-UOtStThomas.wpd � The remainder of the two-block area south of Summit is appropriate for future expansion of the St. Thomas campus (shaded area on map). This total area is to be considered as the definitive, long-term campus for the Colle�e of St. Thomas. Expansion beyond this area should be considered contrary to city policy. Objectives The �oal of the Plannin� Commission's Colle�e Zoning Committee has been to minimize conflicts between residential and institutional uses, and pro- mote the long-term stability of the nei�hborhood as a whole. The commit- tee finds that the two-block area south of Summit between Cretin and Cleveland Avenues where the Colle�e has already acquired considerable property is a reasonable area for expansion of the campus, particularly if recognition of potential expansion here is coupled with a commitment to limit expansion to this area. The Committee also finds that the block west of Finn Street contains con- siderable property that is presently solid residential area, primarily single family. In recognizing the potentia] expansion, the committee also affirms the importance of maintaining the residential character of this block until such time as substantial conversion to campus use is to be made. Policy Property in the two-block area south of Summit Avenue, east and west of Finn Street not presently included within the official boundary of the campus of the College of St. Thomas is appropriate area for future expansion of the campus. Further modifications of the campus boundary to include portions of this area shal] be made on the basis of specific development plans. These shall include provisions, includin� appropriate building setbacks and other bufferin„ to protect the residential character of any substantial remaining non-college residential uses in the area. ��,3e�'�' ��.t� �� .� Comprehensive Plan / ,�a1. - tof. .. � �ti h '/y �YN��/�ijN^ �.; � / y��/ g„�6'_ h y�i„/�' . i�i` �i" �� ' � �.,i �,� `�i;� ,n ;,y , ,- �.� �" u � � �y �� : . `��, ��;-; � �,.x � �,,; � � % �_ � r �''` ' � \ � �� ' �� , x , � ;� �� _ F �, .. � �r� � ..�;; _. ` e, �.�... , ... �., � � � .. �� ;- , z :: � n. � _, , YY 1:.fVii'SS��.'�7.�' _ _ �_-� -- � =-' - - � - -_-- _-- �._ �:. - = s`= - --� .— >: :� ; I . —. . �. ` 1 � �e —. �'��// � �r � _' _ -�,�.---T..—_ : _€ �rl —. . �� . `� i - - ,�� ... . � �_ �.— = c� _ J (; ..'A _. : �.'. � --�; " _ �; = _ �--- '• - - it t , =.. c�� a �rs�; ��%� .' �� _ �,�r::, - - -- � - : .�... .. -- ------ _�-- ,�- r rE : � i � i ; sr:.T,rt : :� t ` � — -- — — �- , ,.. r ..-- ....__.� ._-.__.., � ., —. — _ M� Lc:�: T T� YeiS^•� •:o�XS€>1E.;.S •.••�• -••• - _ �7Cx.mp<5&nuA%.zy � Ex:arG. 73 o �.- �o fA an amendment that will limit lar�e low-employee-density truckin� use of industrial land. The proposed amendment should act to make consistent, with re;ard to truckin� uses, the zonin� code and hi�h density employment requirements outlined in Appendix A of the Land Use Plan and Policy 24 of the Summary and General Plan addressin� intensive use of industrial land. University of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan (Adopted by the Saint Paul Ciry Council as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan on �a, 1990) Backgroun� Following adoption of zoning Code amendments regulatin� colleges in St Paul in April of 1989, the Planning Commission developed as special condi- tion use permit for the College oF St. Thomas tha± creates a regulatory framework for future development of the campus. The permit includes the concept of a definitive, long-term boundary for the campus. The purpose of this amendment to the City's Land Use Plan is to incorporate the potential boundary concept into the City's land use policy. Campus Boundary Concept The traditional College of St. Thomas campus, which has been in existence for over 100 years, is bounded by Summit, Cretin, Selby, and Cleveland Avenues. In 1987, St. Thomas purchased the majority of the St. Paul Seminary Campus bounded by Summit, Cretin, and Goodrich Avenues, and Mississippi River Blvd. The Seminary retained a small seven-acre campus at the northwest corner of this area. Prior to this major acquisition, St. Thomas had also acquired some properties on the blocks south of Summit Ave. Between Cleveland and Cretin Avenues, which it has used for college purpos- es over the years. These properties include the Christ Child and McNeely buildings on Summit Ave. (office/classrooms), 30-32 Finn St. (offices), the PresidenYs House and the Alumni House on Summit, and several other prop- erties on Grand east of Finn St. (used for offices, surface parkina, and rental housing). In establishing a current campus boundary for St. Thomas in its special con- dition use permit, the Planning Commission determined that the two main campus areas (see map, Areas A and B), plus all of the properties currently owned by St. Thomas in the block south of Summit Ave. and east of Finn St. (Area C on map), should be included within the campus boundary. 72 City of Saint Pacil 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 il 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2� 21 22 23 24 25 oa- � �� WHEREAS, these agency reviews produced minor amendments that were negotiated aa -39 w .e PED planning staff--including mandatory amendments from the DNR--and these have been r_:: iewed and recommended by the Planning Commission in their resolution no. O1-96 dated Ncvecnber 2, 2001; WHEREAS, the Planning Commission is working on the Comprehensive Plan in two parts--the first part being a set of citywide pian chapters, and the second part being summaries of all the officially adopted neighborhood plans. The present resolution deals with the citywide section. During 2002 the Planning Commission wili do more work on organizing and updating the neighborhood plans; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council hereby adopts in final form the following Comprehensive Plan chapters, which comprise the citywide Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan of 2001: Land Use Plan — L Transportation Plan Parks an�� Library Services Plan River Corridor Plan Implementation ov¢.-'c-c Jo.t�. 0'(3, 3ooa c�C Nc�` � { � Mee� i z 3 4 � 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 O�-lQf�, AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the foliowing old citywide chapters of the oa -�9 Comprehensive Plan are hereby decertified and aze not longer in force: Overview ofthe Comprehensive Plan (1981) Implementation Strategy (1980) Housing Policy for the 1990s (1990) Plan for Streets and Highways (1979) Transit Plan (1981) Transportation Control Plan (1977) A Plan for Bicycles (1978) Comprehensive Sewer Plan (1980) Plan for Multi-Service Centers (1976) Plan for Fire Services (1975, update 1990) Pazks and Recreation Plan (1985) ;'lan for Libraries (1982) �wimming Pool Policy (1977) Slc; way Plan (1987) Economic Development Strategy (1990) River Conidor Plan (1981, update 1987) Residential Improvement Strategy (1977) 1990-1999 Program for Capital Improvements (1991) 1992-1996 Capital Allocation Policy (1991) FURTHER Thomas new tment of Plannine and .e history ot and reasons for the Universit of and Use Plan, an amendment added in 1990, and recommends inclusion of this nolicv in the Adopted by Council: Date �p,. "T 6� Adoption Certified by Council Secretary HY° �� _��-� Approved by Mayor: D te By: Requested by Department of: aY _ � S Form Approved by ty Attorney BY= �O�v��G�� IZ-T/-o/ Approved by Mayor for Submissi to Council By: `-'"W./ (��-�/�� 1 3 Presented By Referred To RESOLUTION CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA �m�'f��.e� - �w�v. �. 3oc3a- �� Committee: Date FTNAL ADOPTION OF CITYWIDE CHAPTERS OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2001 4 WHEREAS, under Minnesota Statutes § 473.864, Subd. 2, Saint Paul is required to 5 update its Comprehensive Plan regulazly and submit it to the Metropolitan Council for review 6 and approval; 8 WHEREAS, the City Council, between 1995 and 1999, received, reviewed and adopted 9 recommendations from the planning commission to update citywide chapters of the Saint Paul 10 Comprehensive Plan pertaining to land use, transportation, housing, parks, and libraries subject 11 to review by the Metropolitan Council; 12 13 WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council reviewed and approved the said chapters on 14 February 23, 2000 with several amendments; 15 16 WHEREAS, the Pianning Commission and staff incorporated these amendments and 17 reviewed eazlier Comprehensive Plan chapters fo verify that the new Comprehensive Plan, when 18 finally adopted, would not omit important City policies that remain valid from earlier chapters of 19 the Comprehensive Plan; 20 - 21 WHEREAS, the Planning Commission completed these revisions and recommended final 22 approval of the citywide chapters of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001 in resolution no. 01-13 23 dated February 9, 2001; 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 3� WHEREAS, under Minnesota Statutes § 116G.10, Subd. 3, Saint Paul is required to submit the City's plan for the Mississippi River Critical Area for review by the Metropolitan CounciI a:nd, where applicable, far approvai by the Minnesota Departrnent of Natural Resources (DNR) a� ±o conformance with Executive Order 79-19; WHEREA�, under the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Act (Public Law 100-696, Title VII) the City is also required to submit its Mississippi River Critical Area plan to the National Park Service (NPS) far comments by NPS staff regarding conformance with their Comprehensive Management Plan; WHEREAS, the City Council received the Mississippi River Comdor Plan from the Planning Commission and adopted it on Mazch 14, 2001, subject to review by the Metropolitan Council, the DNR and the NPS; a�� l �� Council File # �3 - 3q � Cneen Sheet # � � 3 \ �� oa-to DEPARTMENT/OFFICE/COUNCIL: DATE INITIATED G1�L' EN SHEET Nor 113149 �� 3� PED 12/28/O1 ' CONTACT PERSON & PHONE: mma7/DATE 7rv1'nni/D/+TE Lany Sodernetm 266-6575 � 2 DEPARTMENT DIR. s crrr courrciL MC�Sf BE OY C'JUNC'.L AGENDA BY ATE A5SIGt�` 3 CITY ATTORNEY 3•0 CITY CLERK � � £INANCIAL SERV DIR. £INANCIAL SERV/ACCTG NUMBER .T2S1U3Iy �OZ FOR 4 MAYOR(ORASST.) _CIVII.SERVICECOMMISSION ROUTING 1 Planning A�i..��,,;a.a.or �/� ` ��' ORDER `�� TOTAL # OF SIGNATURE PAGES (CLIP ALL LOCATIONS FOR SIGNATURE) ncrionr �QuESrEn: Council final adoption of citywide Comprehensive Plan 2001 RECOMMENDATIONS: Approve (A) or Reject (R) PERSONAI, SERVICE CONTRACTS MUST ANSWER THE EOLLOWING QUFSTIONS: 1. Has this person/fum ever worked under a coutract for Uvs departrnenl? A PLAt�ININGCAMMISSION Yes No CIB COMMITTEE 2. Has this persocJfum ever bern a city employee? CIVILSERVICECOMMISSION Yes No A PED 3. Dou this person/fum possess a skill not no[mally possessed by any cuaert ciTy employee? Yes No ___ _ Explain aR yes answeis on sepa�ate sheet and attach to green sheet INITIATF�G YROBLEM, ISSUE, OPPORTUNITY (Who, What, When, Where, Why): The citywide chapters of the new Comprehensive Plan 2001 have been adopted by the Council previously subject to review by the Metropolitan Council. In the case of the River Corridor Chapter, it was also subject to review by the Minnesota DNR and the National Park Service. Now these reviews have been completed and amendments made accordingly through negotiations by City staff and by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission and the PED staff recommend approval of the Comprehensive Plan 2001. ADVANTAGESIFAPPROVED: The City is in compliance with state law. The Metro Land Planning Act requires all metro area municipalities to have a comprehensive plan that is approved by the Metropolitan Council. The new Comprehensive Plan is also being used to gu;ce redevelopment activities, transportation initiatives, housing construction, zoning decisions, and capital investme:�ts in streets, sewers, parks, and libraries. In addition the Minnesota Critical Areas Act requires the City to maintain a �vlississippi River Corridor Pian that meets DNR standazds. The new River Corridor Plan meets the requirement. Obviously, River Corridor planning has had a big impact on development opportunities in the city. DISADVANTAGESIFAPPROVED: None. � DISADVANTAGES IF NOT APPROVED: The City will be out of compliance with state law. The City would likely become ineligible for various types of funding from the Metropolitan Council, the DNR, and the National Pazk Service. The confusion about what plans are ir ;,riect may cause trouble in legai cases about zoning and development. f ' TOTAL A,vIQUNT OF TRANSACfION: S N.A COST/REVENUE BUDGETED: FUNDING SOURCE: ACTIVITY NUMBER: � �� FINANCIAL INFORMATION: (EXPLAII� �,' � e ,? LOO ! K\Shaz MPed\SODERHOL\COmp Plan Y001 greenshee[ frm , � Oa-io� T H E S A I N T P A U L C O M P R E H E N S I V E P L A N �� . � �: , z �� s �� _ �� y �� . ��;." � � :a� �, � �f � � � n � � � � � z . .� > � � . :� "� u x „ �..b�is ;:`�':: �:. mission -r.: �� /�,� � The citywide portion of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan consists of the following as of adoption by the Saint Paul City Council in 2001: Plan Summary and General Policy Land Use Plan (1999) Housing Plan (1999) Transportation Plan (1997) Parks and Recreation Plan (1997) Library Services Plan (1996) Water Conservation and Emergency Response Plan (1996) . _ _ _ River_Corzidor_Plan_(1987,_updateto be completed_in_2001) _. ______,__ ___ ______ _ ______ ____ _ _ , _.__. Sewer Plan (1980, update in progress) Implementation (1999) A separate Area Plans wlume identfies all smail area plans and d�'s- trict plans that have been officially adopted as amendments or addenda to the Comprehensive Plan. It also includes summaries of all area plans that have been adopted in summary form under the curre�t neighborhood planning policy. The Plan is subject to arnend- ment, and a publication noting all amendments in force will be available after amendments are adopted. Plan documents are available at the Saint Paul Public Library and copies may be obtained from the Department of Planning and Economic Development, 25 W Fourth Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102, telephone: (651) 266-6573. (fhe Water Conservation and Emergency and is not available from PED or on-line.) As preparation can be completed, most or all chapters will be accessible from the City of Saint Paul web page at ci.stpaul.mn.us (departments, PED, comprehensive plan). oa-� o� �., V �� , • � , THE SAINT PAU L COMP REHEIV SIV E P LAN 1999 2000 M . Land Use Aetion Agenda (Summary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 � Strategy 1: A Vital City Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Strategy 2: Neighborhoods as Urban �llages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Strategy 3: Corridors for Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Strategy 4: Environmental Stewazdship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Implementation ................ ..........................5 � Introduction .................................................9 � 2.1 Saint Paul Land Use Plan and the Metropolitan Land Planning Process ................................9 2.2 Purpose of the Land Use Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 2.3 Time Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 2.4 Land Use Plan Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 I The Setting "a 3.1 3.2 Objective 3.3 Objective 3.4 3.5 ................................................ia Existing Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Land Use 1Yends and Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Equitable Metropolitan Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 RiverLandforms ................................14 Ten Principles for City Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I S Stt'ategy 1: A �tal, Growing City Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 i Objective 4.1 Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Objective 4.2 A Complete Downtown Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Objective 4.3 Riverfront Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Objective 4.4 State Capitol Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Objective 4.5 Sites for Housing and New Urban Villages ........... 22 Objective 4.6 Neighborhood Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Strategy 2: NeeghborF000ds as lJaban �Ilages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 • Objective 5.1 Urban Villages: A Theme with Variations . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Objective 5.2 Mixed Land Uses/Mixed Use Development . . . . . . . . . . 27 Objective 5.3 Range of Housing Types and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Objective 5.4 Market for New Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Objective 5.5 Coordinated Land Use and Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Objective 5.6 Neighborhood Business Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Objective 5.7 Parks and Open Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Objective 5.8 Institutions and Major Employers in Neighborhoods ....33 Objective 5.9 Heritage Preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Comprehensive Plan 3 � � � Da -1 DI� .� S[rategy 3: Corridors for Growih . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 , 8 Objective 6.1 Corridor Planning and Redevelopment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Objective 6.2 River Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . . . .38 Objective 6.3 University Avenue Corridar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Objective 6.4 Phalen Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Objective 6.5 West Seventh Street Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Objective 6.6 Great Northem Como Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Objective 6.7 Freeway Development Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Objective 6.8 Neighborhood Bus Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Strategy 4: EmironmeMal Stewardship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 � Objective 7.1 Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) Tier II Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Objective 7.2 Topographic Features and Sensitive Resources ........49 Objective 7.3 Air Quality: Transportation and Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Objective 7.4 Water Quality: Drainage Basins, Site Planning and Individual Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Objective 7.5 Soil Cleanup/Brownfield Reclamation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Objective 7.6 Airports and Airport Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Objective 7.7 Access to Solar Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Objective 7.8 Visual Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Implementation ...............................................56 I 8.1 Citywide Land Use Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 8.2 Map Summary of Redevelopment Opportunities .......56 _ _ 8.3__ __,_ , Neighborhood Pla_nning .__. . . . . . . . . 56 __-- ----- ._-- - --- - - - - --- - - 8.4 Zoning Code Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 8.5 Capital Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 t 8.6 Intergovernmental Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 8.7 Urban Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 8.8 Other Land Use Amendments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 APPendices ................................................64 � Appendix A. Land Use'ITends and Assumptions 64 Appendix B. Existing Land Use and Projected Change . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Appendix C. Summary of Zoning and Other Regulatory Changes Proposed in the Land Use Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Appendix D. Universiry of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan ......72 ' ppen x . ensi ive eso rce aps° . . : : . . . . . Appendix F. Saint Paul Sewer Plan: Tier 1 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . .77 Credits ................................................84 4 City ofSaint Paul aa-io6 . ,, ;,��;x Land Use Action Agenda he Saint Paul Land Use Plan is the 'floor plan"for the city. It designates where housing, businesses, oJfices, indusiries, and parks should be located and provides policies to guide redevelopment decisions. The purposes of the Land Use Plan are to encourage private investment in the ciry and to guide public investment within a framework that enhances e,�sting communi- ties and the natural environment. The Land Use Plan is one of the chapters of the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan. Other citywide chapters deal with Housing, Transportation, Parks and Recreation, Libraries, Water Management, Sewers, and the River Corridor. Many neighborhoods also have plans which have been approved previously by the Planning Commission and the City Council. Change in the city is continuous; there are small changes in stable neighbor- hoods and large changes in redevelopment areas. This plan puts most of iYs emphasis on areas where redevelopment is happening or should happen dur- ing the next ten or twenty years. But it also recommends the urban village concept as a goal for smallex changes within fully developed neighborhoods. During the next decade the city has an opportunity to grow by building new housing. With the metropolitan region growing and baby boomers becom- ing empty nesters, there is a market for downtown and townhouse living. Saint Paul's goal is to build 400 new housing units per year and to add 9,000 households in the city between 1990 and 2020-7,000 additional househoids between 2000 and 2020. �� w��'� The 199os have seen more economic growth in the city than housing � growth. The goal of the Comprehensive Plan is to achieve 35,000 net addi- ~�� tional jobs between 1990 and 2020 or 22,000 jobs over the 2000 level. Th�s ,,.; .;� ,� z� is double the Metropolitan Council's job growth projection for Saint Paul. �"� �' M �€ �. � � t � Strategy 1: A�tal City Center ♦ Downtown should continue to be the "capital" of the East Metro area, center of business, government, culture, entertainment, and hotels. ♦ Downtown, including the Capitol Area and the central riverfront, will grow by roughly 9,000 more jobs and 3,000 more housing units by 2020. �� ; �� „� .�. � �;. � _a �� w��„, Comprehensive Plan 5 oa-io� ♦ The Land Use Plan affirms the policies of the Saint Paut on the Mississippi Development Framework, which is the downtown and river- front plan completed in 1997. Key policies that reflect Framework con- clusions include: buiiding new urban villages, improving public spaces beginning with Wabasha Street, and designing buildings to meet the sidewaik and promote public life on downtown streets. Strategy 2: Neighborhoods as Urban �Ilages ♦ The city is composed of neighborhoods. Each tteighborhood should have a range of housing types suitable for people at ail stages of life and a range of housing prices. Each neighborhood needs to have a suc- cessfui niche in the housing market so that home values rise parallel to increases in the metropolitan housing market. ♦ Having transportation alternatives to the automobile is an important benefit of city living. Saint Paul neighborhoods should be accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. New housing and more jobs should be located along the University Avenue and West Seventh Street Corridors, which are the two highest priority public transportation corri- dors in the city. ♦ Neighborhood commercial strips built during the streetcar era should be - preserved and retain their pedestrian-oriented design. Commercial buildings should be located along the sidewalk. In these areas the Zoning Code sfiould" no "Conger aTlow parking tots fronC new bnild= ings, except for gas stations. ♦ 4,500 new housing units need to be built outside of the downtown area by 2020. (ASSUming 1,500 units will be demolished, the net growth will be 3,000 units.) The Planning Commission wiil ask neighborhood organiza- tions to help plan where this housing can be developed throughout the city. Strategy 3: Corridors for Growth ♦ In addition to downtown, redevelopment efforts over the next 20 years �se-� � : .� . �, �, � _.. and the Midway; the Phalen Corridor; the West Seventh Corridor; the Great Northern (Como) Corridor. These corridors include many large redevelopment sites that can be linked together and can provide new economic vitality to the neighborhoods near them and to the city as a whole. They provide good opportunity for linking new housing, jobs and transportation. g City of Saint Paul � od- ♦ Neighborhood bus lines with high levels of service will be a focus for smaller scale, infill redevelopment. New urban housing near bus ser- vice will help support transportation alternatives and neighborhood business centers. Cooperation from the Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit is necessary to accomplish this goal. ♦ Cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields (polluted industrial sites) is a high priority for the city. Significant public funding is necessary to level the playing field between these sites and suburban greenfields. Regional, state, and federal assistance is necessary to accomplish this important task. =�st�i�ic� Strategy 4: Environmental Stewardship ♦ In the River Corridor, the City recognizes that there wiil be a shift away � ';�° from industry and toward recreation, housing, and mixed use. The �'� ` river will continue to be a working river and industries, especially river-dependent industries, will continue to be located along segments , of Shepard Road and downstream from the Robert Street bridge. Comprehensive Plan o a -�� ♦ The city's natural topography relates most of the city to the river. Bluffs, ravines, and wetlands should be protected and enhanced as urban amenities. ♦ The City supports the green corridors project of the state DNR, which p]ans to fund the restoration and protection of land with native habitats and to connect them with parks and trails. In Saint Paul, the river valley and the 1Youtbrook Reach are parts of the DNR pian. Implementation ♦ Neighborhood planning is essential to refine and implement citywide land use policies. But with dozens of existing full-length neighborhood plans, the City's Comprehensive Plan has become unmanageable and dif- ficult to understand. In the future, the City Council, on recommendation from the Planning Commission, will adopt summaries of neighborhood (or other sub-area) plans that highlight decisions appropriate to City development policy. When neighborhood plans are adopted, discrepan- cies between adopted citywide plans and neighborhood plans must be reconciled so that the Comprehensive Plan is internally consistent. ♦ As soon as this plan is adopted, the City will undertake revision of the Zoning Code to make its maps and regulations consistent with the plan. There will be public participation in the zoning revisions. ♦ Public_invesiments_are.needed to_initiate major land_use changes_The Land Use Plan contains a list of capital budget investments for redevel- opment projects and neighborhood revitalization activities. Intergov- ernmental tunding is needed for pollution clean-up, public transit, hous- ing, redevelopment and major infrastructure costs. ♦ Urban design concepts need to be effectively applied to development projects in the city. The Saint Paul Design Center has recently been established through the collaboration of a number of organizations. Its mission can be advanced through utilization of this Land Use Plan as well as through public education, neighborhood planning, and design guidelines or regulations. g City of Saint Paul Introduction .;:y : .., 2.1 Saint Paul Land Use Plan and the Metropolitan Land Planning Process The Land Use Plan is the city's "floor plan" for development. There are many major development concepts and neighborhood improvement strate- gies taking form in Saint Paul. Some examples are the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development f7amework, the Phalen Corridor Initiative, planning for the Riverview (West Seventh), University Avenue, and Great Northem transit corridors and for Ayd Mill Road, and neighborhood plans for the West Side, Dayton's Bluff, Selby Avenue, and Hamline-Midway. How well do all of these concepts and plans fit together? The Saint Paul Land Use Plan and the other chapters of the Comprehensive Plan try to ensure that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts. Saint Paul is not an island. Implementing major plans depends in large part on public and private resources beyond the control of city government. The Regional Blueprint of the Metropolitan Council makes revitalization of the central cities and older suburbs a top priority. In Saint Paul half the housing units and much of the infrastnxcture were built before World War II. Like other older American cities, Saint Paul needs supportive policies and pro- grams from higher leveis that affect broader real estate markets and private location decisions to foster reinvestment and redevelopment and to imple- ment regionai policy. The current round of planning provides an opportunity for reinvestment in older parts of the metropolitan area. State law required all "IWin Cities municipalities to draft updates to their comprehensive plans by the end of 1998. Saint Paul's last citywide Land Use Plan was written in 1980 and has not been updated, although many neighborhood plans have been devel- oped since then. With this new Land Use Plan and other current revisions, Saint Paul's Comprehensive Plan is part of an up-to-date regional growth management strategy that has strengthening the urban core as one of its basic goals. Many land use recommendations are implemented through zoning. Recent changes in Minnesota law require that zoning be consistent with municipal land use plans. Therefore, this Land Use Plan wiil carry more legal clout than the 1980 Land Use Plan carried and the City will have to keep the Comprehensive Plan up-to-date. aa - � � � .-� � � �a � � H '�` �� Comprehensive Plan 9 �a-�� 2.2 Purpose of the Land Use Plan The general purposes of the Saint Paul Land Use Plan are: 1. To set a framework for preserving and enhancing existing communities, commercial and industrial districts, and the natural environment, and to ensure that this framework is supported by transportation and other Comprehensive Plan policy. 2. To encourage private investment. 3. To guide public investments in urban preservation, revitalization, and redevelopment. 4. To stimulate and coordinate actions among private, nonprofit, and public development organizations and provide a framework for community stakeholders. 5. To outline governmental actions that will help meet the needs of people for land for housing, employment, business opportunity, recreation, edu- cation, and other uses. More specific purposes of the Saint Paul Land Use Plan are: ♦ To support the Comprehensive Plan themes of providing for growth, enhancing the quality of place, and supporting community well-being. ♦ To identify the major redevelopment and revitalization opportunities in the city_ and establisk criteria for evaluating_them --- --- - __ - -- _ . . _ ._ - - -- -- ---- ------- ♦ To provide land use themes and guides that community groups can use in their planning and that the Planning Commission can use in review- ing neighborhood plans and proposed development. ♦ To promote a balance of land uses in the city to strengthen the city's tax base. ♦ To encourage and assist real estate developers to make investments in Saint Paui at a time when govemment subsidies for urban reinvestment are constrained. ♦ To inter-relate land use and transportation to minimize traffic conges- tion and to reduce dependence on automobiles. ♦ To take advantage of anticipated regional growth by attracting a signifi- cant share of residentiai, commercial, and industrial development to ♦ To take advantage of regional and national trends in urban develop- ment, such as brownfield reclamation, mixed use, traditional neighbor- hood design, and ecological development patterns. � p City of Sain t Paul 2.3 Time Frame The broad horizon for this plan is 2020, consistent with the Metropolitan Council's projections for population, households, and employment. By state law, the pian will need to be updated at least every ten years, but more fre- quent amendment will be required if the plan is to keep pace with changes that cannot be predicted. 2.4 Land Use Plan Strategies Strategy i: A�WI City Center Downtown Saint Paui, including the riverfront and the Capitol Area, will continue to be the primary center of the East Metro area, and should be a well-rounded downtown where people live, work and shop and enjoy cul- tural and recreational opportunities. Strategy 2: Neighborhoods as Urban �Ilages Saint Paul will continue to be a city of diverse neighborhoods. Each will be a good place to live and raise a family and invest in a house. Each will have housing suitable for people at different stages of life and with different incomes. "I7aditional neighborhood design will be maintained because it supports healthy community life. Strategy 3: Corridors for Growth Redevelopment opportunities are often linked to changes in transportation systems. Old land use patterns are changing along the river and the rail- road corridors. Land use patterns in the city are still adjusting to the free- way system. Efforts to increase public transportation ridership will also pre- sent redevelopment opportunities. Redevelopment should be focused on transportation corridors. Strategy 4: Environmental Stewardship Saint Paul is reclaiming its river heritage. By 2020, most of the river valley will be green and the river park system will be more fully developed. Industry will also remain in several areas of the River Corridor. Most neigh- borhoods will be connected to the river by trails and natural landscaping along ravine edges. The city's air, water, and soils should all be cleaner. f M,,. F� . � �� '� Comprehensive Plan 11 oa � o�, The Setting 3.1 Eadsting Land Use Saint Paul is about 56 square miles in size. One third of the land area is in EXISTING u►ND USE, residential use, and of that, s7 percent is occupied by single family homes SUMMARY and duplexes. A summary of land use by major category is shown to the left. A more complete breakdown is included in Appendix B. Type of Land Use Percent Residential 35 Commercial Industrial Parks and Open Space Public and Institu[ional Rivers Lakes, WeBands 10 Environmental Protection 8 Vacant 5 Source: 19881and use survey by PED,updated. Most land uses in Saint Paul will not change. They're built and they're going to stay. The question is whether they will be viable and healthy. The challenge for both public and private leaders is to guide the city and the region so that the private market for existing buildings and neighborhoods remains (or becomes) strong and people reinvest in Saint Paul. 13 14 Between 1990 and 2020, approximately five percent of the land in the city will be redeveloped. Since this five percent is the land most likely to be used differently, it is where the Land Use Plan places the most attention. Small changes in stable neighborhoods are also very important far the preservation of the city. Change is continuous in all parts of the city. The urban village theme in the Land Use Plan provides objectives for ongoing, smaller changes in stable neighborhoods. 3.2 Land Use Trends and Assumptions The main trends and assumptions that underlie the recommendations in this Land Use Plan are as follows: 1. Opportunity for growth. From 2000 to 2020 the 11Nin Cities region is pro- jected to grow and Saint Paul can expect to share in the growth by adding 7,000 households and Z2,000 jobs. 2,��!Lqre t�a�spo ation o tions. Althou h freewa s and automobiles will _ continue to be the primary mode of transportation, there will be increas- ing reliance on public transportation, bicycling and walking. 3. Competitive advantages of a central city. Downtown and older city neighborhoods have a sense of place and history that is special in a region where suburbs predominate. Large infrastnxcture investments are 12 City of Saint Paal already in place and have additional capacity. The mixture of people and businesses and housing types and architectural styles and parks—all within wallcing distance— creates market opportunities. The city must remain competitive and retain and attract residents, businesses, and institutions. 4. Building the citywide economic base. Economic development is at least as much an issue of jobs and human capital as it is an issue of real estate development. Redevelopment sites in the city should provide significant numbers of jobs that pay family-supporting wages for skills that fit Saint Paul workers. The Land Use Plan supports economic development in the downtown, the neighborhood retail areas, and industrial districts. 5. Helping the environment. For the health of the planet, how we live in urban settings is just as important as protecting wildemess, forests, and farmlands. The preservation and enhancement of the urban environment is a key ingredient in the region's quality of life. Appendix A expands on this list, giving 17 trends and assumptions for land use planning in Saint Paul. Objective 3.3 Equitable Metropolitan Development The research of the National League of Cities shows that over the years the economic destinies of central cities and their suburbs are interdependent. Metropolitan areas that have tolerated central city decay have a poorer quality of life, which eventually hurts the suburbs' economic attractiveness to national and intemational investors. Geographicaliy there is increasing physical distance between rich and poor people across the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The trends of increasing poverty and its physical concentration need to be reversed. To change the trend, the City of Saint Paul and community organizations need to keep working on local improvements. But their efforts, no matter how wise and dedicated, will achieve only partial success unless they are matched by action at higher levels in the public and private sectors. The tendency of housing markets in this country is for newly built homes on the metropolitan edge to be bigger and more costly than older homes near the center. This tendency has been supported by govemmental invest- ment in infrastructure, by tax policies (e.g., the mortgage interest deduction and the use of the local property tax for education), and by the distribution of subsidized housing. These mega-policies in Minnesota and the United Comprehensive Plan i3 ��-�r�� States help make central cities in our country different and often less vibrant from central cities in Canada and Europe. Policies: 3.3.1 Saint Paul will support an increase in the number of jobs and hous- ing units in the city, and will try to focus growth along transit corridors, thereby supporting the strategies of the Metropolitan Council's Regional Blueprint. 3.3.2 The City will continue to work with the Metro East Development Partnership to foster connections and cooperation between Saint Paul and its suburbs. 3.3.3 The City will advocate changes to tax and infrastnzcture policies at the state and federal levels to enhance the opportunities of the central cities and older suburbs in residential, commercial, and industrial real estate markets. 3.3.4 The City should express its interests with regard to how suburban East Metro communities develop. The City supports holding employment centers inside the I-694 beltway, maintaining fairly tight urban growth boundaries, and preserving rural character outside the urban service area. The City opposes the creation of "Edge City" concentrations like the Bloomington strip. 3.3.5 The City should express its support and, where appropriate, join in housing programs and projects that contribute to balanced populations – - - ---- _ -- - --- — _- - __– (age and income) m communities and neighborhoods throughouf Che East Metro area. Objective 3.4 River Landforms The relationship between the Mississippi River and Saint Paul's develop- ment pattern runs through this whole plan—in Section 4.3 about the down- town riverfront; in Section 62 about redevelopment opportunities down- stream from the downtown; in Section 6.5 about redevelopment opportuni- ties along the West Seventh Street corridor; and in Sections 7.1 and 7.2 the river as a key to Saint Paul's identity is seen in the planning and public investment which is setting the stage for new private development. A side-benefit of the focus on the river is a new appreciation of the city's landform and how all parts of the city were sculpted by glaciers and the 14 City of Saint Paul river. Protection of the river corridor and its bluffs will be further addressed in revision of the River Corridar (Critical Area) Plan that will foilow adop- Uon of this Land Use Plan. Policy: 3.4.1 The City will work to protect and enhance the topographic features of the city, such as the bluffs, ravines, hiils, overlooks, ponds, and wet- lands. The City will promote development that is consistent with enhanc- ing the ciry's physical setting. 3.5 Ten Principles for City Development Figure B City i.andform and Neighborhoods The recent Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework, a planning report for the downtown and central riverfront, contains ten principles that are applicable throughout the city. Policy: 3.5.1 As development opportunities arise and projects are designed, the City will refer to the Ten Principles for guidance and consistency over time. r k �>'%� ';'s � � � Comprehensive Plan 15 oa-i�� 16 City of Saint Paul c�a - � :��,z,�<; ��; :,�-: � ;��:.x � ..;: f � �u � �� Y w �� A � h { ::...;�� v Comprehensive Plan 17 � �s, `s' s°:�. � � �" oa-�� Strate�y 1. A number of trends demonstrate and support revitalization of the down- town—declining office vacancy rates, major private construction, public transportation improvements, increasing number of empty nester house- holds, and development of riverfront amenities. In 1998 there is a record- setting amount of construction underway in the downtown. Lowertown is already recognized nationally as a successful model of a downtown urban village. The Metropolitan Council's regional policies now support invest- ment at the urban core. Objective 4.1 Scunt Pmil on the Mississippi Development Framework Implementation I n 1998 there is a record-setting arriount of consiruction underway in the downtown. The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework is a plan for the downtown and central rivedront completed in 1997. It has won both state and national awards. Policy: 4.1.1 The City, together with many downtown partners, will promote the main land use themes of the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development - - — -- ----- ------- ----- - - --- ------- Framework: ♦ Re-greening of the downtown river valley (Great River Park concept) ♦ Bringing people to the riverbanks and bluff tines ♦ Connectivity, or complementarity, of each land use with others nearby ♦ Creating new mixed use urban villages to frame the office core ♦ Designing streets to accommodate transit, bikes, and pedestrians as well as cars ♦ Improving the public realm beginning with Wabasha Street ♦ Downtown parks as centers for development ♦ Designing buildings and promoting land uses to meet the street and increase pedestrian activity on the sidewalks ♦ Continuous urban fabric so that the streets are interesting for Figure C shows major land use directions for the downtown. G E-3 City of Saint Paul �. „ �� '' �::, , �� _�a � � �� .�, � .., Objective 4.2 A Complete Downtown Mix (Office, Retail, Government, Arts, Entertainment, Visitors, and Housing) Policies: 4.2.1 Downtown Saint Paul should retain its position as the "capital" of the East Metro region; both the City and business organizations should promote it as such. East Metro residents should feel proud of their down- town and want to take visitors there. 4.2.2 Downtown Saint Paul should continue to evolve as more than a central business district. It should have all of the land uses of a healthy downtown—office, retail, government, culture, entertainment, visitor accommodations, and housing. People should live, work, and recreate downtown. 42.3 The City supports the buiiding design guidelines in the Saint Pau! on the Mississippi Development Framework, which emphasize the urban design quality of buiidings at the street level. Each building, including parking ramps, should contribute to the life of the street and contribute to the public realm. This is especially important for the Wabasha-Saint Peter corridor, the Rice Park and Mears Park areas, and the other pro- posed urban village areas. Comprehensive Plan 19 .� „�"3 f ,,& t � ?3:::3 \'\�{' i W` � �� ., �. oa-�o� 42.4 As the downtown grows, more public parking must also be built; but, at the same time, the City and downtown employers should work pro-actively to improve bus service, increase bus ridership, and provide for bicycling and walking to work. Objective 4.3 Riverfront Development 4.3.1 Figure C and Figure O(page 39) show the best current plans for sites along the downtown riverfront—the Upper Landing, Shepard Road, Harriet Island, Wabasha-Robert, the land around the former Department of Revenue Building. Objective 4.4 State Capitol Connections The State Capitol Area is a beautifizl amenity and state employment is a large stable economic base for the city. 4.4.1 The Capitol Area should become an anchor for reinvestment and infill development in the surrounding areas through cooperative actions by the city and state govemments, private developers, and communiry development corporations. 5ee Figure D. _ - -- -- - - ___ 4.42 The City govemment agrees with the land use concepts in the Comprehensive Plan for the Minnesota State Capitol Area done in 1997 by the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board. See Figure E. Even though the plan identifies a Capitol "campus," new buildings should be designed as an open part of the city. They should relate to the streets and communities outside the campus; the edges of the campus should not seem closed off or unneighborly. 4.4.3 The City will encourage state office development and leasing to select Saint Paul sites that help to link the Capitol with downtown and to intermix state office and downtown buildings. As a second priority, other city locations, weli connected to the capitol area on major streets, may be appropriate for some state office buildings. Zp City of Saint Paul ....�.... �� Campus Rapons e i (SPRMC) . l��i NorN�east Quadrant � i ceMmral ^� , '�. P�_eul�� '�.) � �.?�e.�....+ ul � � Yy1 �uadrdM �� ... ..1 V F Saint Paul Ce�Val eusiness District �. CapimlArea "� NeighboMOOtls wiNin CAAPS PlanningAreas �� CapitolArea Neighborhootls ' ;� (sPAnac> . � ," t_ I �� i � �� `,! �` ��r � %.r .. �� ._� '�' .,\'~ Nortneast �,. Quadrant R q � �� /9 "F � q � � � ° � �` � t' �� a�•.� � °y,} � a ` _,.; � � Saint Paul Cathetlral F .�'��' NoMwest °� � Centrel eusiness of Saint / <' Quatlrent . Disttic[ Paui ��.� �"; �.M "�"...-.o Residen5al � Mucetl Use state retail ° ��sCapROlCampus cuttural office (non-proffi) resider�tisl Comprehensive Plan % Figure D � Developmeat Areas a ^^°� :- �� Around the Sfia�e ">, Capitol Figure E Capitol Area Land Use � i � g E � � , 21 ��-i��, Figure F Urban Yllage OpporWnities Dovmtown Objective 4.5 Sites for Housing and New Urban V'illages 4.5.1 The City's goal is to build 3,000 housing units in linked urban villages around the downtown and on the West Side flats by 2020 (see Figure F) and create live-work environments throughout the downtown. Preliminary planning should proceed for all potential urban viliage locations, recognizing that before constnzction starts priorities among the altematives will need to be set both for public investment and for market absorption. (Note: A more detailed discussion of opportunities for new housing is found in Section 5.4.) State 1 C ��v,• c'°ne� � � J �,, ,, �� . �?„-} . "� ,-�' G✓� - ��. � vLL �� <� � :---- �t' Emerging Urban Yllages proposed Urban Villages Y. Concord-Ro6ert 6. Northeast Quatlrant 11. Lower Landing 2. frvine Park 7. Fitrgerald Park t2. The Espianade 3. Rice Park 8. Northwest Park 13. South Wabasha 4. West Sevenffi 9. Upper Landing Bridgehead 5. Lowertown 10. Kellogg Mall 14. Harriet Island 22 City ofSaint Paul f 4.5.2 For downtown urban villages, the Design Center should promulgate design guidelines that will be helpful for new development attracted by the opportunities and that can be supported through land sales and financing agreements and through the City's site plan review process. (In the down- town zoning districts, all urban village land uses are already permitted.) objecrive 4.6 Neighborhood Connections ;�,, Downtown approach and neighborhood-link areas include the Upper Landing/Irvine Park/Science Museum area, West Seventh/Kellogg, `' S<; Cathedral Hill, lower Rice Street, East Seventh Street, Mississippi River bridges and their connecting streets, and the extensive river flats on the - west side. � 4.6.1 The City will encourage development in the downtown fringe that provides convenient and inviting access to and from adjacent neighbor- hoods. 4.6.2 The City will encourage development and improvements at down- town "gateway" locations that supports and complements adjacent neighborhood business, residential and natural areas and recognizes their special contributions to the heart of the city. ;� � � [ _ . �' '� �� ;3 � ° "�t � � - �.: � �", -��,-�' °*c � � �� :> � c� � � �.Y`�� .: a -.�, s � � �.,.._ .,_ Comprehensive Plan 23 C�o�-/ �� Strate�y 2. Figure G Saburban "AOd" DevelopmeM Compared to 7Faditional Neighborhood Design Saint Paul is a city of strong, well-known neighborhoods, each with its own character and community organizations. It is long-standing City policy to maintain and enhance the unique character of Saint Paul neighborhoods. During the 1990s a new national movement called New Urbanism advo- cates "urban villages" or "traditional neighborhood development," two terms used to describe physical development pattems which closely resem- ble most of Saint Paul's neighborhoods. The popularity of traditional neigh- borhood development will help the marketing of Saint Paul neighborhoods. Urban villages are contrasted with the dominant trend of auto-dependent suburbs with their subdivisions of homogeneous housing, large business parks, and shopping malls ringed by asphalt. (See Figure G.) New Urbanists criticize fhis dominant suburban development pattem on environmental, sociological, and economic grounds. Many suburbs are now trying to recre- yq City of Saint Paul ate the physicai sense of community that Saint Paul neighborhoods already have. (See Figure H.) The Livable Communities Program of the Metropolitan Council, which makes urban development grants to municipalities, is based largely on urban village principles. This is not to suggest that there is one mold for city neighborhoods. There are many physical forms for good neighborhoods in Saint Paul, for example: ♦ Saint Anthony Park: Most like the "pure village" model with a small . commercial center and well-defined neighborhood boundaries. ♦ Macalester Groveland: Small commercial centers scattered at almost every intersection of collector streets. ♦ Highland Park: One large shopping district that is a hybrid of pedestrian and automobile site planning. ♦ Battle Creek: SunRay Shopping Center and Suburban Avenue together make an even larger automobile-scaled center for a post-Worid War II neighborhood. As mentioned in the previous section on downtown, Saint Paul has a few large, cleared sites where new urban villages may be built. But it is even more important for the city to use traditional neighborhood development concepts for protecting and reinforcing the strengths of the city's existing neighborhoods. Objecrive 5.1 Urban V'illages: A Theme wiCh Variations Policies: 5.1.1 The City, neighborhood organizations, developers and realtors should use the urban village principles listed below, which are con- densed from the Charter of the Congress for the New Urbanism, for assessing neighborhoods and promoting the advantages of city living. ♦ Good neighborhoods are compact and pedestrian-friendly. ♦ Good neighborhoods have a mixture of land uses. ♦ Good neighborhoods have a broad range of housing types. ♦ Good neighborhoods are designed to support mass transit with appropriate land uses and densities within walking distance of public transportation. ♦ Good neighborhoods have commercial, civic, and institutional activi- ty embedded, not isolated in remote, single-use complexes. ♦ Good neighborhoods have schools within walking and short bicy- cling distance for most children. ♦ Good neighborhoods have a range of park facilities, from tot-lots to village greens to ballfields to community gardens. (Large parks and conservation areas serve as boundaries between neighborhoods.) Comprehensive Plan 25 Do� -/t� l� ♦ Good neighborhoods are safe and secure. ♦ In good neighborhoods, the azchitecture and landscaping physically define the streets and public places. 5.12 Neighborhood planning participants should consider the social and economic factors implied in the notion of "village" as well as physical design factors, which are emphasized on the preceding list. Of course, social and economic factors are sometimes beyond the control of either the neighborhood or even the City. Available responses may only partial- ly address underlying problems. Figure H Comparison of New Urbanism and Saint Paul Neighborhoods Seaside, FL. is the best-known New Urbanist community in the country. It is 80 acres in size and has 550 hous- ing units (6.9 units per gross acre). The residential core of the Snelling- Hamline neighborhood, shown here at a corresponding scale, is about 120 acres with 670 housing units (5.6 units per gross acre). • Grid of streets and alleys • Pedestrian scale blocks • Can walk to shops and transit • Institutional buildings within neighborhood • Mixture of houses, duplexes, and apartments • Porches irt front garages in back yg City of Saint Paul Similarities: New Urbanist Communities 5.1.3 The City, through the Public Works Department, should encourage public infrastructure that promotes streets and sidewalks that are pedes- trian friendly and visually appealling as important components to the success of neighborhoods. Objective 5.2 Mixed Land Uses/Mixed Use Development 5.2.1 In traditional neighborhoods, the Ciry will support compatible mixed use within single buildings and in separate buildings in close proximity. Mixed use reduces transportation time and cost. National surveys show that, on average, city residents drive only half as many miles per year as suburban dwellers, primarily because each trip is shorter in the city. 5.2.2 At neighborhood commercial centers, the City, in collaboration with individual neighborhoods and business districts, will give more attention to the pedestrian realm and will implement design guidelines for pedes- trian districts, beginning with a half-dozen prototype areas. (See Figure I for candidate areas for pedestrian-oriented design guidelines.) If design guidelines for neighborhood commercial centers take the form of regula- tions, they might work through the City's site plan review process or the creation of design districts. Any regulatory process should have a fast- track for plans that clearly support the village center concept. Urban vil- lage design concepts can be promoted through public education and neighborhood planning. 5.2.3 The design guidelines for pedestrian-oriented village centers should include the following: ♦ Buildings out to the sidewalk ♦ Parking lots to the side and rear of buildings, not in front ♦ Parking lots screened from the street ♦ Human-scale lighting ♦ Architecture that respects the neighborhood context ♦ Windows to the sidewalk 52.4 To promote the workability of mixed land uses, the City will use zoning, licensing and environmental regulations to prevent and mitigate land use conflicts along boundaries between residential areas and com- mercial or industrial areas and will encourage buffering with landscaping and intermediate land uses to mitigate potential incompatibilities. ,,:.. ,,, � � � � �� :, �� z. ;: � � ;, � _�,,� - Comprehensive Plan 27 �a `o� Figure I Pedestrian Neighborfiood Commerciat CeMers Figure J Design Guidelines for Pedestrian Overlay Distriets sroaeFaatrs,�s,wo srr� usNrs fi�r��l 28 �'i _L _ "_ _ __?� _ __ � .l ...; Ciry of Saint Paal 1KM�fiONRL ST.flk1L TREFS �NUEfAG{OE RfRKfNC� SCREENED 6RCKfDMMERG,- IANfERN S7YLE 5TkEE� N1D PRINfDE WALL OF pROM qIREE: 3NLDIKGS wRF, LIGNiS MAWiAIN£D EMCWSURE WR'CN� BYU1W yIRIl85 v�SW'�Y OPE1i 5�R£G'r SrREFR�"fr5 vpc- Objective 5.3 Range of Housing Types and Values „ 5.3.1 Each of the seventeen planning districts in the city should have life- cycle housing, that is, a mixture of single-family houses, townhouses, condominiums, apartments, and seniors housing. People of all ages should be able to live conveniently in every part of the city. 5.3.2 The Ciry will support expansion of the range of housing values in each neighborhood, especially in low-income areas. As govemment hous- ing programs shrink, it becomes even more essential to the whole ciry that every neighborhood find a self-sustaining niche in the real estate market. Every neighborhood should provide for a sound economic housing invest r ment. � 5.3.3 The Planning Commission will propose for consideration a Zoning Code amendment allowing accessory ("mother-in-law") apartments in owner-occupied, large single family houses. Accessory units are current- ly illegal in Saint Paul. Objective 5.4 Market for New Housing 5.4.1 The City will promote building new housing to meet the growing market of empty nesters as the baby boom ages. There is a substantial growing demand for market rate townhouses, condominiums and apart- ments with high amenities. Figure K shows how the market for city living could grow in Saint Paul over the next twenty years. � � ,.. a � _ � :,, .. � ,�, . �;;= <: �,: `` �?. Comprehensive Plan 29 il • I � 5.4.2 The City will support private market efforts to build enough new housing to provide a net increase of 6,000 more housing units by 2020. The City accepts the Metropolitan Council allocation of 9,000 more house- holds over the 1990 base for Saint Paul as an appropriate, though ambi- tious, target for growth. New housing should supplement the eacisting stock with new types, complement existing neighborhoods, and strength- en their position in the housing market. Realization of this objective is contingent on market factors that cannot be easily predicted. Three thou- sand more households can be housed in e�cisting housing units that were vacant in the base year of 1990. (Vacancy rates in e}dsting housing, that is vacant homes and apartrnents for sale or for rent, were quite high at six percent.) This leaves a goal of 6,000 net additionai housing units to be constructed. Demolition is likely to remove 1,500 units, raising the new construction goal to 7,500. Given slow growth from 1990 to 1998, the city's goal is to have 340 new housing units built per year until 2020. While this may seem to be a large number in a built-up city, it is less than the 10,000 units added between 1970 and 1990. Figure L shows where major sites with potential for new housing are located. Geographically, the goal for housing growth (net increase in (Appendix B lists potential sites for housing development). 5.4.3 The Planning Commission will ask district councils and community development corporations to help in identifying housing development opportunities throughout the city that are consistent with the objectives of the Land Use and Housing chapters of the Comprehensive Pian. Citywide coordination is essential in order to meet the goal of 6,00o net a i iona ousmg uni y . i ou ne g o o e e i�r� a sense of fair play among all the neighborhoods in the city, the NIMBY ("not in my back yard") reflex to preserve vacant lots and oppose addi- tional housing will almost certainly come forward. Seattle and Portland are examples of cities that work with neighborhood organizations to achieve city housing goals that support urban villages, transportation alternatives, and control suburban sprawl. 30 City of Saint Paul housing units, 1990-2020) can be broken down as follows: 5.4.4 The City wili use the foliowing guidelines for sites for new housing: ♦ Sites close to amenities where residential value will be sustained over time should be developed with housing. ♦ Housing sites along major transportation corridors and near com- mercial centers should meet the market demand for townhouses, condominiums, and apartments. ♦ Prime sites for townhouses, condominiums, and apartments should be protected from other development that prevents their develop- ment as such. x oa -1 ok y ❑ C x � Largar sites X Scattered irfill sites �� Objective 5.5 Coordinated Land Use and Transportation Transportation access and traffic impacts are dominant factors in peoples' decisions about where to live or to open a business. The 'I7ansportation Policy Plan, which is another chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, contains the City's objectives for protecting neighborhoods from traffic, supporting economic development, and giving citizens transportation choice. 5.5.1 The City will coordinate transportation planning and air quality analysis with land use planning. Coordination is needed from the general � �€ �::� ��: Comprehensive Plan 31 o�-l�� T e major sirategies of the Parks and Recreation Plan are to shape the physical character of the city, to build community within neighbor- level of transportation system design, to corridor studies, down to site plans for new buildings. 5.5.2 The City will encourage more housing and jobs to locate along high- service bus routes (15-minute headways during rush hours; 30-minute headways in the off-peak). This recommendation is discussed in more detail in Section 6.8 of this report. Objective 5.6 Neighborhood Business Parldng Large parking lots erode the charm of traditional neighborhoods that were developed in the streetcar era. Surface parking should not be allowed to wreck a neighborhood. Case studies by the Department of Planning and Economic Development have found that any commercial area where more land is devoted to parking than to buildings is a bad place for pedestrians. A place like Grand Avenue and Lexington is pedestrian friendly: parking is just barely adequate; it is distributed around and behind buildings; it does not overwhelm the pedestrian character of the street; and there are enough buildings to define the pubiic realm on the sidewalk . 5.6.1 In pedestrian-oriented neighborhood commercial centers, the City will support the provision of just enough commercial parking in small parking lots fitted into available space. The City will limit the number of curb cufis on commercial blocks. Parking lots should be located at the side or rear-of buildings and-prit�aiy-business e�t�ancesshould be-or.i -. - ented to the sidewalk. (Please refer to the related Sections 52.2 and 5.2.3.) 5.6.2 As bus service improves, the City will consider reductions in off- street parking requirements for businesses located on bus lines with fre- quent service (15-minute headways during peak hours; 30-minute head- ways during non-peak hours). Objective 5.7 Pat�ks and Open Space hoods, and fo focus parks and open space provide urban amenify and are part of the public ub11C reSOUrCes realm that shapes urban development. The Parks and Recreation Plan is p another chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and it contains City policy and innOValrvely. maps for the park system. The major strategies of the Parks and Recreation Plan are to shape the physical character of the city, to build community within neighborhoods, and to focus public resources innovatively. [n next 3Y City of Saint Pau7 five years, e�cpansions of city park lands are planned at Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, along Shepard Road, and on the Highwood bluffs. ( More is said about parks and land use in Chapter 7 on Environmental Stewardship.) 5.7.1 Community gardening is highly consistent with community-building objectives and is supported by the City. Community gardens are best located on unbuildable lots or on excess right-of-way or little-used park land where there is suitable soil and access for gardening. The City wili grant long-term leases on these types of properties so that gardens will benefit from year-to-year improvements. The City will not generally grant long-term leases for community gardening projects on buildabie lots where there is clear development potential. 5.7.2 In open space planning, the City will take advantage of opportuni- ties to enhance awareness, enjoyment and protection of its topography and natural setting, the Mississippi River corridor and its tributaries and the bluffs rising from the river, and to strengthen connections to and among natural corridors. objective 5.8 Insritutions and 1v[ajor Employers in Neighborhoods Institutions and major employers often give identity to the surrounding community, as in the case of Hamline-Midway, Macalester-Groveland, Cathedral Hill, many Catholic parishes, the historic breweries, and 3M. Some institutions have beautiful buildings and campuses and some offer special services that enrich neighborhood life. But institutions and major empioyers are often subject to major changes. Hospitals have consolidated, and converted buildings to other health functions. Colleges have expanded; Metro State moved to Dayton's Bluff. Parochial schools have consolidated; public schools went through a cycle of closings and now are building new schools. Houses of worship have gone through cycles as congregations have moved to the suburbs and been replaced by different congregations or have sold the old property for a different land use. State government, which has approximately 12,000 employees in the city, has dealt with recurring questions about whether to lease or build, whether to disperse or cluster in Saint Paul, whether to locate in the Capitol Area or the downtown or in cheaper locations around downtown with surface parking. Plant closings (Whirlpool, Amhoist, Schmidt, West Publishing, Stroh's) have hit neighbor- hoods hard. In recent years, more institutions and businesses have joined collaborations for community improvement. Some examples are the Campus Compact, , -i � ��_._ � �. � �" �; r� � � �',r �j� � ,� � ; , � ��._.__�=� Comprehensive Plan 33 oa-l�� Figure M Anchoring Institutions and Employers Concordia's neighborhood participation, Macalester's High Winds fund, Metro State and 3M's contributions to the Phalen Corridor Initiative, and projects of the Greater Saint Paul Tomorrow Program led by local founda- tions. (Figure M) Policies: 5.8.1 The City will encourage and support significant collaborations between institutions and their surrounding communities, such as the ones listed above that are already taking place. 5.82 When an institution located in a neighborhood seeks to expand, the Department of Pianning and Economic Development should maintain channeis for dialogue and try to manage potential conflict between the institution and the neighborhood. 5.8.3 Colleges and certain smaller institutions that have landmark build- ings and park-like grounds in the residential grid contribute strongly to neighborhood character and quality and provide valuable community 34 G[y Of SQ17![ PQU] resources. Accommodation of their continued presence and health should be supported and their positive neighborhood impact strength- ened as changes are made. 5.8.4 The City will participate with the Saint Paul School District to pro- mote neighborhood improvement in conjunction with school construc- tion or major remodeling. 5.8.5 Neighborhood organizations should capitalize on major local employers and institutions as neighborhood economic engines, which may hire local folks, may buy from local suppliers of goods and services, and may invest in neighborhood improvement. Objective 5.9 Heritage Preservation Saint Paul's Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) was created in 1976 to preserve and promote the city's heritage and historic character. It is an advisory body to the Mayor and City Council on heritage preservation mat- ters and recommends to the city council sites, buildings, and districts to be designated as historic sites. The commission also must review and approve building permits for most types of exterior work concerning designated buildings and districts. (See Figure N for locally designated Heritage Preservation Districts.) In the case of four of the five local historic districts— Dayton's Bluff, Lowertown, Irvine Park and Historic Hill—preservation has been used quite successfully as a tool for community development and revitalization, building on a primary asset of these neighborhoods—historic buildings. Saint Paul's historic character is one of our strong assets, and one which distinguishes this City from surrounding suburban communities. Policies: 5.9.1 Many parts of the city have historic character and infill construction and renovation generally should respect the traditional character of the immediate neighborhood, even where it is not legally required. 5.92 The City Council has previously directed that consideration be given to the preparation of an Historic Preservation Plan for Saint Paul. The scope and usefulness of a plan and the resources available for it will be assessed. At a minimum, planning for historic preservation in the City in the near future should address 1) building code requirements that may be inconsistent with effective reuse of historic properties and maintenance of historic character, and 2) altematives to historic district designation that would protect the character of more neighborhoods in a cost-effective way. Possible additional methods might include voluntary design guide- � � a-�o i ° _ : � � _ t �� Comprehensive Plan 35 oa-`a� lines, more public educauon, training for lenders, tax incentives, city loan ` programs, neighborhood conservation districts, and regulatory flexibility on parking standards and zoning and building codes. 5.9.3 Preserving historic buiidings and character sometimes increases rehabilitation and redevelopment costs. It is diTficult, and often impossi- ble, to cover this cost with public resources. The Heritage Preservation Commission, together with its partner organizations including the Historic Saint Paul Foundation and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, should assess available and potential incentives, financial and othenvise, and recommend means for improvement. Figure N Local Heritage Preservation Distriet 36 City of Saint Paul 6 0 St�ate�y 3. � Corridors for Growth Cihanges in transportation and manufacturing have left several corridors . with vacant and underused land which should be reclaimed. Recent corridor studies have brought to public awareness several large redevelopment sites with potential for housing, jobs and increased tax base. Studies or plan implementation are happening in the River Corridor, the University Avenue (Midway) Corridor, the Phalen Corridor, the Great Northem (Como) Corridor, and the West Seventh (Riverview) Corridor. (See Figure A on page 3.) Much of the underused or vacant, and often polluted, industrial land lies within these corridors. While other uses will be possible and appropriate in some cases, this land is a primary resource for industrial growth. Since 1960, and continuing in the 1990s, land is being reclaimed for modem industrial development at the rate of approximately 30 acres per year. Land inventory, market demand, and need for economic opportunity and central city growth would support a more rapid rate of reclamation. Land inventory and demand would support a rate in the neighborhood of 50 acres per year for the next 20 years. Cleanup and redevelopment costs are the chief obsta- cle to a faster rate of reclamation. The City supports the central corridor between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis as the top priority for development of transitways— busways and/or LRT—in the City, but this does not preclude consideration of additional corridors. Objective 6.1 Corridor Planning and Redevelopment Policies: 6.1.1 The City will continue working with community and business orga- nizations and other units of govemment on planning and redevelopment projects along corridors where several opportunities are interconnected. � �� <;; . ' �: . � � m"s,,. i� 6.1.2 In corridor redevelopment programs, the City will seek new ways for integrating business and industrial job creation with housing develop- ment and the improvement of existing neighbarhoods. 6.1.3 The City and the Saint Paul Port Authority will work with the State of Minnesota, the Metropolitan Council, and the private sector to achieve Comprehensive Plan 37 oa-l�� a significant increase in the rate at which underused and vacant industri- al land is reclaimed. Objective 6.2 River Corridor While the Mississippi River was responsibie for Saint PauPs origin and much of its livelihood, the river's ecology and dramatic geography were largely ignored in the decades of industrial development. Today the com- munity intention to "retum to the river" is clear, an intention symbolized by the Greening of the Great River Park and the enthusiastic volunteer support it has generated. Perhaps the biggest change in the use of land in Saint Paul over the last two decades has been the exit of heavy industrial uses from the downtown and western portions of the river corridor (e.g., Amhoist, elevators, Kaplan Scrap Metal, tank farms, Soo Line Intermodal Yard). This change enables reconnection of the urban fabric to the river. Establishment of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) along with significant progress in cleaning the river's water and earlier improvement of open space such as Crosby Farm Park and Harriet Island have all added to the momentum of change, upstream from Robert Street, from heavy industry to mixed use. Policies: 62.1 The City will maintain a high priority on appropriate management of the River Corridor and will support changes consistent with enhance- ment of the corridor's natural ecology within an urban segment of the river. Generalized land use and large sites with redevelopment potential are shown on Figure O. 6.22 The City will continue to improve public access and recreational uses where possible throughout the corridor. 6.2.3 The urban villages across the Robert and Wabasha bridges from downtown are envisioned to be mixtures of existing and new buildings and also mixtures of land uses—residential, office, and some retail and industriai. Some low-intensity land uses will be replaced by redevelop- ment. Urban village areas should have a finer pattem of streets than the current industrial park configuration. 38 City of Saint Paul , _ -- - _ A �� £�,,�> .� �: . �� r�z:�� : ��: � " �;. <i��.. .I _ . . � � _ �+;`' ;.' �� =a: ,�� ,� \,�'?� g ;f� ��ti s��-. t � — -- -� . ; � '� �i � �. -j ry�-� �� t s a �� f�' � �� r . �.:: � \\ � ��`-��. �'".=��'�. d � ri� �x��"0.. ?' � I I � Concorcl - Robert Park Restoration (�m��9 L CeMral Rhrer Flats ° (Muced Use Study Area) Harriet Island / S. Brldgehead Esplanade (Urban �Ilages) ��rypprt (Industrial) Industry Burid�ardt (Housing) A � Highwaod (more hou: 62.4 The City supports continuation of industrial uses in appropriate portions of the corridor as indicated on Figure O. (Also see Figure R on page 43 for the West Seventh reach of the River Corridor.) Modifications or additions to industrial uses in the corridor should be supported only when they have no adverse impact on water quality or air quality for the corridor and adjacent neighborhoods, and when they do not substantially impair the visual character of the corridor from adjacent neighborhoods or from the river itself. 62.5 New development in the floodplain or within 300 feet of the ordinary high water mark should have a relationship to the river, a need for a river location, and/or should enhance the river environment. (Environmental policies for the River Corridor can be found in Sections 7.1 and 72.) Comprehensive Plan 39 � -._ :,_- �� ; =' �.,;_ �13 ..L � :`" =_ �. �.�.;. — .� � � �� >F ��a ' � S ��. 4 � � ?. 1 ` i_ . a : - .: \ys��.';":r �1 � .;: = �,: �.^'. y .�� _�^_<w. �' ;'. i��, "�: �' „ . �M '.' ��' ;� t o-�i�,� �i f 4 :_ �� '¢.-�. .�-; ,a.:. T`,�.3aFkJ I `�� i�� - :�'1{ ry � a • ` .;�' A r`, z, `_ _ - - ,s!;�*w — . �z `�� _ �'F.: .. � ,1.:' ; ;°','. ! `E;�i;._ _: � �.] 4 :j�e�;�, �,' v'A I �� > � � e. , �a � � � -/ � � et '� �` �: � � � �s� � 6� � � o � � ''� '� >� � � � � �: � �. � �: oa-�� Objective 6.3 University Avenue Corridor The University Avenue Corridor Study was prepared by University UNITED in 1988. Since then the Midway Marketplace redevelopment has restored the Midway as the city's primary regional shopping center. The Frogtown end of University Avenue has witnessed the growth of Asian businesses. The west end of University Avenue is being revitalized by the Westgate redevelopment and the rehabilitation of buildings near University and Raymond. The Midway now has a strong market for office space. Planning is underway for improved transit in the central corridor, for beautifying University Avenue, and for more redevelopment sites. 6.3.1 Figure P shows redevelopment sites and general land use policy for the University Avenue Corridor. 6.32 New urban housing, offices, retail, and industrial development should all contribute through density and site design to the ridership base for public transportation on the University Avenue and I-94 bus routes. Already, these routes have the highest ridership in the "IWin Cities. In 1997 Ramsey County designated the Midway (University Avenue) Corridor and the Riverview (West Seventh) Corridor as the top priority corridors for public transportation improvements in the East Metro area. 6.3.3 Future redevelopment planning and efforts to redesign University Avenue itself should find ways to make the auto-oriented regional shop- ping ("big box° retail) work for pedestrians, who are often bus riders and __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ . _ also_ to enhance the storefront, pedestrian-oriented commercial centers - --- - __ along the avenue. 4O Ciry of Saint Paul Also see 6.72 on City support for the Midway regional shopping area. FYgure P Universiqr Avenue DevelopmeM OpporWnities r� Objective 6.4 Phalen Corridor The Phalen Corridor Initiative is a model for neighborhood revitalization work. It is a community partnership among residents, businesses, service agencies, and different levels of government. It is tying economic develop- ment, workforce development, human services, and housing rehabilitation together. Policies: 6.4.1 The goals for physical development along the Phalen Corridor are: • To create a mix of new jobs (up to 2000) • To increase the tax base • To be economically sustainable • To be integrated and compatible with the area's natural amenities and historic neighborhoods 6.42 The planned land uses along the Phalen Corridor are as shown in Figure Q. There are ten significant redevelopment sites along the corri- dor; the biggest ones are the Williams Hill Industrial Park, Hamm's Brewery, and Phalen Village. 6.4.3 The City and the Port Authority will continue to support and seek � � �^� __ 1 �_ � �� I : � Comprehensive Plan �� e � � � C� 41 Y . �,.,: - t � '^'„ ti � t �y,..��'�� - � �3=� r� �' ` , ��' �'� ; P°� " �..� ��j�..� rv � J €�re�� :�� r��1 — �.:.:::.. • ,. � �r - �� - _ i. . p,�.f,C_ __ � �E�� .�. � .. ............ WIM1St[ �i/i !^f......� 't:Y: '._—' ..-� N � I : ..._. �._ __- ��-:_ _` � ° � :� :-.: ;;�;.� r. ' :c?� �; ,w �� :� m- iF � ":ry� �� ..� � � � �� :� � �¢ � >` q� � 4� Y� �� ` �� a-�b� funding for Phalen Boulevard and the other infrastructure necessary to prepare the redevelopment sites for sale. 6.4.4 The City will support the strengthening of the urban village charao- teristics of neighborhoods along the Phalen Corridor, particularly at Phalen Village and East Seventh and Arcade, by making good connec- tions (pedestrian, bicycle, and transit, as we[I as vehicles) between the corridor and neighborhoods. 6.4.5 As an emerging major employment center, good access by public transit is a high priority objedive for all industrial, commercial and resi- dential development of the Phalen Corridor. 6.4.6 The Phalen Corridor should also be an amenity, with a trail and nat- ural landscaping on ravine edges. Objective 6.5 West Seventh Street (Riverview) Corridor As mentioned previously, the Riverview Corridor, the westem portion of the larger river comdor, has been designated by Ramsey County as one of the two prioriry corridors for public transportation improvements because it runs from downtown to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Intemational Airport, where it meets the Hiawatha Corridor, and runs on to the Mall of America. Planning studies of the West Seventh Corridor are underway and there are ___ _ _ _ _ ._ _ _ _ _._ _ _ _ . _. _..._sevecai redeve.lopm.e.nt opportunities along_it, The downtown end is anchored by the new RiverCentre conference facility, the new Science Museum and the new hockey arena. The Brewery neighborhood received a Livable Communities grant from the MetropoIitan Council for housing revi- talization. Several redevelopment sites along the corridor have views of the river valley. � The transit potential of the Riverview Corridor depends on new develop- ment more than it does in the Midway. Located on a land terrace between the river valley and the upper bluffs, the corridor is a"thin" strip of neigh- borhoods. The transit ridership base along the corridor can be increased if land use decisions for redevelopment sites are supportive of transit. Proximity to downtown and other employment centers, transit potential, an , pa cu ary, e nver an i u s give e com o ai�r^ residential development. 6.5.1 The planned land uses for redevelopment sites along the Riverview Comdor are shown in Figure R 4y Ciry of Saint Paul .. ..._ , _ �� Pedestrian st Koch-Mobil (Housing) �� ; _ :� �`"% ,r ADM/Metaicote (Study Area) Sites Lake (Industrial) Shepard Davem (Housing and Business Study Areas) 6.5.2 A primary goal of redevelopment planning for the Riverview Corridor is transit-oriented development. The mix of land uses, densities, and site plan arrangements should augment the ridership base and make riding public transit an attractive option. The City will join with Ramsey County in advocating public transportation improvements in the conidor. 6.5.3 Along West Seventh Corridor bluffs, development should take full advantage of the views and amenity of the river valley, while at the same time improving views from the river to the bluff lines and protecting the ecology of the river. 6.5.4 The southwest end of the corridor at the river is an important gateway to Saint Paul adjacent to the intemational airport. Landscaping and signage and improvement of adjacent development and pedestrian areas are among the improvements needed to change its character to that of an invit- ing urban neighborhood and business center and entrance to Saint Paul. 6.5.5 Any major transit developments within the Riverview corridor should be incorporated into the existing residential, commercial and enviommen- tal character of the corridar. In particular, physical changes should respect and complement natural amenities in the corridor, such as Crosby Park, Hidden Falls Park and the Mississippi River Boulevard Park and should avoid unnecessary intrusion. Comprehensive Plan 43 � � � ' �° ; � . y.: � ��' , ��: e � r �� % � � � �: � , .. �.� ➢ �b i .. +.. � FiJ/ � . oa-i�� Objective 6.6 Great Northern (Como) Comdor Planning for the Great Northem Corridor began in 1996 and started by focusing on the redevelopment of the Maxson Steel/Dale Street Shops area. But the whole corridor is seen as running from the Bridal Veil Industrial Park in Minneapolis through the Empire Builder Industrial Park near I-35E, at which point the Great Northem and Phalen Corridors meet. Taken together, the two corridors have the potential to provide a ribbon of new industry and household-supporting jobs that runs between several of the city's older neighborhoods. 6.6.1 The City and the Port Authority should support and work to imple- ment the Great Northern Corridor Community Vision of 1997 and should support further redevelopment planning for more sites along the corri- dor. See Figure 5. Broad community participation will be sought for any additional changes in the corridor, including the widening and extension of the Pierce Butler Route. 6.62 The City will extend Pierce Butler Road into the Dale Street Shops site and improve truck routes to I-35E. 6.6.3 The City will encourage work to determine the feasibility of com- muter rail service on the BN tracks and work on the vision of extensive reforestation along the corridor to provide an amenity foe alI of the Midway neighborhoods. — 6.6.4 There should be further study of the potential of the Dale-Como area - - -- --- - - to become an urban village with major new housing development near the new Front Street Elementary School under construction. 6.6.5 Good public transit access will be an objective for all redevelopment efforts of the Great Northem Corridor. Figure S Great Northern Corridor _J . 44 Ciry of Saint Paul ► � 0 2015 Sl�est GW ClefeMStl by Functlon FaI�tlMBbM� FIWMCSIMb III�I�IIIIIIIiI w�MO��m�IY� ............... •R"YImrlXxhU Objective 6.7 Freeway Development Sites For many types of business, the best sites have good freeway access. � j� 6 � � 3 :�/ 3 � Z i.xai:s '^ � d ii �� , ', �� t --._�?�� I 6.7.1 The City will promote redevelopment of sites with good freeway access. Sites that are currently candidates for redevelopment are shown on Figure T. 6.72 Regional shopping centers are continuing to develop along I-94 around SunRay and in the Midway between Snelling and Lexington. These are the two strongest retail locations in the city for capturing the trade of large residential populations and east-west commuters. The City will be supportive of these two centers and help them hold Saint Paul's share in the marketplace. Objective 6.8 Neighborhood Bus Corridors More townhouses and apartments in a neighborhood contribute to the aggregate purchasing power that sustains neighborhood business. Take Comprehensive Plan 45 � �z t �^ , � � oa �� Grand Avenue, for example. People presume that Grand Avenue is a suc- cessful commercial street because of the neighboring higher-income resi- dentiai streets; they miss the fact Grand Avenue also has a high concentra- tion of apartments. In fact, 58 percent of Summit Hill households are renters compared with 46 percent citywide. Figure U Nousing Development Opportunities Along Bus Corridors � ToU ofYUN oonnlorm , �Vnm�po8t 6.8.1 As opportunities arise along neighborhood bus corridors, townhous- es, apartments and condominiums should be built in order to help to support both the public transportation system and neighborhood com- mercial centers. Neighborhoods with a good mix of incomes can suc- cessfully include many rental buildings. At a minimum, new housing development within a quarter of a mile of public transportation lines should have at least ten housing units per net acre, which is the mini- mum needed to support local bus service. Figure U shows where major redevelopment or housing infill sites are located along primary bus routes. The focus areas for housing infill are within a quarter of a mile of nodes in the bus system. To NarYer, Rmetl�M aM nwlMm wbnW RatevON CenM � „./ y ii�Y / �u a x `� �,. `!«_ � J .� . ..�.E, � ...w ....... . . )K � � /� �� ; i \ To Mlmiiupolk � mn�wctln9 b Me�'aNa Cortldof Pr000satl Tamit Cortidors O rm.n � wrwdnraM mn.a. ` PomuY trwlt �wm� wnMm � s.mmm� d.ma wMaen ra leel bis rrrlo ImP�m'�mnn � �� PobMW iul« �mr Feeu e�ee� M I�MI Te Fort Smllinp.� xtr.aw wnmar, nhwrt a11tl WII M N1leflu 46 To Maplawaod Nall uitl noMan suMubs HWaeat \. / To 3M aM � eastem subu�W �'. _.. City ofSaint Paul 4 The Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development F7amewark says that the ability of the city to balance the needs of the economy, the community, and the physical environment determines the city's quality of life, which in turn provides a primary competitive advantage in the global economy. This three-way balancing of the economy, the community, and the envi- ronment over a long time period is the goal of "sustainable development." It is defined as meeting our needs today without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Land use planning can support sustainable development by helping to do the following: reduce the num- ber and distance of trips; improve the livability of neighborhoods with urban densities; protect and restore wetlands and natural habitats; pro- vide habitat corridors for wildlife; promote ecological storm water man- agement; and protect solar energy access. ,� ;� a� Objective 7.1 Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) Tfer II Status Policies: 7.1.1 The City will continue to enforce bluff, shoreland, and wetland pro- tection measures adopted in 1982. These measures—which prohibit development on steep slopes, require setback from biuff lines and water, and limit alteration of the naturai environment—will be reviewed and improved as necessary as the River Corridor Plan is updated. 7.12 The City will ensure that public and private development in the des- ignated CritiCal Area is consisten'_ with Critical Area site design and development standards. The City's guidelines for meeting Critical Area and Mississippi Nationai River and Recreation Area objectives are detailed in the update of the River Corridor (Critical Area) Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan which will be adopted early in 2001. It is the City's intention with the new chapter to achieve MNRRA Tier II status, making the city eligible for federal finding from the National Park Service for river-related projects. Some of the issues for Tier II planning are: ♦ preserving native plants, wildlife, and archeological sites ♦ careful planning for a 300-foot shoreline zone ♦ increasing natural landscaping along shorelines, bluffs, and bluff crests Comprehensive Plan 47 � � loli� � ,, r. Figure V Surfa�e Water and the River Corridor oa-�o� ♦ reducing storm water run-off and the chemicais in run-off ♦ identifying incentives for industrial land on the river to be used by businesses that need river locations ♦ increasing tourism and recreational use of the river and improving public access to the river 7.1.3 The City has existing shoreline regulations for the river pursuant to the state Critical Areas Act and will re-evaluate them as part of the MNRRA Tier II Study. 7.1.4 The City will continue to promote the vision of the Great River Park and to support the reforestation projects of Greening of the Great River Park. The reforestation effort applies to all types of land uses in the river corridor, not just to parks and residential areas. — _�,.: Surface Water Systems � River Corridor `v ,f � .Stf28filS � Lakes and Rivers Floodplain Source: 7) Minnesofa Departrnerrt of Nalurai Hesources 2) Mississ�Opi Na6pnal River and fleveaGon Area 48 Ciry of Saint Pau1 � Objective 7.2 Topographic Features and Sensitive Resources Sensitive natural resources in Saint Paul are illustrated by maps of natural areas, slopes, and groundwater in appendix D of this report (p.71) in addi- tion to Figure V, Surface Water Systems (p. 48). Policies: 7.2.1 The City will integrate its plans with the work of the DNR's metro . regional Greenways and Natural Areas Collaborative. This metro area collaborative has identified high quality native habitat remnants and is seeking state funding to link the remnants into greenways, which will provide continuous habitat corridors to support native plant species and wildlife. The greenways will also improve park and trail systems. Greenway opportunities usually follow rivers, drainage courses, and bluff lines. The mapping done in 1997 shows more greenway opportunities in the East Metro area than elsewhere. The collaborative is working with MNRRA, the Metro Parks Commission and loca] citizens. 7.22 The City, neighborhood organizations and environmental groups should reconnect neighborhoods to the Mississippi River visually with nat- ural landscaping along ravine edges (Phalen Corridor, Trout Brook, Shepard Davem, Ayd Mill, etc.) and along bluffs facing the river valley. Where feasi- ble, surface water systems—pands, wetlands, and streams—should also be restored. 7.2.3 The City, together with other government units, should reconnect neighborhoods to the Mississippi River by completing the parkway and trail systems that provide access to the river valley and extend the influ- ence of the river valley further into neighborhoods. (These systems are already planned in detail in the Parks and Recreation Plan.} 7.2.4 Realtors and groups doing neighborhood improvement and market- ing should take greater advantage of sites with river valley views. Sites on the West Side, Mounds Park, Dayton's Bluff, and Payne Phalen enjoy beautiful views even though they are not directly on a river bluff. 72.5 On the freeways, the City and affected neighborhood groups will ask MnDOT to stop mowing the slopes a safe distance from the shoulders of the pavement and allow natural vegetation and trees to grow wild so that the freeways wili look more like Highway 61. � � € � � � �� Comprehensive Plan 49 oa-�o� Objective 7.3 Air Quality: Transportation and Industty Automobiles are the largest single source of air pollution in American cities. Policies: 7.3.1 The City will help to reduce air pollution by planning neighborhoods where walking, biking, and taking the bus are attractive alternatives to dri- ving. The City will undertake these efforts to contribute to a reduction in regional emissions of air pollution as quantified by instruments which mea- sure pollutants such as particulates, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioatide. An e�mple of such an instrument would be the Pollution Standards Index which is monitored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. 7.32 The City and the Port Authority through regulation, enforcement, and financing agreements will make all reasonable efforts to substantial- ly decrease any negative environmental effects of industry in the city, including air pollution, noise, odors, vibration, and exterior appearance. Objective 7.4 Water Quality: Drainage Basins, Site Planning and Individual Action Polieies: 7.4.1 The City will promote the use of natural stormwater management — - --_. _ . - _ _ ____. _ - _ _ __ __ _solutions. The_central theme for reducing_the ecolo�ical impact of storm _ __-- drainage includes slowing down stormwater to minimize peak flows, allowing pollutants to settle out and promoting infiltration. Some of the techniques used by the City and identified in the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework are: upland buffers, swales, set- tling basins, created wetlands and public education on nonpoint source pollution. 7.4.2 The City of Saint Paul will adopt design standards for new stormwa- ter ponds as required in the Metropolitan Council's Interim Strategy to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution to All Metropolitan Water Bodies. The City will incorporate these standards into its land use controls within six months of the adoption of the City's comprehensive plan. These stan- ar w� a o e rncorpora e zn o e i s s orm a er a a e plan. The Metropolitan Councii will be notified when the amendments have been adopted. 7.4.3 All projects that go through the City's Site plan review process are required to provide for erosion and sediment control as specified in the 50 City of Saint Paul Ramsey County Sediment and Erosion Control Handbook (Zoning Code 62.108). 7.4.4 At this time, the City is not required by the Department of Natural Resources to adopt a shoreland ordinance. The City has existing shore- line regulation for the river pursuant to the state Critical Areas Act, which will be re-evaluated as part of the MNRRA Tier II Study. The City does not need shoreland development regulations for lakes because all lakeshore property in the Ciry is publicly owned. 7.4.5 The City will develop a stormwater management program in response to the stormwater discharge permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The stormwater management program will address stnzcturai controls, areas of new development, roadways, flood control, pesticide and fertilizer use, illicit discharges and improper dis- posal, sanitary sewers, construction site runoff, construction of storm sewexs and public education. 7.4.6 The City will incorporate the above or equivalent standards and per- mit requirements into its local stormwater management plan. This plan will be completed two years from the completion of the Middle Mississippi River Watershed Management Organization's plan. Objecrive 7.5 Soil Cleanup/Brownfield Reclamation Policy: 7.5.1 The City will continue to redevelop sites with contaminated soil as rapidiy as the funding for soil cleanup and site preparation and the legal steps for acquiring polluted land permit. Roughly speaking there are 1,000 acres of polluted, oid industrial sites in the city. Ideally, the City wouid need about $20 million dollars per year for the next 20 years to redevelop ail of these sites. (Redevelopment costs include acquisition, relocation, and infrastructure as well as land clean-up.) Most of the sites are best-suited to industrial re-use, but a significant number of polluted sites should be transformed to residential or commercial land uses. j' � � � � � � .. Objective 7.6 Airports and Airport Noise ,�' ,� � .. The Metropolitan Airports Commission reduces airport noise impacts through nxnway design, flight pattems and scheduling, land use planning, and noise insulation programs. Significant and problematic airport land use �,:� �;� Comprehensive Plan 51 oa-`o� impacts for the City include the attractiveness of nearby sites for long-term parking for airport customers and for storage and servicing of rental cars. The official MSP Airport Noise Policy Area (See Figure W) encompasses a portion of the Highland Park area of Saint Paul in Zone 4, the outer most noise zone described in the Metropolitan Development Guide Aviation Policy Plan as"a transitional area where aircraft noise exposure might be considered moderate." All of the area in Saint Paul is in the ouYer portion of this zone which is a one-mile buffer zone. The Policy Plan states "The area is considered transitional because potential changes in airport and air- craft operating procedures could lower or raise noise levels." The airport noise zone shows no impact on Saint Paul from the use of Runway 22, the "east-west" runway, not because take offs and landings here have no impact, but because they are so infrequent relative to opera- tions on the other runways. Runway 22 is little-used at times of high-vol- ume air traffic because of conflict with the major "north-south" runways. Flights using this runway are more apt to occur during the night when the disturbance is more serious for a residential area. When this tunway is used, a band of neighborhoods through Highland, Macalester-Groveland, and even Summit Hill are affected. It is not possible to mitigate airport noise in these areas through land use changes. No increase in noise impact for Saint Paul is projected from changes in the use of Runway 22, or with completion of the new north-south nxnway anticipated for 2003. Hoiman Field, the Saint Paul Downtown Airport, is an important intermedi- ___ -__ ._.____ _ __ ate airport_in the_ regional sy_stem used primarily for corporate aircraft Facilities for corporate aircraft parking and operations are being expanded, and this use can be expected to grow. A new instrument landing system cunently being instatled is responsible for some of the recent chan�es affecting surrounding areas including a revised glide slope (air space that must remain clear of obstructions for landing and take of� and lights at runway e7ctensions. While consideration is being given to updating the air- port plan completed in 1992, no significant change in use of the airport is planned for or anticipated. He]icopter operations by military units at Holman Field have produced some of the most serious noise problems for nearby residential areas. This disturbance has been reduced over the last few years both by reduction in ' en ero ei pe noisiest aircrafr with quieter models. No sites planned for residential development lie within the noise zones for Holman field. See Figure X. The Ravoli Bluff site lies just outside Zone 4, the transitional zone, at its northem end, and the northeast quadrant of downtown Saint Paul (Lowertown) lies just outside the zone. Aitport- 52 City of Saint Paul ii St. Louis Park St. Paul West � St Paut South St. Paul Bloomington Eagan � � ' � € �} �` Figure X ° ��,`* ;�� ; SaiM Paul � - g � , ` DowMown �' � � Airport Noise � '' Zones � Comprehensive Plan 53 oa-�o� related noise has not been identified as an issue in planning work with the residential community in Lowertown and should not be a problem for these sites unless the noise pattem changes. Policies: 7.6.1 MSP and Holman Field airports are both very important to Saint Paul's economy and quality of life. The City supports maintaining and improving them in their present locations with full attention to noise mit- igation. 7.6.2 The City encourages the intemational airport to take the steps it can to ensure improving compatibility with Saint Paul's existing residential and commercial character. Actions shoutd include: I} restricting new flights over Saint Paul's neighborhoods; 2) enforcing federa] noise miti- gation requirements on aircrafr at MSP; and 3) Locating on-airport space for all car rental storage and service needs. 7.6.3 The City will continue to monitor MSP airport noise impact and any changes in MSP plans that might change the impact on Saint Paul neigh- borhoods. Support for sound insulation in structures may be an appro- priate measure within the noise zone and within the noise pattern for Runway 22's less frequent flights. 7.6.4 Changes in use that might alter the noise zones for Holman Field would be of concern to the City because of the proximity of residential __ _ _ __ ._ _ _ .__. __ .. _ . _ __ _ . areas includingsites, for new deyelo_pment._, __ _ 7.6.5 Current zoning for adjacent areas is generally compatible with the Holman Field airport. An earlier effort to create a special zoning district for airport protection was dropped because of liability for the costs rep- resented by restrictions on use, and no new special zoning is planned. Glide slopes are consulted in the City's review process in any review of development within the airspace. 7.6.6 To ensure an early response to any proposal that would obstruct general airspace, the City will notify the Minnesota Department of Transportation of any proposed construction or alteration that would exceed a height of 200 feet above ground level or exceed the height of an Tmagmary su ace e en n ou a a . from the nearest point of an airport runway at the earliest reasonable opportunity and at least 30 days in advance. 54 City ofSaint Paul Objective 7.7 Access to Solaz Energy State law requires Land Use Plans to address solar energy access. During the 1980s the Planning Commission developed a Zoning Code amendment allowing property owners with solar energy systems to establish solar access rights across their neighbors' property. However, there was so little public demand for solar zoning that the zoning amendment was never adopted. ProperCy owners with solar energy systems apparently were satis- fied that the risk of shading was negligible or they could arrange private solar easements with their neighbors. 7.7.1 The City supports the conservation of fossil fuels and increased use of solar and wind energy, but does not find a need for municipal regula- tion of solar access. Objective 7.8 V'�sual Beauty Many features of the natural environment, and of the built environment as well, enhance a sense of place and contribute to well being as long as they remain prominently visible. 7.8.1 The City supports the preservation of views and vistas. Major view- points or corridors are shown in Figure Y. They are further specified in the River Corridor Plan and in area plans. 7.82 The City will encourage protection and enhancement of the visibility of architec- tural landmarks. These may be identified in area plans, including plans for down- town, and many have heritage preservation protection. Some examples are the State Capitol, the Cathedral, St. Agnes and Sacred Heart churches, the Highland Park water Tower, Torre de San Miguel, Metropolitan State University, Landmark Center and the old breweries. � . : '-.�-: � �� x` ,. �„ �� .� � � � � ` � � � �� Comprehensive Plan 55 o a i�� Implementation 8.1 Citywide Land Use Map The Citywide Land Use Map is Figure Z. It is a concept map that conveys policy directions. It does not provide specific land use designations for indi- vidual parcels of land. There are two reasons for not doing a citywide map that is parcel-specific. First, most of the property in the city will simply stay in the same land use category it is now; land use planning apart from the current zoning is unnecessary. (Maintenance and reinvestment may be desirable in these areas, but not changes in land use.) Second, unlike the clear separation of land uses typically found in suburbs, the Saint Paul Land Use Plan seeks to increase the fine-grained mixture of different land uses. Fine-grained land use pattems must be planned and illustrated in neighborhood plans, one smail area at a time. To show all of the parcels in the city, the zoning maps divide the city into 44 different sheets. Citywide mapping is too coarse. 8.2 Map Summary of Redevelopment opportunities Map - _ _ — ---- --- _ - -- - -- - - -- , - _- - - ne of Sc11nt PaU1'S The major redevelopment opportunities throughout the city are shown on Figure AA. g1'eQ1eSC Sl7'ell�P�IS IS �IE C01217I1iC17lCrit Of TfSlL�Cl2LS r0 �Iell 8.3 Neighborhood Planning neighborhoods. One of Saint Paul's greatest strengths is the commitment of residents to their neighborhoods. Over the last twenty years, neighborhoods have done many neighborhood plans. Approximately 40 district plans and small area plans have been adopted by the ciry govemment as components of the Comprehensive Pian. (Figure AA shows where small area plans have been done.) Many of t e plans ave een very e ecrive an ave e o pu ic improvements and private reinvestment. Now, as the citywide Comprehensive Plan is being updated, it is a good time to reaffirm and clarify the role of neighborhood plans. The new Comprehensive Plan, according to a change in state law, will be 56 City of Saint Paul .o a i o� °-=��:: r �� F s � G I � }`�:.: � a c � A m � D J CL ' i` n ¢ 0 � a � � � �+ > � v a �; A R '� ,Y - U C U � �+�' � � ' � C R � C R d d N H �� a � L M �p [i. �I Comprehensive Plan 57 stronger. Zoning must be consistent with the plan, and the plan must be updated at least every ten years. Thus, neighborhood plans that are part of the Comprehensive Pian must also be up-to-date and consistent with city- wide plans. Maintaining consistency has become more difficult in the 1990s because, given tight City budgets, more neighborhood pians are being done independently of PED and the Planning Commission. Coordination between city staff and neighborhood planning committees has been looser. 8.3.1 Area (Neighborhood) Plans. Saint Paul's strong tradition of neigh- borhood planning should continue. Though most are properly "neighbor- hood" plans, the term "area plan" is used to encompass special district or corridor plans as well. Besides meeting a range of local neighborhood or special area needs, area plans should represent specific application of City development policy to a particular area, and should inform city plan- ning about local needs and opportunities. The Planning Commission will publish guidelines to describe those aspects of City development policy that need to be addressed in area plans. Upon review of an area plan, the Planning Commission will recommend an area plan summary for adop- tion as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. 8.3.2 Area Plan Summaries. The City will adopt summaries of neigh- borhood or other area plans as addenda to the Comprehensive Plan when recommendations appropriate for the City's development policy are included. The summaries should present an overview of the plans, highlighting those recommendations that refine City land use and other policy for the area and the high-priority actions to be taken by City gov- ernment. Copies of the full plans will be available at PED for reference. 8.3.3 Planning Commission and City Council Approval. Area plan summaries need to be reviewed and approved by both the Planning Commission and the City Council. The Planning Commission checks plans for consistency with adopted City policies; in the event of policy discrepancies, the Planning Commission will try to resolve the differ- ences and maintain the internal c�nsistency of the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission sends its recommendations to the City Council for adoption. 8.3.4 The following further describe continued area planning: a. Comprehensive Plan in TWo Parts. The citywide chapters of the new Comprehensive Plan will be published as a set. Area plan summaries that are approved by the City as components of the new Comprehensive Plan will be published in a matching ringbinder. The Comprehensive Plan must be manageable in size and format to be widely used, and this can only be done if area plans are in summary form. ,� � �� " �` � � �" �� Comprehensive Plan 5g � r � � originally adopted until they are ten years old. Plans adopted before 1990 will retain their current status as Comprehensive Plan amendments until a review, updating and summary can be completed. A five-year period (to the end of 2005) is allowed for replacement or deletion of these. c. Ten-Year Review. Any area plan appended to the comprehensive plan must be reviewed and updated or re-certified by the tenth anniver- sary of its adoption. The Planning Commission review of an updated plan, or one simply recommended for re-certification, will be the same as for a new area plan summary. In the case of an area plan adopted as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan prior to 1999, a summary lnnrlatPrl\ �nrili naP�l tn ha nran�rPA fnr ra_�-Artifirnti�� _ d. PED Staff Assistance. Planning assistance for doing new neighbor- hood plans or for reviewing and summarizing previously adopted ones will be provided by PED staff through normal pricrity-setting processes. PED works together with community groups in deciding priorities. 60 City of Saint Paul Figure BB Sman Area Pians b. Previously Adopted Area Plans. Area plans adopted in the 1990s as amendments to the Comprehensive Plan will retain their status as 8.4 Zoning Code Revisions Appendix F identifies a number of zoning changes that would implement recommendations in the Land Use Plan. Some of the key changes are: ♦ Design standards for downtown urban villages ♦ A zoning district for new urban villages outside the downtown ♦ Design standards for pedestrian-oriented neighborhood commercial centers ♦ Rezonings along the River Corridor and the other redevelopment corridors, when ready ♦ Rezonings for new housing development State Iaw provides that zoning must be made consistent with the new Comprehensive Plan within six months of the plan's adoption, putting the zoning deadline in mid-1999. Some types of rezoning may be done that fast, but realistically, it will take the City several years to get some of the zoning text amendments done that are proposed in this plan. 8.5 Capital Itnprovements Many of the redevelopment and neighborhood revitalization proposals in this plan will require capital improvement investments by the City. The list below is incomplete, but it suggests the type of public investments that will be needed to carry out recommendations in this plan. ♦ Phalen Boulevard ♦ Riverfront improvements/urban viliage infrastructure ♦ Stormwater settling basins, ponds, other low-impact techniques ♦ Housing site redevelopment ♦ Neighborhood commercial center streetscapes and infrastructure ♦ Bus system amenities ♦ Major transit system investments ♦ Industrial redevelopment infrastructure, e.g., Pierce Butler extension, other tnzck routes for Great Northem Corridor ♦ Downtown streetscape improvements ♦ Continue trail system development 8.5.1 The Planning Commission will continue to support the Capital Improvement Budgeting process and the work of the Capital Improvement Budget Committee by revising the Capital Allocation Policy for the 1999 funding cycle. Revision should inciude simplification of the policy for greater effectiveness and priorities which will further imple- mentation of the updated Comprehensive Plan. ';,. ' r _� � � :I ', � i � �; � E,., �� '�"�..� : s , ,. �_ � .� Comprehensive Plan 61 oa-�o � 8.6 Intergovernmental Action Many recommendations of this plan require intergovemmental coordina- tion and fiznding: ♦ State/metro infrastructure investrnents to strengthen central cities ♦ Housing subsidies changed or compensation from state level to communities carrying the costs of affordable housing ♦ Brownfield reclamation ♦ Urban transportation and ISTEA funding ♦ Public transit systems investment ♦ State government offices—locations in Saint Paul ♦ Livable Communities Program ♦ School sites as a neighborhood revitalization investment ♦ Metro greenways program of DNR 8.7 Urban Design All of the wotk done on the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework has given city leaders a fresh appreciation for the role urban design can play in providing vision for the City and in executing details. 8.7.1 The City will support the Design Center as a primary means for implementation of the vision articulated by the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework with a high level of attention to the Framework's urban design principles. _ - - 8.72 The City will continue to encourage improvement of safety through design as outlined in Design for Public Safety. 8.7.3 The City will expand use of design guidelines in its site plan review process as a means of implementing design policies adopted through smali area planning and other special area design studies. Implementation of Design District capabiliry, allowing stronger enforce- ment of design guidelines, should be explored if further experience with guidelines in the site pian review process is not satisfactory. 8.7.4 Improvement of neighborhood and special district quality should be further supported by: ♦ A zoning district for new urban villages outside of the downtown, ♦ Design Standards for pedestrian-oriented commercial centers, ♦ Rezonings along the river corridor and the other redevelopment corridors when ready, and ♦ Rezonings with appropriate community planning for new housing development. 62 Ciry of Saint Paul 8.8 Other Land Use Amendments In addition to area plans addressed above, the Land Use Plan may be fur- ther specified by amendments adopted for resolution of particular land use issues. The Universiry of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan adopted in 1990 is such an amendment. It is included in this plan as Appendix D. . oa �o� # �:._ -`"' � ;: � %;,. � ` a „ � �� > �� ,.;e' � � ;. F %�'A d 3 b?^i/ f ��Q" �..,� Comprehensive Plan 63 oa �o� Appendices �.. -• • Land Use Trends and Assumptions 1. Growth in city population, households, and jobs. Saint Paul needs to plan for more growth between 2000 and 2020 than the city has had in the 1980s and 1990s. For the'IWin Cities region, the State Demographer and the Metropolitan Council project 650,000 additional people (for a total population of 3.1 million) and 330,000 additional households between 1995 and 2020. The metropolitan growth strategy based on the regional projec- tions suggests that Saint Paul plan for increases of at least 22,000 people, 9,000 households, and 13,000 jobs in Saint Paul (over a 1990 base) by the year 2020. The Saint Paul Pianning Commission agrees with the household projection as a basis for planning, but has set a higher target for jobs of 18,000. Following is the City's forecast which shows the magnitude of growth that forms a basis for this plan: >Ghange 18,000 7,�0� 22,Q00 -- - - - - - _ _ _ _ - --- -- - ----- - -- ---__ __.. 2. Attracting people and busmess to the city. In simple terms, people, businesses, and institutions should be attracted to live, work, and invest in Saint Paul because they like the quality of city life here and they have confi- dence in the city's future. 3. Metro support for revitalizing the urban core. For Saint Paul to meet the growth projections, Metropolitan Council support is necessary. The Metropolitan Council's "Metro 2040" plan, which projects an estimated $1.6 billion savings in infrastructure costs, calis for more compact develop- ment patterns, revitalization of the urban core, and targeting certain areas for job development. . g anci ro e o pu c sector m re eve opment. Pu ic programs that subsidize redevelopment (CDBG, URAP, HOME, Livable Communities, etc.) have received smaller and smaller shares of public bud- gets over the past decade. Now redevelopment requires partnerships with multiple stakeholders and investors and greater market discipline. 64 Ciry of Saint Paul ' oa- � 5. Fewer freeway and sewer extensions; higher infrastructure main- tenance costs. As the metropolitan infrastructure ages, it will require more maintenance and replacement. Fewer resources will be allocated to e�ansions of highways and sewer systems. 6. Continued reliance on the automobile, but with a cotmter irend toward walldng, bicycles, and public transportation. Major retail, office and industrial sites must have good vehicular access and parking. In older neighborhoods, local retaii can do well with smaller parking lots beside and behind the commercial buildings. 7. More mixed use development based on "New Urbanism" princi- ples. In the contemporary search for community, there is a rising aware- ness that physical planning for whole communities should draw together a mixture of land uses in close proximity, strengthening the "urban village" pattern. 8. Higher public awareness of river ecology. Environmental knowl- edge and awareness continue to grow, placing more attention on the bal- ance between urbanization and natural systems. 9. Continued industrial park redevelopment. Port Authority industrial sites have been in steady demand and represent the most continuous urban redevelopment program in the city. There will continue to be strong demand for clean industrial land with good truck access. i O. Continued growth of office employment both downtown and in homes. If the Minnesota economy continues to be healthy, downtown Saint Paul can capture its share of office growth by offering a special sense of place (East Coast or European features such as narrow streets, small blocks, and human scale) that is different from Minneapolis and virtually the opposite of suburban centers. On neighborhood commercial strips many stores have been converted to office space. There is a strong trend toward home-based businesses and of live/work housing designs. 11. Steady neighborhood retail demand and volatile "big box" retail mazket. In neighborhood locations, smaller shops can be successful on specialty items and in special market niches (for example, ethnic foods and products). The vacancy rate in neighborhood commercial space is low in comparison either to previous years or to most Eastern or Midwestern cities. In the discount and big box retail segment, Saint Paul has less than its market share, especially given the city's moderate-income population; but these businesses seem to be risky. Retail in the downtown seems to depend primarily on the number of downtown employees and residents. ,.;, � � ��?'�i ��- � � �. Comprehensive Plan 65 oa -�a� 12. Some institutions are growing, others aze contracting. State gov- ernment continues to rebuild and relocate offices even though there is little overall growth. Colleges and other educational institutions continue to grow. Public schools at all levels need more space due to the children of baby boomers and immigrants. Hospitals have undergone great changes. Nonprofit agencies have multiplied and occupy a lot of neighborhood com- mercial space. 13. Growuig opporhmity for new urban housing. Regionally, as the population ages, there is a growing demand for urban housing for smaller households, empty nesters, and live/work lifestyles. In Saint Paul, there are growing numbers of younger immigrant families who may want to buy homes in the city and whose presence as an ethnic community would add to the stability and vitality of their neighborhoods. There is a large demand for low-income housing, which sometimes competes with neighborhood reinvestment objectives. 14. Significant need to increase the city tax base. The Saint Paul property tas base per household is among the lowest in the metropolitan area. The School District, Ramsey County, and the City all share the need to raise values downtown, in commercial and industrial areas, and in neigh- borhoods with depressed values. I5. Need for workt'orce development and more jobs. Even though the city had 192,000 jobs in 1996, the highest number ever, poverty is a major problem in the city. With welfare reform, hard-to-employ people urgently need work readiness skills, training, and jobs. If old industrial sites are - - - - _ - --- � - _ ------ — redeveloped and the downtown grows, Saint Paul could add 18,000 jobs between 1990 and 2020. 16. Immigration continues, but the Southeast Asian share will taper off. Over 30,000 Southeast Asians now live in Saint Paul, and this number may rise to 40,000 in ten years. Immigration rates are high nation- ally, so Saint Paul will continue to receive a share. 17. Integration of schools, public safety, and quality of life factors. Good land use planning is one of many factors that contribute to the health and strength of the city. Physical, social, and economic development need to be better connected in the city. 66 City of Saint Paul Existing Land Use and Projected Change This best-available data on existing land use is from a 1988 survey updated with significant known changes to 1998. An existing land use map, not included in most copies of this plan, is available from PED. The most significant changes anticipated in land use over the next twenty years are 1) shifts from vacant land to residential and industrial or commer- cial/industrial uses, 2) intensification of uses within current use classifica- tions such as updated industrial use, higher residential density, more inten- sive use of prime business areas including downtown, and 3) more mixed use. Under the policies established, these changes will represent accom- modation of a larger share of regional increase in households and econom- ic activity; strong economic revitalization of the city's downtown and major business areas including the Midway; steady progress in recycling of under- used and polluted industria] land; strertgYhening of traditional neighbor- hoods under urban village principles, intensification of uses in corridors to support more effective transit., and some shift away from industrial uses in the river corridor in favor of restoration/appreciation of the corridor's nat- ural character and new access for compatible activity. Residential Land Use An increase of some 204 acres in residential use will come mostly from the vacant category. The Koch Mobil site is the largest single site where residential (mixed use) development can be anticipated. Development of this site would represent a transformation of 65 acres of land presently Comprehensive Plan 67 o z-io� C� a� -/Ol seriously polluted from former industrial uses. The following table shows anticipated residential development by major geographic divisions. Actual intensity of development will depend on a number of factors including both refinement of land use and density specifications in small area planning and market e�cperience. Residential Development Opportunities to Fulfill the City's Share of Metropolitan Housing Growth ♦ PED'S Northwest Quadrant of City Target for Net New Housing Construction: 900 units Some Potential Major Sites: - Burlington Pond - Como-Mackubin - Frogtown scattered sites - Larpenteur-Cohansey - Oakland Village scattered sites - Rice-Arlington - Sneliing-Brewster high-rise - Troutbrook Jackson - Raymond-Energy Park - Raymond-University - Capitol Heights ♦ PED's Northeast Quadrant of City Target for Net New Housing Construction: 500 units Some Potential Sites: - 3M Distribution Center - Cemstone - West of Harding High School - Hazel-E. Fifth St. - North Arlington Ave. - Phalen Viilage - Rivoli Bluff 5g Ciry of Saint Paa] r ♦ PED's Southwest Quadrant of City Target for Net New Housing Construction: 800 units Some Potential Major Sites: - ADM site - Holm and Olson - Koch-Mobil - Shepard-Davern - Selby Ave./Summit University scattered sites ♦ PED's Southeast Quadrant of City (Includes Downtown) Target for Net New Housing Construction:3,100 units Some Potential Major Sites: - North Quadrant - Lowertown/River Gardens - Harriet Island Urban Village - South Wabasha Bridge Head - Highwood sites - Esplanade site - Other downtown sites Residential Densities The wide range of residential densities in Saint Paul neighborhoods includes 2- 3 units per acre in suburban-style development in the Highwood area, 5-8 units per acre in more solidly single-family areas with 40-60-foot lots (Macalester Groveland, Como, Hazel Park), 10-15 units per acre in many traditional neighborhood blocks with 40-foot lots, a number of duplexes and 3-story apartment buildings facing major streets (Hamline- Midway, the West Side), 30+ units per acre for some blocks which combine apartments facing Grand Avenue with large single family homes facing Summit Avenue, and 40-60 units per acre at the largest multi-family struc- tures. In spite of the significance of the number of new housing units pro- jected to accommodate more of the region's growth, impact on the overall density for the City will be slight. Increases in residential density that are locally significant can be expected downtown, and on key riverfront sites. At scattered locations near neighborhood business centers and transit routes, attached-unit development that can be anticipated is in the 10-I5 unit per acre range. Market experience indicates that the same is true for downtown and river front "urban village" sites, though substantially higher densities could be realized at some downtown sites and in the University Avenue corridor. %� ■ � �t . ' � , � � :�, ��, � �\ � �sz��,, �� - .si� � .�� 1_ : ` _, �' ��:� Comprehensive Plan 69 c�a-lo� Industriai Land and Employment Related Land Uses Most projected job growth will occur through intensification of activity in areas already in business and industrial use. Industrial development in indus- trial parks opened by the Saint Paul Port Authority has averaged appro�ci- mately 30 acres per year since 1960 and continues at about that rate during the 1940s. A current list of identified sites of 10 acres or more with varying degrees of potential for industrial redevelopment totals just over 1,000 acres. Smaller identified sites add 62 acres. Most of this land is currently underused but classified as industrial. Approximately 265 acres of the total inventory is cunently classified as vacant land, though 180 acres of this in the Pig's Eye Lake area will more likely be preserved as open space. Industrial redevelopment is projected to continue at the rate of some 30 acres per year. Both the inventory of land with redevelopment potential and demand for land would support more rapid growth. The primary constraint on the rate at which underused and/or polluted land can be recycled to productive use supportive of city and regional growth objectives is the limi- tation on available resources for site preparation, including site assembly, infrastructure construction, and pollution remediation. The table at the left shows where industrial development/redevelopment will most likely occur in over the neact five years. Some shifts will occur in industrial land, but subtractions and additions to the total supply could balance over the period. A reduction of industrial land in the range of 140-170 acres is anticipated in the river corridor. Other employment-related redevelopment will represent, for the most part, intensification of uses without a change in their land use category, as well as some greater intermiacing of uses. Significant change by land use catego- ry cannot be projected. Summary of Zoning and Other Regulatory Changes Proposed in the Land Use Plan 1. Review Zoning Code to support new urban viIlages and'enhance flexibili- ty at large-scale redevelopment sites: Downtown in B-4 and B-5 zones. Full range of land uses is already per- mitted. Design guidelines can be advocated by the Design Center. Design guidelines can usually be implemented by the HRA through redevelop- ment controls. 70 City ofSaint Paul New urban villages outside the B-4 and B-5 zones. A new "Urban Village (UV)" zoning district should be created. it would be a combina- tion of permitting mixed use, setting design guidelines, and providing an efficient process for public review. 2. At existing urban village (neighborhood) centers: (a) review opportunities to create more multi-family zoning; (b) reduce parking requirements for new development, perhaps by 20 percent; (c) require new commercial buildings to be buiit out to the sidewalk�.g., at least 40% of the lot frontage to be built within ten feet of the frottt lot line; (d) require parking lots to be built to the side and rear�.g., no more than 6o percent of the lot frontage can be occupied by parking. 3. Decide whether any of the downtown design guidelines from the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development FTamework (pp. 38-48) should be put into the Zoning Code, e.g., "extroverted" building design with doors and windows facing the sidewalk; design at downtown "gateways" and along "prime edges," buildings of appropriate scale, etc. 4. Make zoning map revisions along: (a) the River Corridor; (b) University Avenue Corridor; (c) Phalen Corridor; (d) Great Northern Corridor; (e) Riverview Corridor. 5. For developable sites along freeways and major arterial streets, rezone land now (1999) if the desired future land use is known. For sites where the future land use is not known, the land can be designated as a"study area" and the current zoning can be left in place. 6. Rezone land for residential development when the Planning Commission's work with district councils identifies sites and appropriate zoning categories for them. 7. Propose an accessory apartment ordinance to permit "mother-in-law" apartments in homes greater than 2,000 square feet if it is determined that the provision can be restricted to owner-occupied homes. 8. Enact higher tree planting standards in the River Corridor and maybe in the proposed greenway corridors. 9. Add a general provision to the zoning code requiring notification of MnDOT for any proposed construction exceeding 200 feet in height for pro- tection of general air space. 10. Study alternatives and propose amendment to the zoning code which would distinguish between small and large trucking operations. Consider altematives such as special restrictions on large tnxcking firms and propose ,< � � �i ..-b. �'r` � � � � /„ � � �. "�"i -�.� `y.,�z Comprehensive Plan 71 �c�-IC�l� an amendment that will limit large low-employee-density trucking use of industrial land. The proposed amendment should act to make consistent, with regard to trucking uses, the zoning code and high density employment requirements outlined in Appendix A of the Land Use Plan and Policy 24 of the Summary and General Plan addressing intensive use of industrial land. '••- � University of St. Thomas Campus Boundary Plan (Adopted by the Saint Patal Cily Council as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan on November20, 1990) Background Foliowing adoption of Zoning Code amendments regulating colleges in St. Paul in April of 1989, the Planning Commission developed as special condi- tion use permit for the College of St. Thomas that creates a regulatory framework for future development of the campus. The permit includes the concept of a definitive, long-term boundary for the campus. The purpose of this amendment to the City's Land Use Plan is to incorporate the potential boundary concept into the City's land use policy. Campus Boundary Concept The traditional College of St. Thomas campus, which has been in existence -- — — - --_. _ _ __ ___ for_oger_ 100_years is__bounded bx_Summit,_Cretin,_Selby, and_Cleveland___. -- Avenues. In 1987, St. Thomas purchased the majority of the St. Paul Seminary Campus bounded by Summit, Cretin, and Goodrich Avenues, and Mississippi River Blvd. The Seminary retained a small seven-acre campus at the northwest comer of this area. Prior to this major acquisition, St. Thomas had also acquired some properties on the biocks south of Summit Ave. Between Cieveland and Cretln Avenues, which it has used for college purpos- es over the years. These properties include the Christ Child and McNeely buildings on Summit Ave. (office/classrooms), 30-32 Finn St. (offices), the PresidenYs House and the Alumni House on Summit, and several other prop- erties on Grand east oF Finn St. (used for offices, surface parking, and rental housing). - a is �ng a cu en campus oun ary or St: T omas m rts specia con- — dition use permit, the Planning Commission determined that the two main campus areas (see map, Areas A and B), plus all of the properties currently owned by St. Thomas in the block south of Summit Ave. and east of Finn St. (Area C on map), should be included within the campus boundary. 72 City ojSaint Paul /%:<„ ( �YA The remainder of the two-block area south of Summit is appropriate for future expansion of the St. Thomas campus (shaded area on map). This total area is to be considered as the definitive, long-term campus for the College of St. Thomas. Expansion beyond this area should be considered contrary to city policy. Objectives The goal of the Planning Commission's College Zoning Committee has been to minimize conflicts between residential and institutional uses, and pro- mote the long-term stability of the neighborhood as a whole. The commit- tee finds that the two-block area south of Summit between Cretin and Cleveland Avenues where the College has already acquired considerable property is a reasonable area for expansion of the campus, particularly if recognition of potential eacpansion here is coupled with a commitment to limit expansion to this area. The Committee also finds that the block west of Finn Street contains con- siderable property that is presently solid residential area, primarily single family. In recognizing the potential expansion, the committee also affirms the importance of maintaining the residential character of this block until such time as substantiai conversion to campus use is to be made. Policy Property in the two-block area south of Summit Avenue, east and west of Finn Street not presently included within the official boundary of the campus of the College of St. Thomas is appropriate area for future expansion of the campus. Further modifications of the campus boundary to include portions of this area shall be made on the basis of specific development plans. These shall include provisions, including appropriate building setbacks and other buffering, to protect the residential character of any substantial remaining non-college residential uses in the area. � �; �_ Y_4 1 4A.v.r t 5�� \7tF": : _ �= � i" .____ _ ._ — . . � e=E.k�. �.' _ — --:� - � '"' / � - � �_ --- ; —_ — _;� Comprehensive Plan 73 rrr C4LkEG�GSS_Yn`.°i.i°�P�N.L�� QCZmPVSm+��.ssY � Fzvcv�a�h:ex o a -ro� � . • - . Sensitive Resources N lC d Q d 7 � . C N N N � V � V � � � �- O � L 60 � Li. V � � i �� L � � � Q C fL3 � � "'� � C � � � " ^ U L N d � � � � � � �' � v L ' -C � C6 _ � d a� � � � � 7 = _ T .j .N C N y N fl R N tQ 3 m m n a m E w .� .� .N m `m ._ 6 N � N m � m L O a � � L � � � a m � c m a N c � o rn .� � N 0 0 a �' � T C = � �� Q >. d � � o 3 U C N O � C3 '6 _ ¢ V __� __" T ti N � N O E o m a� ¢ C'S � N N V � O � 74 Ciry of Saint Paul u �� -.� ��,� ��^.!�\� �� oI � � as 3roa � x �J ��0�ii � � ��1��■�� '!�� i� : j��.. �' �. ,` � �-= .� . ��:::-�:_ �0►ii�r.�'r Comprehensive Plan _,.. . . � �-' N .� 1 ,i ii � � � �� N y � � U � � �� _ � � � Q l� N � � i ' j � � � V � j N c � � �d � - p C � N � E O O oZ � �� U O � c � � � � L � !n C U � � a {C � � � oa � � O d � q iG Z Qd �'❑ ,;� o ,p r,�,, �'c o � � za �0 �� , �� r m � O Q � �� 75 , �� :� _ �� - a� � �_ # _� .. � � � `� °>� g °r z. � � � _ � °• � �' � � is � x , � ��. .. � i— wau Y13 .< K^ � .+ - . �. a? ` ' " �,. _ f .t � € ' � � � ' a+sm< '.� : § 4..• .. . W 'T k: . : Z ., s� �� v. �� ' � Wlbl H �: a� g` T , ., .�� a^ . _, �, N . Pri f. � w r,. � . 3q� � ` N T $ ^ � � . l�—.— �_ __ . ._ � ■ � � � � E �:�� .�. �.�... �� _ � oa-�D� � �. � „; � ' `� - i _. L � � d � m m L u O � 0 0 y � o 0 � � d ' ¢ •f �y N R � � m O r z � Q Q m � O O E � � � � � m o � Q ' '`�` r << m � � � �. N �� d __ _ _�. ,-� ` � 3 � O �. N � City of Saint Paul Saint Paul Sewer Plan: Tier I Requirements This technical appendix includes the following: ♦ Adopted community forecasts of households and employment ♦ Map: sanitary sewer interceptor service areas Management of Inflow and Infiltration ♦ Map: sanitary sewer regulators ♦ Management of Onsite Wastewater Disposal Facilities ♦ Map showing existing onsite wastewater disposal facilities Wastewater Flow Projections Intercommunity Flows St. Paui has approximately 80 properties (listed below) on the borders of the City which have sanitary sewer service provided by neighboring com- munities. These properties have very low potential for redevelopment. Any redevelopment would result in similar type use and discharges. St. Paul does not have intercommunity flow agreements with these com- munities. The City does have general language in its legislative code refer- ring to intercommunity connections. (Legislative Code Chapters 79 and 80 are included at the end of this appendix). A property owner must obtain approval from both city councils to connect to the other community's sani- tary sewer system. The property owner is charged the sewer rates of their own community. ,,:. ;-;: ;,,,� � �; "t ,. a ��. �� " � � � �� ; ''� �: , '\ ' � ,_ ,•� Comprehensive Plan T7 �a-�a� 7$ City of Saint Paul St. Paul Properties with Sanitary Sewer Services Connected to Other Cities Management of Inflow and infiltration Inflow and Infiltration Program In 1986, the City developed a plan to address Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) as part of the City's Sewer Separation Program and NPDES(National Pollutant bischarge Elimination System) Permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The primary goal was to identify and to remove inflow sources, such as connected rainleaders, area drains and catch basins from the City's sanitary sewer system. The Ciry Council adopted the Public Works' Rainleader Disconnect Plan in February of 1986. Under this plan, a volun- tary rainleader disconnection program was conducted in 1986 and 1987. Tkis program emphasized providing pubtic information, technical advice and a rebate offer. The Rainleader Disconnection Ordinance became effec- tive at the end of 1987. The City continues to enforce this ordinance. Beginning in 1988, the next phase of the I/I Program focused on the elimi- nation of locations where combined sewage overflow occurred (regulators). The process of eliminating a regulator involves: identifying inflow sources, removing these inflow sources from the City's sanitary sewer system, moni- toring to verify that the regulator could safely be eliminated, and finally eliminating the regulator. Accomplishments of Inflow/Infiltration Program ♦ 300 alley catch basins and 298 street catch basins located in the public rightofivay were disconnected from the City's Sanitary Sewer System � 99% of Saint Paul's commer- cial properties disconnected rainleaders and area drains ♦ 99% of Saint Paul's residen- tial properties disconnected rainleaders ♦ 245 regulators were removed from the City's sewer system �WN � �� i ,.; � � ,.-. . �,� uMu �w., f� 0 Sanitary Sewer Service Area � Sanitary lnterceplor Comprehensive Plan 7g r The City of Saint Paul permits the building and usage of individual sewage � treatment systems in areas of the ciry that are not served by public sewer or are unable to connect to an existing sewer system. The City's manage- ment program for onsite sewage treatment includes provisions for the reg- uiation and monitoring of aIl individual sewage treatment systems. The maintenance, design, construction and location of septic systems are required to conform with Minnesota Poilution Control Agency Minnesota Rules 7080, Minnesota State Building Code, Minnesota Plumbing Code and Minnesota Water Well Construction Code. Onsite System Management City of Saint Paul ordinances regulate the installation of new onsite systems as well as the maintenance and reviews of existing systems. A permit issued by a City License, Inspections and Environmental Protection official must be attained prior to any new installation, alteration, repair or exten- sion of any sewage treatment system. The Saint Paul management and control program implements the cunent Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) standards and includes: ♦ inspection of new systems ♦ inspection and maintenance of existing systems ♦ correction of nonconforming systems ♦ testing of water supply wells. Inspection of New Systems New individual sewage treatment systems require a construction permit issued by the City's building official. The building official is responsible for administration and enforcement of the design, construction and installation provisions of the City ordinances relating to septic systems. New treatment systems are permitted only where sewer service is not available to the property owner. The permit application must include the identification and location of various physical features and characteristics, ground slope, details of the proposed installation, soil and percolation test data, location of an altemate site and a site evaluation as well as evidence of compliance with all state and other jurisdiction regulations, including Minnesota Rules 7080. Permit applications are evaluated by LIEP officials to determine com- pliance with all the above stated regulations. No altemative or experimen- tal systems are allowed. L �..., - � � � � �� " � Inspection and Maintenance of E�sting Systems Existing systems must be inspected and maintenance reviews conducted at least once every 2 years by a MPCA certified inspector or pumper. Each �m,. septic tank must be maintained in proper operating conditions at all times. Septic tanks are required to be pumped as inspection indicates or at least once every 2 years. Septic tank pumping must be performed by a MPCA � Comprehensive Plan 81 � Record Keeping The Office of License, Inspections, and Environmental Protection maintains the records pertaining to individual treatment systems. The records main- tained include the following: ♦ A list of ali active septic systems. ♦ Permit applications for new systems. ♦ Inspection and maintenance reports, performed and recorded by a licensed inspector and submitted by the properiy owner. This report includes a locarion map of the septic system, well and building structure. ♦ Test reports of private water supply wells. ♦ Pumping reports periodicaliy submitted by a licensed pumper or the property owner. The property owners with septic systems are notified by letter every 2 years requesting submittal of maintenance reviews. Maintenance reviews must be completeQ by individuaLs licensed by the MPCA. The results of this review can be used to determine whether the property owner is issued a correction notice. Records of these reviews have been maintained by the Office of Licenses, Inspection, and Environmental Protection over the last five years. Property owners failing to submit these reviews are issued cita- tions and are subject to fines. Enforcement The Office of License, Inspections, and Environmental Protection enforces the provisions outlined above of the recently amended Saint Paul Legislative Code, Chapter 50, regulating the installation and maintenance reviews of individual treatment systems. A copy of this ordinance is includ- ed on page #. The building official has the authority to inspect and review all individual treatment systems. This official may ♦ issue orders to revoke or suspend permits where work is not performed in compliance with the provisions of this chapter, ♦ require property owners to stop use of a system that is operating in a manner creating a hazard to the public health, safety or welfare, ♦ condemn a dwelling that is a hazard to the public or the dwelling occu- pants, and ♦ require correction of any defective system. The City will consider variances to this code if there is undue hardship on the property owner, as long as there is no threat to public health, safety or welfare. Comprefiensive Plan 83 o.�;, ,.,.,,, i',£ ��. -� � � � �: � .` �� . �� ' ��;� �' � a� _ ��,�,� oa `�� , c�dits ` 84 Ciry ojSaint Paul The City ofsaint Paul does not discriminate on the basis of disabiliry, race, sex, sextaa/ or affecfional orienta6on, age, color, creed, natlonal origin or ancestry, marital stanas, re7igion, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance in the admission or access to, or treatrnent or employment in, its pro,grams or acaviaes.