07-477Council File # Q7- � 7 ]
Green Sheet # 3039615
RESOLUTION
�INT PAUL, MINNESOTA I 5
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Presented by
RESOLUTION ADOPTING TAE SUMMARY
OF THE HIGHLAND PARK / DISTRICT 15 NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN SUMMARY
AS AN ADDENDUM TO THE SAINT PAUL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul, as a local govemment unit within the metropolitan azea, is required under Minnesota
Statutes Secrion 473.858 to prepare a comprehensive plan; and
WHEREAS, The City of Saint Paul is authorized, under Minnesota Statutes Sechon 462355(2) and Chapter107 of the Saint Paul
Administrative Code to recommend to the Mayor and City Council amendments to the comprehensive plan intended to guide
future development and improvement of the city; and
WHEREAS, the Land Use Plan, adopted by the City Council on March 3, 1999, provides for the adoption of summaries of azea
plans as addenda to the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan upon findings by the Planning Commission that the plans are consistent
with adopted City policies; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission on Mazch 23, 2007, held a public heanng on the Highland Park / District 15
Neighborhood Plan Snmmary, notice of which was duly published in the Saint Paul Legal Ledger on Mazch 8, 2007; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission on Apri120, 2007, recommended by its Resolution 07-34 adoption of the neighborhood
plan sunm�ary by the City Council;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the summary of the Haghland Park /Distr�ct I S Neaghborhood Plan Summary,
is adopted as an addendum to the SaintPaul Comprehensive Plan conhngent upon review by the Metropolitan Council.
Benanav
Bostrom
Thune
Adopted by Council: Date
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Adoption Certified by Council Secr�'ary
By: '
Approved Ma Date ZS b
By:
Requested U De ent of:
By:
Form Approved b City Attomey
BY ��NAn�.— S't�'°7
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Form A oved y� ox f ' mis � n to Council
By:
Approved b e cial Services
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� Green Sheet Green Sheet Green Sheet Green Sheet Green Sheet Green Sheet �
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PE — Plamm�B & Economic Devetopmeut
Contact Person & Phone:
Merritt Clapp-Smith
6-6547
Must BE O� Couneil Aaen
Doc.Type: RESOLUTION
11-MAY-07
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Document Contact: Merritt Clapp-Smith
ConWCt Phone: 6-6547
Total # of Signature Pages _(Clip AII Locations for Signature)
Green Sheet NO: 3039615
0 lannin & EcOnomic Devela m
1 lannin &EconomicDevelo m De artmentD"uector
3 a or's Office Ma or/Assistant
4 ouncil
5 i Clerk Ci Clerk
Action Requested:
Approval of a City Council resolution adopting a snmmary of the Highland Pazk /Dishict IS Neighborhood Plan as an addendum to
the City�s Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission held a public heazing on the Plan smnmary on April 20 and
recommended adoption of the plan summary.
Planning Commission
CIB Committee
Civil Service Commission
1 Has this person/firm ever worked under a contract for this department?
Yes No
2. Has this person/frm ever been a city employee?
Yes No.
3. Does this person/firm possess a skill not normally possessed by any
wrrent city employee? -
Yes No
Explain all yes answers on separate sheet and attach to green sheet
Initiating Probiem,,lssues, Opportunity (Who, What, When, Where, Why):
The Highland Park / Dislrict 15 Neighborhood Plan was prepazed by a Steering Committee of the Highland Disfrict Council with
extensive community participation. The plan addresses an azea bounded by Randolph Avenue on the north, the Mississippi River on
the west and south, and I-35 on the east, with the exception of a scnall wedge shape east of Homer Street between Shepard Road and
West 7th Stree[ that belongs to District 9.
A summary of the pian has been recommended by the Planning Commission, afrer public hearing for adoption as an addendum to the
Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan replacing the 1979 Highland District P(an.
' Advantages If Approved:
; This will provide a long-range plan for the next ten years for the Highland Park / Dishict I S area.
Disadvantages If Approved:
None
Disadvantages If Not Approved:
The existing 1979 Highland District
development for this azea.
Total Amount of $O
Transaction:
Funding Source:
Fi nancial Information:
(Explain)
May 11, 2007 2:45 PM
MAY 2 3
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IS Plan has expired. The new district plan snmmary will become the long-term plan guiding
CosflRevenue Budgeted:
Activity Number:
Page 1
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CI� �r' SAINT pA�, 390 Ciry HaA Te7ephone' 6>I-266-8510
Mayar Christopher B. Coleman �5 WesrKe[IoggBoulevard Facsimile' 6i1-228-Si13
Saint Paul, MN 55102
May 16, 2007
Council President Kathy Lantry
and Members of the City Council
320 C City Hall
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Deaz Council President Lantry and Councilmembers:
It is my pleasure to transmit to you the Highland Park /District 1 S Neighborhood Plan Summary and
recommend its adoption as an addendum to the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan.
The full plan was developed by the Highland District Council with assistance from a group of
graduate students from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute. The plan evolved over two
years with input from residents and the business community at large public meehngs and in smaller
focus group meetings.
The Summary includes 60 strategies related to commercial districts, housing urban design,
transportation, pazks and recreation, environment, and public safety. Priority strategies aze idenhfied
at the end of the Summary, and focus on opportunities for enhanced services or facilities investment
within the community.
While the full plan will be available and will guide implementation by all partners, the Sununary
adopted as part of the comprehensive plan clarifies the particular strategies that are part of Saint
Paul's development agenda.
The Planning Commission reviewed this Summary and held a public heanng. They recommend
adoption. I concw with their recommendation.
Sincerely,
Christopher B. Coleman
Mayor
Enclosure
AA-ADA-EEO Employer
07
city of saint paul
planning commission resolution
file number 07-34
date April 20, 2007
RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING ADOPTION OF
THE SUMMARY OF THE HIGHLAND PARK (DISTRICT 15) NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN
AS AN ADDENDUM TO THE SAINT PAUL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
WHEREAS the Highland Park District Plan was prepared by a Highland District Council Task Force,
composed of inembers of the District Council, Highland residents and business people, and student
assistants from the University of Minnesota - Humphrey Institute, and was revised to reflect extensive
public input from two public meetings held to review the draft Plan, and was adopted after a 20-month
process by the Highland District Council Board on September 22, 2005; and
W HEREAS the plan details a community vision and investment agenda forthe area bounded by Randolph
Avenue, Mississippi River Boulevard, and I-35 (with the exception of a small wedge east of Homer Street
beiween Shepard Road and West 7 Street that belongs to District 9), addressing 'issues related to
commercial districts, housing, urban design, transportation, environment, public safety, education, and
parks, recreation and libraries; and
WHEREAS the Planning Commission is authorized under Minnesota Statutes Section 462.355(2) and
Chapter 107 of the Saint Paul Administrative Code to recommend to the Mayor and City Council
amendments to the comprehensive plan; and
WHEREAS the Land Use Plan, adopted by the City Council on February 6, 2002, provides for the
adoption of summaries of area plans as addenda to The Saint Paul Comprehensive Pian upon fiindings by
the Planning Commission that the plans are consistent with adopted City policies; and
WHEREAS comments from relevant City departments were received and the draft Summary language
was modified to address their concerns, and staff and representatives of the Highland District Council
discussed the revised Summary and supported the language; and
WHEREAS the Planning Commission, on March 23, 2007, held a public hearing on the Area Plan
Summaryof the Highland Park Neighborhood Plan, notice of which was published in the Saint Paul Legal
Ledger on March 8, 2007;
WHEREAS testimony received at the public hearing was supportive of the plan;
moved by McCall
seconded by
in favor Unanimous
against
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Highland Park Neighborhood Plan Summary
Page 2 of Resolution
WHEREAS the Neighborhood and Current Planning Committee of the Planning Commission met two
times to discuss the Summary and suggested a modest revision to language in Action Item #26; and
WHEREAS the Planning Commission accepts the revision;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED thatthe Saint Paul Planning Commission finds that The Highland
Park Neighborhood Plan Summary is consistent with The Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and other
relevant City policies and recommends the adoption of the plan summary by the City Council as an
addendum to the comprehensive plan, replacing the previous Highland District Plan adopted in 1979.
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Area Plan Summary
District 15 Highland Park Neighborhood Plan
Addendum to The Comprehensive Plan for Saint Paul
Recommended by the Planning Commission Apri120, 2007
Adopted by the City Council -[2007]
This summary appends to the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan the vision and strategies of the
District I S Highland Park Neighborhood Plan and replaces the Highland Park District Plan
adopted in 1979. The District 1 S Highland Park Neighborhood Plan consists of eight major
areas offocus, including (I) CommerciaZDistricts, (2) Housing, (3) Urban Design, (4)
Transportation, (S) Parks, Recreation, and Libraries (6) Environment, (7) Publie Safety, and (8)
Education. The full-length plan, used for reference in the creation of this Area Plan Summary,
was not itseZf adopted by the City and may include some policy differences. Copies of the full-
length plan are available for review at the Saint Paul Department of Planning and Economic
Development and the offices of the Highland Park District Council.
Location
The Highland Park neighborhood is bounded by Randolph Avenue on the north, the Mississippi
River on the west and south, and I-35 on the east, with the exception of a small wedge shape east
of Homer Street between Shepard Road and West 7` Street that belongs to District 9.
Location of District 15 Highland Park Area in City of St. Paul
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Highland Park seeks to strengthen iYs place as one of the best places to live, work and recreate in
the City of St. Paul. The community aims to foster an environment that respects and enriches the
mutually beneficial relationship between residential livability and commercial vitality by
stressing its values, including quality of life, diversity of culture and pride in our community.
Through the implementation of this Plan, the community strives to:
• incorporate a mix of uses and a pedestrian-friendly street environment in commercial
areas
• provide services that contribute to neighborhood self-sufficiency while improving the
DistricYs position in the regional economy
• maintain high-quality housing stock through physical maintenance and community
interaction that promotes pride and safety
• welcome residents from a broad spectrum o£ age groups and income levels with new
housing units that are high quality as well as affordable
• protect and expand access to the districYs natural amenities including parks, trails,
views and recreational facilities
• enhance environmental consciousness to reduce the negative impacts of humans on the
environment
• encourage proactive planning for the Ford Flant site, while continuing to support the
invaluable asset it provides
• maintain a high level of safety through community engagement, strong relationships
with public safety departxnents, and utilization of crime-preventive urban design
features
.• enjoy a high level of education due to a successful relationship between the
neighborhood, the City, and the education community
Actions for achieving the above vision and goals for Highland Park are presented in several topic
areas: Commercial Districts, Housing, Urban Design, Transportation, Parks and Recreation,
Environment, Public Safety, and Education.
Commercial District
West 7"� Street Area
1) Amend the Shepard-Davern Gateway Small Area Plan and Overlay [Summary adopted
9/22/1999] with two modifications:
a) Reduce the maximum allowed building height to five floors or fifty-five feet while
continuing to enfarce forty-foot height limits in the Mississippi River Critical Area
b) Eliminate convention facilities as permitted uses
2) Initiate a TN3 Master Plan to evaluate potential rezonings and implementation of TN design
guidelines to replace the design guidelines in the Shepard-Davem Overlay area
Highland Park / District 15 Neighborhood Plan Summary Page 2
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Highland Village
3) Rezone portions of Highland Village to 1`N-2 to support mixed-use development and
appropriate building design
4) Explore options for shared parking a�eements and new parking facilities in Highland
Village
5) Explore the potential for a Pazking Benefit District or cooperative special assessment in
Highland Village to address parking issues, generate revenue far street improvements, and
fund future parking facilities
6) Work with Metro Transit to maintain transit access to both Downtown St. Paul and
Downtown Minneapolis from Highland Village
7) Conduct a plannuig study of the Ford Plant site and the adjacent railroad comdor to consider
future land use options
Snelling-Randolph CommercialArea
8) Consider rezoning portions of the Snelling-Randolph commercial area to TN-2 to support
mixed-use development and to provide design standards that limit the visual impacts of
parking and maintain attractive building facades
Housing
9) Utilize zoning mechanisms, such as TN zoning that allow for residential uses in the
commercial areas, while limiting the expansion of commercial uses into residential
neighborhoods
10) Ensure that any redevelopment of the St. Gregory's site�r any future redevelopment in
residential areas—is compatible with the character of the surrounding neighborhood
11) Encourage mixed-income developments, offering both renter and owner options
12) If Sibley Manor or other lazge market-rate ar subsidized affordable housing complexes are
redeveloped, District 15 requests that at least 30% of the new units provided on site are
affordable to residents making below the St. Paul median income
13) District 15 requests that the City implement architectural design standards to ensure Yhat new
residential construction is compatible with adjacent houses in scale, form and architectural
design
Urban Design
14) District 15 encourages the Ciry to enhance the basic design standards in the City code for
commercial areas to be more similar to TN zoning district design standards
15) Use City's sign code to limit billboards and ensure attractive signage
16) Increase the number of street trees with infill planting where gaps exist and with new
development projects
17) Continue to survey and inventory historic properties in the district in order to provide
protection and encourage sympathetic renovation
18) Encourage buried power lines
Highland Park/District 15 Neighborhood Plan Summary Page 3
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Transportation
19)Use traffic calming desi� techniques—like those outlined in the City's Transportation
Plan—to increase pedestrian and driver safety
20) In the West 7` Street Area, make the following changes to the public street right-of-ways to
ensure an attractive and safe pedeshian environment:
a) District 15 will discuss with MnDOT settin� a uniform speed limit of no more than 35
miles per hour along West 7�' Street throu�h Highland Park
b) Ensure that all realigned streets create a gridiron street pattem with short, urban-sized
blocks
c) Provide on-street parking when possible
d) Install frequent street trees and other streetscaping
e) Require wide sidewalks throughout the area and replace existing gaps in the sidewalk
network (Davem, Rankin, Madison, Alton and Springfield streets)
� District 15 desires to install count-down pedestrian crossings at majar intersections,
including West 7 Street and Davem and add new crosswalks and signage at all
intersections, and will work with Public Works to pursue these objectives.
g) Install a semaphore at the intersection of Shepard and Davern
h) District 15 will pursue installation of a left-tum signal with the existing semaphore at the
West 7� Street and Davem intersection
i) District 15 will pursue redesign of the intersection at West 7"', Montreal and Lexington
to increase pedestrian safety
j) Redesign intersection of St. Paul and Cleveland Avenues to increase pedestrian safety
21) District 15 will pursue reconnecting Shepard Road to the Mississippi River as a parkway
extension of Mississippi River Blvd with extensive landscaping and pedestrian and bicycle
trails.
22) Prioritize resources for the reconshuction of the Edgcumbe-Hamline bridge
23) The Highland community strongly desires a reduction in the speed limit on Snelling Avenue
from 35 to a uniform 30 miles per hour beriveen Highland Parkway and Montreal
24) Study TN rezoning for portions of Highland Village and West 7 Street area to achieve better
design standards for parking
25) Install bike lanes on Snelling and Randolph, where possible
26) Enhance bicycle facilities and conshuct bicycle routes in the District consistent with the
City's Transportation Plan, however, the Highland District Council opposes adding new
bicycle lanes along Mississippi River Blvd.
27) Expand and encourage use of and access to transit options
28) Increase the number of bus shelters along bus routes
29) Protect the Mississippi River Blvd from transportation changes that would increase motor
vehicle traffic
30) Protect the District from transportation changes that will create new or larger arterial roads
31) Ensure that all sireets have a sidewalk on at least one side of the street and adequate lighting
Parks, Recreation, and Libraries
32) Assess resources for the expansion of services at Homecroft as a community recreational
center and enlargement of its meeting and play spaces, which are identified as priorities by
the Highland District Council
Highland Park/District 15 Neighborhood Plan Summary Page 4
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33) Prioritize Capital Improvement Budget monies to build a new park near the existing Sibley
Manor, as outlined in the Shepard-Davern Plan
34) Assess funding for a new recrearion center south of West 7` Street, identified as a priority by
the Highland District Council
35)Identify and map opportunities for future green and open space acquisirion, conservation,
public access to the Mississippi River, and creating connections between existing open
spaces and pazks
36) Masimize connectiviTy between parks and open space through the use of bicycle and
pedestrian trails in Highland and with adj acent districts
37) Protect views and vistas to and from the Mississippi River while protecting environmentally
sensitive azeas
38) Upgrade historic Highland Golf Course Clubhouse as a multi-use facility that can be rented
by the public for events
39) Prioritize resources for an expanded librazy in the West 7 St corridor
40) Prioritize resources for renovation of the Highland library and consider expansion
41) Support opportunities for the public to comment on potential parks and recreation changes
Environmental
42) Provide a variety of educational and community clean-up events
43) Identify structures in District 15 that are at risk for lead-based paint and lead pipes and
mitigate their negative effects through programs for replacement, rehabilltation and
repainting
44) Identify areas of high stormwater run-off and alleviate its effects through the integration of
best management practices into developments
45) Develop crearive funding strategies for upgrading infrastructure within the District
46)Reestablish Saint PauPs representation on the Metropolitan Airport Commission's Noise
Abatement Board
47) Support city-wide energy conservation efforts such as the Neighborhood Energy Connection
and its "hOurCar" caz-sharing program
48) Maintain weekly recycling pick-up
49) Replace boulevard and park trees that are lost due to disease, damage, etc.
50) Plant only native species or cultivars in natural areas while controlling exotic and invasive
species
51) Preserve and protect natural resources, like the Mississippi River, its floodplain and bluffs by
restricting new development from extending past its current boundaries unless such
development is specifically allowed in the floodplain or critical area overlay districts
52) Strictly enforce height limits within the Mississippi River Critical Area
Public SafeTy
53) Continue to support Neighborhood Block program
54) Educate property owners on crime prevention and security improvements in the home and
commercial areas
55) Increase police pairols—particularly at night—to prevent unlawful behavior
56) increase police presence in parks—particularly Crosby Fann Park and along the Mississippi
River
57) Upgrade deteriorating sidewalks
Highland Park / District 15 Neighborhood Pian Summary Page 5
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58) Ensure that strong police community bonds are continued through interactions at both
Dishict Council meetings and involvement with the monthly Western District community
meetings
59) Apply CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Community Design) principles in the desi� of
public proj ects
Education Strategies
60) Encourage public participation in school decisions that will have a large impact on the
surroundin� neighborhood
� Actions for Cit
The following actions (referenced by number in the plan slunmary) have been identiYied as
priorities of the community that require leadership or signification participation by city
government. Community groups and city departments should implement the projects identified
in this summary by applying for city resources in competitive processes such as the Capital
Improvement Budget (CIB) and Sales Tax Revitalization program (STAR), and working though
the regulaz operating programs of relevant city departments.
Planning and Economic Development
#1, #2, #3, #7, #8, #9, #10, #12, #13, #14, #48, #52, #53
Public Works
#19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #26, #29, #46
License, Inspections and Environmental Protection
#5, #15, #43
Parks and Recreation
#26, #32, #33, #34, #50
Libraries
#39, #40
Police
#55, #56
Commission
Neighborhood Plan, as proposed by the District 15 Planning Council, is generally consistent with
the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and adopted City policies.
Highland Park / District 95 Neighborhood Plan Summary Page 6
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Process
1'he District 15 Comprehensive Plan Update was created throu�h a pubhc particxpahon process
and a thorough investigation of the issues that will affect Aighland Park in the next ten to twenty
years. T'he community plan process started in January 2004. The Highland District Council
created a Task Force to deal specifically with creating goals for Hi�hland's future. The creation
of this plan took place in several steps over a twenty-month period. 'I'he Task Force was
composed of inembers of the Highland District Council and staff, planners from the City of St.
Paul, members of the community, business owners, and student consultants from the University
of Minnesota — Humphrey Institute. Residents and business-owners were also asked to give
input on the Plan through interviews with key stakeholders and at public meetings.
The Task Force met nearly two dozen times between January 2004 and September 2005 to
discuss the issues of primary importance to District 15. These meetings were brainstorm sessions
that focused on land use, economic development, public safety, transportation, parks and
recreation, quality of life issues, business/commercial, and human services. The outcome of these
meetings was a preliminary draft of the Dish Plan addressing the prominent issues in the
District.
In January of 2005, four graduate students from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs (HHH)
at the University of Minnesota were contracted to develop and arganize the updated plan for
Highland as part of their final capstone project. The graduate students met with the Highland
District Council, the Planning Task Force, and many community members to get further input for
the District Plan. They developed a stakeholder analysis to determine who was invested in the
Highland District, and whom they should contact about specific issues. The HHH graduate
students aiso developed an analysis of the Strengths, Weal�esses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT) in the District. The Highland District Council gave their input on the assets and issues
far many topics and changes Highland will address in the future. The HHH graduate students
compiled this information and used it to create the Plan Elements listed in the plan.
The draft District Plan was presented to the public at the Highland District CounciPs annual
meeting on April 26, 2005. The students gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the plan, and
provided draft Plan Element sections for the community to read and respond to. The community
members who attended the meeting were encouraged to give input and commentary on the draft.
The Highland District Council held a second public meeting for input on the District Plan on
June 23, 2005 at the Hillcrest Recreation Center. This meeting was an open forum where the
public expressed their ideas about the Plan. Both sets of public meetings lead to positive
feedback and significant changes to the final Plan.
After the students finished their work, the District Council hired one of the graduate students to
finalize the Plan. At a special meeting on September 22, 2005, the Highland Dishict Council
Board voted unanimously to approve the District Plan.
Highland Park / District 15 Neighborhood Plan Summary Page 7