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Record of Proceedings

Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - June 23, 2023

Planning Commission — Friday, June 23, 2023
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionPlanning Commission
DateFriday, June 23, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:02

23rd.

0:06

I didn't start today's meeting with approval of the minutes from June 9.

0:10

Is there a motion?

0:11

So moved.

0:11

Moved by Commissioner Hills.

0:16

So we'll be fine.

0:18

I don't have any new announcements.

0:21

I will be leaving early.

0:23

We'll be taking over for remainder of the basic meetings.

0:32

So do you have any announcements there?

0:36

Fairness think I didn't prepare.

0:38

Let's see.

0:38

The um I mentioned we have a new city uh city planner.

0:43

Uh Chris Kong should be um joining our next meeting uh to be the commissioners.

0:47

Um and then as a reminder, we have a public hearing at the next meeting.

0:52

Commissioner Presley will be chairing um uh that meeting.

0:56

And so it's uh on the EV charging, EV zoning charging ordinance amendments.

1:02

So um if uh if you'd like to share the word with people who might be interested in that, um please do that.

1:10

Any questions for the director?

1:12

Moving on to the next item and zoning committee, Commissioner Red.

1:17

Thank you.

1:18

Uh Chair, we met last Thursday and we had two cases and one of them was waiting the only one case.

1:29

Raymond Raymond and West Adam.

1:32

Oh my god.

1:34

Um okay.

1:36

So we had two cases.

1:37

The first one's a rezoning from uh RM2 multifamily residential to T2 Digital neighborhood at 898 RAM Raymond Avenue.

1:45

Um which is uh rezoning to allow for um more flexibility for the retail slash service retail use in that building.

1:57

Um last time the current owner um had a salon in the facility before, but um basically we need to come back to the planning commission every time we wanted to have a new user.

2:10

So that was the uh rationale for rezoning to traditional neighborhood.

2:15

There's more uses allowed.

2:17

Um we had a couple of comments in um opposition, uh mostly about the kinds of uses that are allowed in T2.

2:24

Um, but uh the zoning committee recommended the staff uh recommendation to this body, which is uh for approval um the rezoning, we can go on to the seats.

2:45

Raymond is there any discussion on motion?

2:48

Commissioner Tagger.

2:49

Just one question, Chair Riley.

2:51

Um, was that a um was there any discussion around spot zoning?

2:56

No, I don't remember the pretty much discussion about spot zoning.

3:00

And um Ann Con, I think did you present on it?

3:04

Would you want to comment on that?

3:08

Um yeah, the finding in the the staff's report because it was not uh spot zoning.

3:15

Uh the building uh had originally been zoned in 1922 as commercial.

3:22

Uh it's been mixed use since it was built in the 20s, uh is originally built as a bakery.

3:27

Um and it is within uh 10 minute walk, half mile of the Raymond stationary uh station, LAT station, um which puts it uh kind of within that neighborhood node where we want to support mixed use.

3:44

So uh for those reasons it wasn't spot zoning.

3:50

I I think maybe the most important part, sorry, of your of your staff report was that the comp plan suggests that this whole area should be T2 in the future.

3:58

So when cop plan has primacy over the zoning, then um then that's another reason why spot zoning doesn't spot zoning.

4:06

The other thing that um uh is in this included in the staff report is that there's t2 on the same block.

4:14

Um that it's essentially the same scale of development, it's just more availability for uses that are actually functional for like that uh I think that jumping points uh objections to it was it's it seems like it's been a mostly vacant building, um, with the exception of some artist loss or opposites there, and I think uh it seems seems like the neighborhood have kind of adjusted to the lack of uh big big uh automobiles coming through and using that as a bakery.

4:51

Um and then as we kind of dug into their objections, it really seemed uh their objection was just in general to have anything there.

5:03

So just yeah, that I just wanted to comment on that.

5:06

But any additional questions on what was discussed or so all those in favor say aye.

5:15

Any opposed light sign?

5:17

That motion does unanimously carry for the rezoning at 898 agreement.

5:22

Next item, Commissioner Ross.

5:25

Oh this one was a little more exciting.

5:31

This is uh for a conditional use permit to uh increase uh the number of parking spaces at 1600 West 7th.

5:40

Um Dr.

5:42

Ben Thomas is a dentist, he applied for generational use permit to increase the surfing surface parking maximum um at that site, which is a 35 and West 7th, where the what I call the defunct burger king this um and uh the currently that parking lot has 36 spaces, and uh the dental office folks intend to build the brand new structure um for both their facility um and uh an additional um smaller uh unit, I guess, in the in sort of a two-unit building that would be intended to be either an orthodontic facility, something complimentary to dentist, so orthodontor um oral surgery, that kind of thing.

6:24

Um and uh the two-story uh 7,818 square foot dentist office and attached single fourth story 1,744 square foot commercial space, as as I said, the applicant stated that they intended to have a complementary use in that other space.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Regulation█████████████████████████████████33%
Affordable Housing█████████████13%
Public Transportation███████████11%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Legislative Advocacy█████5%
Public Works█████5%
Cannabis Regulation█████5%
Procedural████4%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - June 23, 2023

The Saint Paul Planning Commission met on June 23, 2023, to approve minutes, hear reports from the Zoning Committee, and receive an informational legislative update from Planning Director Luis Pereira. The meeting included action on two zoning cases: a rezoning and a conditional use permit for additional parking.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes from June 9, 2023: Moved by Commissioner Hills, carried unanimously.

Chair's Announcements

  • Chair Riley announced he would leave early; Commissioner Grill would take over.
  • New city planner Chris Kong will join the next meeting.
  • Reminder: A public hearing on EV charging zoning ordinance amendments will occur at the next meeting (chaired by Commissioner Presley).

Planning Director's Announcements

  • None.

Zoning Committee – New Business

Case #23-043-758 – 898 Raymond Rezoning (RM2 to T2)

  • Rezone from RM2 (multiple-family residential) to T2 (traditional neighborhood) to allow more flexibility for retail/service retail uses in the existing building at 898 Raymond Avenue.
  • Current owner previously operated a salon; under RM2, a new use required a return to the Planning Commission.
  • Discussion: Some public opposition was received, primarily about the types of uses allowed in T2. Staff addressed spot‑zoning concerns: the building was originally zoned commercial in 1922, has been mixed‑use since construction, is within a half‑mile of Raymond Station (a transit node), and the Comprehensive Plan designates the area as T2. Commissioner Taghioff noted T2 is already on the same block.
  • Vote: Motion to approve the rezoning carried unanimously.

Case #23-044-694 – 1600 W. 7th CUP (increase surface parking)

  • Conditional Use Permit sought by Dr. Ben Thomas (dentist) to increase the surface parking maximum from 36 to 54 stalls at 1600 7th St. W. (former Burger King site). The applicant plans a two‑story, 7,818‑sq‑ft dental office with an attached 1,744‑sq‑ft commercial space (e.g., orthodontist/oral surgery).
  • Staff recommended approval with conditions (building setback, entrance orientation, parking alignment with May Street). Zoning Committee discussed parking necessity given two high‑frequency bus lines and future transit‑oriented vision for West 7th. A compromise of 46 stalls (no net increase from existing 36? Actually current lot has 36, proposal was for 54, compromise 46 – an increase of 10) was reached.
  • Discussion: Commissioner Kantner noted trade‑offs between building placement and parking reduction; Commissioner Martinson raised stormwater concerns (site under 1 acre, city regulations apply). Chair Riley asked about EV charging requirements – not yet in effect. Commissioner Moore questioned parking priorities vs. comprehensive plan goals. Director Pereira cautioned that B3 zoning permits accessory parking without T‑district design standards.
  • Final Recommendation from Committee: Approve CUP to 46 stalls with conditions: building setback ≤15 ft from West 7th and Montreal Way; primary entrance oriented to those streets; parking ingress/egress aligned with May Street (subject to traffic engineer review).
  • Vote: Motion to approve the committee’s recommendation carried.

Other Committee Reports

  • Comprehensive & Neighborhood Planning Committee: Cancelled; next meeting July 5 (subject to change).
  • Transportation Committee: Next meeting Monday, June 26 at 4:30 p.m. Agenda: John Ireland Boulevard bridge reconstruction (MnDOT presentation), Lath Trail connection (Public Works), and Flandro Bike Boulevard planning study.
  • Communications-Nomination Committee: No meeting; no update.
  • Task Force/Liaison Reports: No meetings; upcoming draft recommendations related to a study will be brought to CAC within the next month.

Informational Presentation: Legislative Update and Conversation

Planning Director Luis Pereira presented a summary of the 2023 state legislative session outcomes relevant to planning. Key topics included:

  • Housing: New rental voucher program (households up to 50% AMI); $100M for affordable housing (Minnesota Housing and EDHC); homebuyer assistance ($200M); manufactured home park co‑op funding; ADU fix‑up fund now includes detached ADUs; quarter‑cent sales tax for housing in St. Paul (projected $4B); 4D tax classification reduction (to 0.25%), with potential implications for other taxpayers.
  • Transportation: Billions for roads, bridges, transit; vehicle sales tax, fee tab, and gas tax increases (indexed to inflation); 1% sales tax option for local roads/parks/bridges (requires ballot); Metro transit sales tax (3/4‑cent); LRT study requirement; EV/e‑bike credits.
  • City Priority Projects: North End Community Center (Rice St.), Mississippi River Learning Center, Third Street/Kellogg Bridge, Hill/Preble/Hudson housing, Rivers Edge park, Rondo innovation campus, and other earmarks.
  • CAP Board: $25M for University/Rice pedestrian/transportation investments; $5M for community vitality task force and implementation (report due Feb. 1, 2024). Some commissioners expressed frustration with CAP’s independence and parking regulations.
  • Met Council: $79M for BRT system (G‑line fully funded); new climate‑related planning requirements for 2050 comprehensive plans.
  • Land Use & Zoning: Legalized adult‑use cannabis (capped at ~25 retail outlets in St. Paul, separation distances required); sacred settlements legislation (requires cities to permit micro‑housing communities on religious property, either by right or conditional use). City has an interim ordinance for one project at 540 Wheelock Parkway.
  • Energy & Climate: 100% carbon‑free electricity by 2040; net‑zero emissions by 2050; expanded weatherization grants (eligible up to 80% AMI).
  • Budget: LGA formula change increases aid to St. Paul; local option sales tax allowed; downtown TIF districts extended 10 years; historic tax credit reinstated; lead pipe removal funds; Promise Grant/Loan program for neighborhoods affected by civil unrest.

Key Outcomes

  • Rezoning (898 Raymond): Approved unanimously.
  • CUP (1600 W. 7th): Approved (increase to 46 parking stalls with conditions).
  • Legislative Update: No action taken; informational only. Planning Director will share additional details and follow up on task force appointments.
  • Next Meeting: Public hearing on EV charging ordinance amendments (chaired by Commissioner Presley).

Meeting Transcript

23rd. I didn't start today's meeting with approval of the minutes from June 9. Is there a motion? So moved. Moved by Commissioner Hills. So we'll be fine. I don't have any new announcements. I will be leaving early. We'll be taking over for remainder of the basic meetings. So do you have any announcements there? Fairness think I didn't prepare. Let's see. The um I mentioned we have a new city uh city planner. Uh Chris Kong should be um joining our next meeting uh to be the commissioners. Um and then as a reminder, we have a public hearing at the next meeting. Commissioner Presley will be chairing um uh that meeting. And so it's uh on the EV charging, EV zoning charging ordinance amendments. So um if uh if you'd like to share the word with people who might be interested in that, um please do that. Any questions for the director? Moving on to the next item and zoning committee, Commissioner Red. Thank you. Uh Chair, we met last Thursday and we had two cases and one of them was waiting the only one case. Raymond Raymond and West Adam. Oh my god. Um okay. So we had two cases. The first one's a rezoning from uh RM2 multifamily residential to T2 Digital neighborhood at 898 RAM Raymond Avenue. Um which is uh rezoning to allow for um more flexibility for the retail slash service retail use in that building. Um last time the current owner um had a salon in the facility before, but um basically we need to come back to the planning commission every time we wanted to have a new user. So that was the uh rationale for rezoning to traditional neighborhood. There's more uses allowed. Um we had a couple of comments in um opposition, uh mostly about the kinds of uses that are allowed in T2. Um, but uh the zoning committee recommended the staff uh recommendation to this body, which is uh for approval um the rezoning, we can go on to the seats. Raymond is there any discussion on motion? Commissioner Tagger. Just one question, Chair Riley. Um, was that a um was there any discussion around spot zoning? No, I don't remember the pretty much discussion about spot zoning. And um Ann Con, I think did you present on it? Would you want to comment on that? Um yeah, the finding in the the staff's report because it was not uh spot zoning. Uh the building uh had originally been zoned in 1922 as commercial. Uh it's been mixed use since it was built in the 20s, uh is originally built as a bakery. Um and it is within uh 10 minute walk, half mile of the Raymond stationary uh station, LAT station, um which puts it uh kind of within that neighborhood node where we want to support mixed use. So uh for those reasons it wasn't spot zoning. I I think maybe the most important part, sorry, of your of your staff report was that the comp plan suggests that this whole area should be T2 in the future. So when cop plan has primacy over the zoning, then um then that's another reason why spot zoning doesn't spot zoning. The other thing that um uh is in this included in the staff report is that there's t2 on the same block. Um that it's essentially the same scale of development, it's just more availability for uses that are actually functional for like that uh I think that jumping points uh objections to it was it's it seems like it's been a mostly vacant building, um, with the exception of some artist loss or opposites there, and I think uh it seems seems like the neighborhood have kind of adjusted to the lack of uh big big uh automobiles coming through and using that as a bakery. Um and then as we kind of dug into their objections, it really seemed uh their objection was just in general to have anything there.

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