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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting – August 4, 2023

Planning Commission — Friday, August 4, 2023

BodySt Paul, Minnesota

SessionPlanning Commission

DateFriday, August 4, 2023

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:51:45

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:07

Minutes for July 7th.

0:09

30 function.

0:10

So by Commissioner Ruthburg.

0:14

Secondary by Commissioner Grill.

0:16

All those in favor of the minutes say aye.

0:19

Any up poll slides signed for the minutes for July 7th or approved.

0:25

We did, I don't know, please mention this for a file, but we did lose two commissioners.

0:30

Commissioner Mitchell and both had to step down.

0:35

And so we now have a need for more people on the communication and nominations committee, which meets very infrequently, but they do meet before the planning commission meeting as needed from 8 to 8 30, right?

0:53

Typically, yes.

0:54

Yeah.

0:54

So if uh anybody has any interest in joining that, we would also need a chair for the F commission.

1:03

So I'm a remaining member.

1:05

You are the whole place think about that, and I will be talking to other people who are not here today.

1:15

It's well to go something interesting on the record.

1:18

Um yeah, thank you, Chair.

1:21

Good morning, everybody.

1:22

Um looks like we might have a quorum now with Commissioner Pega, which is great.

1:26

Thank you.

1:27

Um the only update I could think of here um is uh recently had a chance to talk to the uh youth on boards cohort.

1:35

The youth on boards is a cohort of uh young people that are participating um with with the city with the idea that uh the mayor's division is to have youth serving every single board and commission of the city at some point during his administration.

1:52

And so they have uh proceeded to do that on the transportation committee.

1:56

There's members uh but the the next uh I don't know where the next one, but the planning commission is is looked at as another opportunity for you to serve.

2:05

Um and so um as part of that, and I think as part of just to talk about urban planning, I went and spoke to the group, the current cohort.

2:12

Um they also were at the um business review council meeting this uh this week when I was there for something else.

2:19

So they seem to be um making it rounds.

2:22

Um so in the near future, potentially as soon as uh next year, we will we may have one or two youth members of the planning commission.

2:29

Um so in terms of thinking about our you know the way we make decisions and sort of ensuring we have representation um uh across the city, um trying to um uh plug into our both our ward vacancies, but um the process may be a little bit different, so that it's more likely that the the youth that are um able to commit to the times, you know, when commission commission and committees meet, um, as well as some of those award vacancies will will be somewhat the more limiting factor than say like a bunch of youth apply and they're gonna go through our regular process of you know we review and we recommend uh to the mayor's office.

3:08

So um that will account for possibly two of the vacancies we have right now in in the future.

3:14

Um and uh the good thing about it though is um a very diverse group of of folks.

3:20

Um my sense it's mostly um folks in high school or um uh finished and sort of um looking at the next thing in their lives.

3:30

So uh keep questions.

3:36

So unlike Met Council, um these will be voting members.

3:41

Uh Commissioner Risburg, Chair, I'm not sure.

3:44

Uh I would assume they would be.

3:46

I've heard nothing different in terms of um how the participation would be structured.

3:52

Um, and I'm not entirely sure.

3:54

I mean, Commissioner Martinson or others on the transportation committee whether we uh whether they the youth members vote, they do run it.

4:02

Yes, of course, you're the chair.

4:03

Um so presuming that's the case.

4:06

I wouldn't expect a use of different, but at least I've never been told that they shouldn't vote.

4:12

So they have voted.

4:15

And they've been voted.

4:22

That's okay.

4:24

Any additional questions for voice.

4:27

Okay, so then we'll move on to the committee, Commissioner Ray.

4:31

Uh thank you, Chairing.

4:33

I was you were absent with the Commissioner Sayyid.

4:37

Or were you there for the I was not there, and so I was gonna develop the Commissioner Sayyid or John or Grill, whoever was here.

4:44

Okay, yeah.

4:46

I'll take um thank you, Chair.

4:49

Good morning, members.

5:00

Um, we had uh two items, um, but one is layout and uh we have uh rezoning well 1500 and York is forum well uh our four one family uh residential to RM2 multiple family residential uh um we had um uh district two submitted a letter recommendation and for approval and we had uh zero letter to support and we have we had a 16 letter in oppositions um committed reviews and uh discussion and the committee voted uh five uno for approval mortgage council had had submitted a letter in favor of this well we had uh uh uh rezoning on also cut so the the the item that was approved.

6:00

I don't I don't recall whether or not I think you remove presenting uh Bill okay, Mr.

6:08

Dermani is not here.

6:10

Um so the first item was just a rezoning um and the surrounding buildings to the at least of them happen to be to the labs or maybe the west uh were also RM2 the bigger more contentious issue and what we had uh people come and testify or provide their opinions about was about the height.

6:34

Um that was the more that's what that's what was laid over.

6:39

Yeah, chair.

6:40

So just uh looking at the summary from from that meeting.

6:43

Uh it looks like the district two greater side submitted a letter recommending approval both of the rezoning and the conditional use permit.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Land Use Regulation█████████████████████████████████████████████59%

Housing█████████████████22%

Procedural████5%

Public Safety██3%

Environmental Protection██3%

Youth Programs██2%

Affordable Housing██2%

Water And Wastewater Management██2%

Public Transportation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting – August 4, 2023

The Saint Paul Planning Commission met on August 4, 2023, to approve minutes, receive committee reports, and discuss the 1-4 Unit Housing Study Phase 2 zoning amendments. Key actions included approval of a rezoning at 1500-1510 York Avenue, updates on commission vacancies and youth participation, and a detailed presentation on proposed code changes. The commission deferred a vote on the housing study to a future meeting.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the July 7, 2023 meeting were approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Risberg, second by Commissioner Grill).

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were made during the full commission meeting. Public testimony was previously heard at the Zoning Committee and Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee meetings.

Discussion Items

Chair's Announcements: Chair Luis Rangel Morales announced the departure of two commissioners (Commissioners Mitchell and another) and called for volunteers on the Communications-Nominations Committee, which meets infrequently before planning commission meetings.
Planning Director's Announcements: Director Luis Pereira reported on the Youth on Boards cohort, a program to place youth on city boards and commissions. He noted that the planning commission may have one or two youth voting members as early as next year. The youth members would be voting members, as confirmed by Commissioner Martinson based on the Transportation Committee's experience.
Zoning Committee Report: Commissioner Riley reported on Item #23-059-798, the rezoning of 1500-1510 York Avenue from R4 (one-family residential) to RM2 (multiple-family residential). The committee received a letter of support from District 2, 16 letters in opposition, and a letter of favor from the Metropolitan Council. The committee voted 5-0 to recommend approval. The full commission voted to approve the rezoning (Commissioner Ochoa recused himself). The related conditional use permit (CUP) for a height increase from 50 to 67 feet was laid over and will be heard at the August 10, 2023 Zoning Committee meeting.
Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee Report: Commissioner Holmes introduced the 1-4 Unit Housing Study Phase 2. Staff planner Emma Brown presented extensive recommended amendments to the March 3, 2023 public hearing draft, based on public testimony and committee discussions. Key proposals included:
- Zoning Districts: Consolidation of H1 and H2 (formerly H1 and H2 with H3 renamed H2). RL district unchanged. H1 allows up to 4 units per lot by right; H2 allows up to 5 units by right (reduced from 6). Density bonuses allow up to 6 units.
- Height Limits: RL and H1: 30 feet maximum; H2: 35 feet maximum, with 30 feet at side setbacks. Additional height by stepping back was removed.
- Lot Coverage: Maximum building lot coverage: 40% for RL, 45% for H1, 50% for H2. For density bonus or cluster developments, an additional 5% is allowed. Parking and paving coverage capped at 10% for lots on alleys or corners, 15% for others, leading to total maximum impervious coverage of 50-70% (targeting 65% per MnDOT drainage manual).
- Density Bonus: Four options: 20% of units affordable at 60% AMI (rental, 10-year affordability), 80% AMI (owner-occupied, first sale), units with 3+ bedrooms, or retention of at least 50% of existing residential floor area.
- Setbacks: Front yard setback determined by a midpoint system: if both adjoining setbacks are 15 feet or less, minimum is 10 feet; otherwise, the midpoint of 10 feet and the larger adjoining setback. For RL, a modified system uses 30 feet as the district standard.
- Design Standards: Additional standards for primary entrance delineation, compatible remodels, and front yard landscaping. Fence height limited to 4 feet in the front yard (area between front property line and principal building) and for back lots along the street-facing property line.
- Zoning Map: Expanded H2 district to include parcels within 1/8 mile of the planned H Line, A Line, B Line, Gold Line, Purple Line, Riverview, G Line, high-frequency bus routes 63 and 64, and Randolph/E7th Street. Major parks and open spaces retained as H1.
- Commissioners discussed concerns: Commissioner Ochoa noted that 30 feet may not accommodate three stories due to parapet and grade requirements; Commissioner Grill raised questions about lot coverage and pervious surface; Commissioner Riley expressed concerns about the fence height provision for back lots. Director Pereira suggested staff work with commissioners on fence language and height details before the next meeting.
- The committee will vote on the recommendation at the next Planning Commission meeting.
Transportation Committee: Commissioner Martinson reported that the next meeting (scheduled for Monday) was canceled.
Communications-Nominations Committee: Commissioner Khadar sought volunteers for the committee and chair. Chair Rangel Morales noted low commitment but high recruitment needs later in the year.
Task Force/Liaison Reports: Director Pereira updated on the Riverview Corridor project, noting ongoing review of draft station plans and discussions about station locations on Randolph and Grand Avenue to align with development opportunities and future transit connections.

Key Outcomes

Approved: Rezoning of 1500-1510 York Avenue from R4 to RM2 (unanimous vote, Commissioner Ochoa recused). The recommendation will go to the City Council.
Deferred: The 1-4 Unit Housing Study Phase 2 zoning amendments will be voted on at the next Planning Commission meeting (date not specified, likely later in August).
Next Steps: The Zoning Committee will consider the conditional use permit for 1500-1510 York Avenue on August 10, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. Staff will work with commissioners on fence height and height language for the housing study.
Recruitment: Commissioners are encouraged to volunteer for the Communications-Nominations Committee.

Meeting Transcript

Minutes for July 7th. 30 function. So by Commissioner Ruthburg. Secondary by Commissioner Grill. All those in favor of the minutes say aye. Any up poll slides signed for the minutes for July 7th or approved. We did, I don't know, please mention this for a file, but we did lose two commissioners. Commissioner Mitchell and both had to step down. And so we now have a need for more people on the communication and nominations committee, which meets very infrequently, but they do meet before the planning commission meeting as needed from 8 to 8 30, right? Typically, yes. Yeah. So if uh anybody has any interest in joining that, we would also need a chair for the F commission. So I'm a remaining member. You are the whole place think about that, and I will be talking to other people who are not here today. It's well to go something interesting on the record. Um yeah, thank you, Chair. Good morning, everybody. Um looks like we might have a quorum now with Commissioner Pega, which is great. Thank you. Um the only update I could think of here um is uh recently had a chance to talk to the uh youth on boards cohort. The youth on boards is a cohort of uh young people that are participating um with with the city with the idea that uh the mayor's division is to have youth serving every single board and commission of the city at some point during his administration. And so they have uh proceeded to do that on the transportation committee. There's members uh but the the next uh I don't know where the next one, but the planning commission is is looked at as another opportunity for you to serve. Um and so um as part of that, and I think as part of just to talk about urban planning, I went and spoke to the group, the current cohort. Um they also were at the um business review council meeting this uh this week when I was there for something else. So they seem to be um making it rounds. Um so in the near future, potentially as soon as uh next year, we will we may have one or two youth members of the planning commission. Um so in terms of thinking about our you know the way we make decisions and sort of ensuring we have representation um uh across the city, um trying to um uh plug into our both our ward vacancies, but um the process may be a little bit different, so that it's more likely that the the youth that are um able to commit to the times, you know, when commission commission and committees meet, um, as well as some of those award vacancies will will be somewhat the more limiting factor than say like a bunch of youth apply and they're gonna go through our regular process of you know we review and we recommend uh to the mayor's office. So um that will account for possibly two of the vacancies we have right now in in the future. Um and uh the good thing about it though is um a very diverse group of of folks. Um my sense it's mostly um folks in high school or um uh finished and sort of um looking at the next thing in their lives. So uh keep questions. So unlike Met Council, um these will be voting members. Uh Commissioner Risburg, Chair, I'm not sure. Uh I would assume they would be. I've heard nothing different in terms of um how the participation would be structured. Um, and I'm not entirely sure. I mean, Commissioner Martinson or others on the transportation committee whether we uh whether they the youth members vote, they do run it. Yes, of course, you're the chair. Um so presuming that's the case. I wouldn't expect a use of different, but at least I've never been told that they shouldn't vote. So they have voted. And they've been voted. That's okay. Any additional questions for voice. Okay, so then we'll move on to the committee, Commissioner Ray. Uh thank you, Chairing. I was you were absent with the Commissioner Sayyid. Or were you there for the I was not there, and so I was gonna develop the Commissioner Sayyid or John or Grill, whoever was here. Okay, yeah.

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