Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - March 1, 2024
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Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - March 1, 2024
The Saint Paul Planning Commission met on March 1, 2024, to approve minutes, hear a public hearing on The Heights Comprehensive Plan Amendment (with no public testimony), and deliberate on two zoning items: a rezoning for 964 Payne Avenue and a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with multiple variances for the United Village project at 1566 University Avenue. The meeting concluded with a recommendation on the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan and committee updates.
Public Comments & Testimony
- The Heights Comprehensive Plan Amendment: No members of the public signed up to speak; the public hearing was closed with a motion and second, and the commission forwarded the item to the Planning Director.
Discussion Items
- 964 Payne Avenue Rezoning: Staff presented a request to rezone an L-shaped parcel from H2 to B2 to allow a developer to expand its parking lot. The item was discussed briefly, with staff noting historical zoning and the parcel's shape. No vote was taken at this meeting; it was set for committee discussion.
- 1566 University Avenue – United Village (CUP & Variances): This major project involves a hotel and parking structure. The commission debated eight variances individually, covering setbacks, entrance drive, building articulation, and window/openings requirements. Key speakers included commissioners who expressed concerns about pedestrian safety, consistency with the comprehensive plan, practical difficulties, and community opposition from the Hamline Midway and Union Park district councils. Commissioner Taghioff provided detailed rationale for opposing variances based on unmet findings (e.g., A, B, C, F). Commissioner Riley also cited inconsistency with transportation policies and pedestrian-friendly design. The CUP for height (75’ to 90’) was supported unanimously after discussion.
- Saint Paul Bicycle Plan: The Transportation Committee recommended adding a "bikeway for further study" on Maryland Avenue between Lake Phalen and Ruth Street, after staff initially removed a separated bikeway due to space constraints with the Purple Line transit project. Commissioners debated the need for further study versus immediate implementation, but ultimately supported the committee's amendment.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: The minutes from March 1, 2024, were approved with a correction to the date.
- The Heights Comprehensive Plan Amendment: Public hearing closed; no action taken (staff to proceed).
- United Village Variances (1566 University Avenue) :
- Variance 1 (stepback): Approved (voice vote).
- Variance 2 (setback): Approved (majority vote; Commissioners Riley and Taghioff opposed).
- Variance 3 (entrance drive): Denied (8–4 against; later motion to deny passed 10–2).
- Variance 4 (anchor the corner): Approved (9–3; Commissioners Ortega, Riley, Taghioff opposed).
- Variance 5 (west facade window openings): Approved (6–5; Commissioners Hackney, Johnson Becker, Ortega, Riley, Taghioff opposed).
- Variance 6 (west facade ground floor openings): Approved (7–3; Commissioners Ortega, Riley, Taghioff opposed).
- Variance 7 (east facade ground floor openings): Approved (unanimous).
- Variance 8 (building articulation): Approved (unanimous).
- Conditional Use Permit (height to 90’): Approved (unanimous).
- Saint Paul Bicycle Plan: Approved as amended (adding "bikeway for further study" on Maryland Avenue); resolution will be sent to the Mayor and City Council for adoption on April 17, 2024.
- Committee Updates: The Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee will address drive-through regulations and cannabis; the Communications-Nominations Committee transmitted the annual report and work plan.
Meeting Transcript
Team committee. Yes, we can look uh second. Um I'll pull back by a second. So uh commissioner fowl. Um I would like to correct the date on the minute the minute here and here are for March 15th. The program that it is I'll change it before the done. Uh but so which meeting are we for two minutes? March 1st. Okay. So uh to be edited on the document. Um so with that edit, Commissioner Starling, uh, do we have a motion? I make a motion to uh so we have a motion. Second second by commissioner Holt. Uh all those in favor. Aye. All those opposed. Okay, minute. Um next up our chair announcements. Um mine will be brief. We have quite a few action items on the agenda today, and I know we have at least one person that needs to leave it and um so just for business purposes, uh, let's be tasky when we end. Um because we got quite a few items. Um and then I'll move over to the director. Thank you, Chair. Good morning, everybody. Um the update is uh I've been kind of mentioning this a few times, but we've been continuing to work on a um statewide uh bill at the House and the Senate on missing middle multifamily housing uh those uh there was an effort to combine those two bills into one, uh which happened, uh but we sort of uh staged a friendly uh planner intervention last Friday and side uh to give our input on tweaks that would make the bill um and this again would apply to the whole state uh for Greater Minnesota and cities. Um but the goal is to make the language workable side and uh not be uh super prescriptive so as to be a word so I'm positive I'm optimistic that um some of those edits are being heard and um being made. Uh they they were supposed to introduce the bill at a the state and local government policy committee house representatives on Thursday, but I don't see it on the website, so I'm thinking continuing to end it back. Um if you'd like to know more, let me other than that no, we are getting ready for the uh uh national planning conference uh mid April. So uh several of us have been getting our uh information in on both shops. And so um the uh commissioners are gonna be attending that, but yeah, a good all right. Um next up is the public hearing on the heights comprehensive plan amendments. Um I'm gonna read some notes to open the public hearing and then if you're here to speak on that. Um I think there were the sign-in on the table out front. Um we'll have staff grab that sign in, make sure that we don't have anybody uh additional that we haven't seen. Yeah. So now I'm gonna read to you. Oh wow. Um so the St. Paul Planning Commission. Uh see today the St. Paul City of St. Paul Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the proposed heights comprehensive plan amendment. Notice that the public hearing was published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, and was sent to the citywide early notification system list of recipients and other interested parties and all property owners within the study area. The following rule of the procedure will be used in conducting the hearing. Speakers should state their name and address for the record before beginning their presentation. Presentations must be confined to the topic of the public hearing, which is the proposed the heights comprehensive plan amendment. Each speaker may speak 11 minutes once. Speakers are requested to address all questions to the chair. Any person there being no further testimony.
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