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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - May 2, 2024

Planning Commission — Thursday, May 2, 2024

BodySt Paul, Minnesota

SessionPlanning Commission

DateThursday, May 2, 2024

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:20:41

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

0:02

This is approval of the updated minutes from April 12th, 2024.

0:05

Do I have a motion?

0:07

Motion for Commissioner Happy.

0:09

Do I have a second?

0:10

Second.

0:11

Seconded by Commissioner Taggia.

0:13

Is there any discussion on the motions?

0:16

All right.

0:17

Then we will now vote.

0:18

All those in favor?

0:20

All those opposed.

0:22

All right.

0:23

So the motion uh passes and the minutes from April 12 are approved.

0:27

Um next up are the chair's announcements.

0:31

Um I'd first like to remind Commissioners that I'm going to be uh out of the country uh for the next two weeks.

0:37

Uh and so uh commissioners Frisburg and Presley uh will be in charge.

0:43

However, our meeting um on May 24th has been canceled, so we should meet as full planning commission while I'm gone.

0:50

Uh if you have any questions or concerns, please email uh chair the director um and CC Commissioners Rosberg and Presley, and they will do their best to get back to you while I am out.

1:04

Uh I also like to welcome back Commissioner O'Chabla after the birth of his daughter.

1:09

We're all very excited to see him.

1:12

Um glad that he got some time away from that.

1:17

Uh all right, and then the next uh is next order of business would normally be the planning director announcements, but no announcements today.

1:25

We have a long meeting, so we'll just keep it moving here.

1:28

All right.

1:29

And then that moves us along to item number four.

1:32

Uh the public hearing for the river balcony master plan proposed addendum basis of design report.

1:39

Uh so staff is gonna go grab uh the document where folks signed in, if anyone here is here for the master plan.

1:47

Uh but while they are doing that, I'm going to restart reading my script.

1:52

So today the City of St.

1:53

Paul Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the proposed river balcony master plan proposed addendum basis of design report.

2:00

Notices of the public hearing were published in the St.

2:03

Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, and were sent to the citywide early notification system list of recipients and other interested parties and all property owners within the study area.

2:14

Uh following the staff presentation, I'll read the rules of procedure for the public hearing, and the planning commission will then hear remarks from the members of the public.

2:23

Um staff here today is Katie Dadless.

2:27

Do we have a presentation or moving ahead?

2:30

All right.

2:31

Um, so no presentation on the river balcony master plan uh proposed dendrum.

2:37

And so we're gonna move uh to the public hearing.

2:40

I'm gonna read the rules and procedures to you now.

2:43

Uh the following rules of procedure will be used to conduct the public hearing.

2:47

Speakers should state their name and address or identifying location for the record before handing their remarks.

2:53

All remarks must be confined to the topic of the public hearing, which is the proposed river balcony master plan proposed addendum basis of design report.

3:01

Each speaker may speak only once.

3:03

Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes.

3:07

Speakers are requested to address all questions to the chair.

3:10

That's me.

3:10

Planning commission members may address questions to the speakers and to the staff.

3:14

At the conclusion of the public testimony, the chair will ask three times if there are any persons present who wish to be heard.

3:20

There being no further testimony, there will be a motion that the hearing be closed and taken under an advisement by the planning commission.

3:27

All right.

3:28

And so I now have the list of folks that have signed up in advance to speak.

3:32

Uh, there's no one on the list, uh, but I'm still gonna go through the next few steps here in case there's anyone in the audience that would like to speak on the item.

3:41

Uh is there any persons present who wish to be heard?

3:46

I uh ma'am, if you'd like to come step up to the chair.

3:51

Yes, please.

3:55

And if you can state your name and address.

3:58

My name is Linda Schlopp, and I live at 180 Kilwald Boulevard east.

4:04

Well, sort of at the bottom like a river balcony, and I'm probably asking a question that's been asked before.

4:11

Um has this planning commission taken into account.

4:17

Uh the fact that there's a homeless shelter at the bottom of the river balcony and that the people who live in the homeless shelter during the day lounge on the sidewalk of the river balcony, and that there's an excess amount of trash growing into the street.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Land Use Regulation██████████████████████22%

Public Engagement███████████████████19%

Budget Equity Analysis██████████10%

Procedural████████8%

Pending Litigation██████6%

Public Works██████6%

Technology and Innovation█████5%

Transportation Safety████4%

Waste Management████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting - May 2, 2024

The Saint Paul Planning Commission met on May 2, 2024, to conduct business covering a full agenda. Key items included the approval of minutes from April 12, a public hearing on the River Balcony Master Plan Addendum, review of two appeals of a site plan for the University of St. Thomas multipurpose arena, forwarding a revised zoning study for the East Grand Avenue Overlay District to the City Council, and an interactive workshop on the 2025 proposed city budget.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes (April 12, 2024): The minutes were approved unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Hackney, seconded by Commissioner Taghioff.

Public Comments & Testimony

River Balcony Master Plan Proposed Addendum: One member of the public, Linda Schlopp (180 Kilwald Boulevard), testified. She expressed concern that the plan's success was threatened by current conditions on the ground, specifically citing the presence of a homeless shelter beneath the river balcony corridor, daytime lounging on the balcony sidewalks, and an excess amount of trash. She questioned how the 'beautiful plan' could reach fruition given these facts. Chair Grill stated the comment would be referred to staff for a response. No other public testimony was offered.

Discussion Items

UST Multipurpose Arena Appeals: The commission heard two appeals challenging the Zoning Administrator's approval of a site plan for a new multipurpose arena on the University of St. Thomas campus. The first appeal was filed by Donn Waage and Virginia Hossum; the second was filed by Daniel L.M. Kennedy on behalf of Advocates for Responsible Development, raising concerns about proximity to the Mississippi River bluff and other procedural grounds. Staff planner Tia Anderson outlined the scope of site plan review (focusing on building heights, setbacks, and design) and distinguished it from the separate Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) process, which had concluded and is being appealed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. City Attorney Dan Staley confirmed the court has 90 days to issue a decision on the EAW but stated the site plan decision was independent of that outcome. Zoning Committee Chair Taghioff reported the committee found no error in the site plan approval and recommended denying the appeals, noting that a valid EAW was in place at the time of the site plan approval.
East Grand Avenue Overlay District Zoning Study - Revised: Staff planner Spencer Miller-Johnson presented a revised text amendment. Key changes lowered the step-back trigger to 40 feet of building height, tied the step-back depth to the additional height rather than a flat 10 feet, created a 15-foot exception for corner elements, and limited building heights to 30 feet at rear property lines abutting residential lots. Commissioner Taghioff confirmed the revisions addressed concerns that the original proposal was overly restrictive and could have prevented smaller-scale, missing middle housing types. The Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee (CNPC) recommended forwarding the study to the City Council and directed staff to add language to the resolution that such standards should ideally be built into base zoning districts in the future to avoid the need for overlays.
2025 Proposed City Budget and Activity: Noel Nix, Director of Community Initiatives from the Mayor's Office, led an interactive 'budget game' using the Prioritize platform to collect commissioner input on fiscal priorities under a simulated $5 million budget constraint. The city's budget is roughly $800 million, primarily funded through property taxes and Local Government Aid. During discussion, commissioners expressed positions emphasizing several priorities: expanding housing supply to better accommodate families and reducing barriers for small developers; investing in downtown office-to-housing conversions; modernizing city permitting, licensing software, and enabling online assessment payments; improving inter-departmental coordination on street and infrastructure projects to minimize repeated excavation; and investing in city personnel in non-public safety departments (such as inspections and permitting) to strengthen development services. Nix stated the feedback would be compiled and folded into final budget decisions scheduled for late July, ahead of the mayor's mid-August budget presentation.
Transportation Committee Update: Commissioner reported the committee's next meeting on May 13 will cover Pleasant Avenue reconstruction, continued discussion on the Purple Line, and an introductory discussion on the Riverview Corridor.

Key Outcomes

Approval of April 12 Minutes: Approved unanimously.
River Balcony Master Plan Addendum: The public hearing was kept open for written comments until 4:30 p.m. on May 13, 2024. The testimony and future comments will be referred to the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee.
693 Raymond Avenue Farmers Market (CUP): The Conditional Use Permit was approved unanimously.
UST Multipurpose Arena Appeals: Both appeals were denied. The site plan approval was affirmed. Commissioners Ortega, Risberg, and Chair Grill abstained from voting on the motions.
East Grand Avenue Overlay District Zoning Study: Forwarded to the Saint Paul City Council with a recommendation for adoption, including a directive to incorporate the standards into base zoning districts in the future.
2025 Budget Feedback: Commissioner input was collected to inform the administration's budget development process.

Meeting Transcript

This is approval of the updated minutes from April 12th, 2024. Do I have a motion? Motion for Commissioner Happy. Do I have a second? Second. Seconded by Commissioner Taggia. Is there any discussion on the motions? All right. Then we will now vote. All those in favor? All those opposed. All right. So the motion uh passes and the minutes from April 12 are approved. Um next up are the chair's announcements. Um I'd first like to remind Commissioners that I'm going to be uh out of the country uh for the next two weeks. Uh and so uh commissioners Frisburg and Presley uh will be in charge. However, our meeting um on May 24th has been canceled, so we should meet as full planning commission while I'm gone. Uh if you have any questions or concerns, please email uh chair the director um and CC Commissioners Rosberg and Presley, and they will do their best to get back to you while I am out. Uh I also like to welcome back Commissioner O'Chabla after the birth of his daughter. We're all very excited to see him. Um glad that he got some time away from that. Uh all right, and then the next uh is next order of business would normally be the planning director announcements, but no announcements today. We have a long meeting, so we'll just keep it moving here. All right. And then that moves us along to item number four. Uh the public hearing for the river balcony master plan proposed addendum basis of design report. Uh so staff is gonna go grab uh the document where folks signed in, if anyone here is here for the master plan. Uh but while they are doing that, I'm going to restart reading my script. So today the City of St. Paul Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the proposed river balcony master plan proposed addendum basis of design report. Notices of the public hearing were published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, and were sent to the citywide early notification system list of recipients and other interested parties and all property owners within the study area. Uh following the staff presentation, I'll read the rules of procedure for the public hearing, and the planning commission will then hear remarks from the members of the public. Um staff here today is Katie Dadless. Do we have a presentation or moving ahead? All right. Um, so no presentation on the river balcony master plan uh proposed dendrum. And so we're gonna move uh to the public hearing. I'm gonna read the rules and procedures to you now. Uh the following rules of procedure will be used to conduct the public hearing. Speakers should state their name and address or identifying location for the record before handing their remarks. All remarks must be confined to the topic of the public hearing, which is the proposed river balcony master plan proposed addendum basis of design report. Each speaker may speak only once. Speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes. Speakers are requested to address all questions to the chair. That's me. Planning commission members may address questions to the speakers and to the staff. At the conclusion of the public testimony, the chair will ask three times if there are any persons present who wish to be heard. There being no further testimony, there will be a motion that the hearing be closed and taken under an advisement by the planning commission. All right.

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