Saint Paul Planning Commission Meeting – October 10, 2025

The Saint Paul Planning Commission met on October 10, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in City Hall Conference Center Room 40. The meeting was taken out of order to hold a public hearing on the Congregate Living Zoning Study, then returned to regular agenda items. Commissioners approved minutes from previous meetings, received committee reports, and voted on the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area text amendments and the initiation of a bird-safe glass study.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The commission approved the minutes from the September 19 and October 9, 2025, meetings by a unanimous vote (motion by Commissioner Syed, seconded by Commissioner Riley).
• Zoning Committee: The next zoning committee meeting (scheduled for the following week) was canceled.

Public Comments & Testimony

Public Hearing on Congregate Living Zoning Study (held first, out of order)

• Mark Schwartz (Alvin Recovery, sober home operator) – Expressed full support for sober homes and advocated for a 330-foot separation distance. He stated that the current state funding changes (DHS) have displaced clients and caused harm, and that a 330-foot rule would preserve access to vital services. He noted his property on West Southern Daily was licensed for 33 beds but now limited to six.
• Doug Elsa (768 Lincoln Avenue) – Opposed reducing the separation distance to 330 feet, arguing it would enable clustering. He supported the existing 1,320-foot separation (about two blocks) and questioned why the city would shift policy away from dispersal. He stated his block is opposed to the change.
• Julie Helwick (Hamline Midway area) – Requested the study be renamed to “zoning study on supportive housing facilities” to avoid confusion with the 2016 congregate living study. She raised concerns about the Housing First model, which she described as allowing drug use and not requiring sobriety or service acceptance, and argued it does not align with the current supportive housing definition.
• Jeff Young (753 Lincoln Avenue) – Agreed with Doug Elsa, supporting a two-block (1,320-foot) separation. He questioned whether the city had calculated available block capacity for such facilities.
• Lawrence Tana (sober home operator) – Asked the commission to consider buildings that were specifically built for congregate living (e.g., a 22-room single-room occupancy building) that may be close to another facility, suggesting exceptions for existing structures.
• Chum Sturvey (Stronger Sober House, owner) – Supported a 330-foot separation for new homes but urged grandfathering existing homes that had been operating for 10–15 years. He noted that the number of sober homes has decreased significantly and that the majority of his clients are minorities.

Discussion Items

• Congregate Living Zoning Study (Public Hearing) – After public testimony, the commission discussed the path forward. Commissioner Riley requested a visual map of current congregate living facilities to assess “clustering,” and an exercise showing 330-foot vs. 1,320-foot separations. Commissioner Ortega asked for clearer distinctions between types of supportive housing (with/without services) in future documentation. The chair clarified that the public record would remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 20, 2025, and the item would go back to the Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee (CNPC) for further discussion before returning to the full commission. A motion to close the public hearing, hold the record open, and take the item under advisement passed unanimously.

• Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area – Tony Johnson (Planning Staff) presented the CNPC recommendation: approve the draft ordinance as proposed in the attached resolution and text amendments, with changes made after the public hearing. Key changes include removing bird-safe glass provisions (to be studied separately), replacing subjective tiering review with a formulaic height standard (base height 35 feet, then step-back based on distance from shoreline, bluff lines, or district boundaries), and deleting the tiering definition and related plan review standards. The committee also removed additional findings for conditional use permits and variances related to height. Commissioner Riley praised staff for the careful approach. The motion to approve and forward to the City Council and Mayor passed unanimously.

• Initiate Bird-Safe Glass Study – Tony Johnson explained that the bird-safe glass provisions were pulled from the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area amendments because there was no prior analysis of costs, geographic fit (the entire city is in the Mississippi flyway, not just the MERC district boundaries), or potential development impacts. The motion to initiate a separate zoning study to evaluate bird-safe glass policy options passed unanimously after a friendly amendment correcting copy editing in the resolution (commissioner Starling).

• Transportation Committee – Chair reported on a presentation regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sidewalk and pedestrian ramp evaluation findings and recommended projects funded by the common cent program. The next Transportation Committee meeting is October 27, 2025.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes Approved: September 19 and October 9, 2025, minutes approved unanimously.
• Congregate Living Zoning Study Public Hearing: Closed; record open until October 20, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.; item taken under advisement for further committee review.
• Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area Text Amendments: Approved (with bird-safe glass removed) and forwarded to City Council and Mayor for final adoption.
• Bird-Safe Glass Study: Initiated; staff will develop a separate zoning study, expected to return within approximately one year.
• Transportation Committee: Received presentation on ADA sidewalk and ramp evaluations; no vote required.