OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Paul Planning Commission Meeting - March 13, 2026

Planning Commission — Friday, March 13, 2026
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionPlanning Commission
DateFriday, March 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 22:11

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

I'll now call the Friday uh March 20th meeting of the St.

0:05

Paul Planning Commission to order.

0:07

Um the first order business is a roll call.

0:10

Commissioner Grayl.

0:11

Present.

0:12

Commissioner Hackney.

0:14

Present.

0:15

Commissioner Holst.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Commissioner Johnson Becker.

0:20

Commissioner Martinson.

0:23

Commissioner Presley.

0:25

Commissioner Riley.

0:26

Yeah.

0:27

Commissioner Starling.

0:28

Present.

0:29

Commissioner Tagia.

0:31

Present.

0:32

Commissioner Thomas.

0:36

Six present.

0:38

Thank you.

0:39

Next up is approval of the March 6th, 2026 planning commission meeting minutes.

0:44

Do I have a motion?

0:45

So moved.

0:47

Motion by Commissioner Starling.

0:49

Do I have a second?

0:49

I'll second.

0:50

Seconded by Commissioner Holtz.

0:51

Is there any discussion on the minutes?

0:54

Seeing no discussion, we'll move forward with the vote.

0:56

All those in favor?

0:57

Aye.

0:58

Aye.

0:58

All those opposed.

1:00

Any abstentions?

1:01

All right.

1:02

The minutes pass.

1:04

The next item on our agenda is public hearing.

1:07

I'm now gonna read the following rules and procedures for the public hearing.

1:17

Today the City of St.

1:18

Paul Planning Commission is holding a public hearing and the proposed amendment to section 66931 F.

1:24

Notice that the public hearing is published in the St.

1:26

Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, and was sent to the early notification system list of recipients and other interested parties.

1:34

The following rules of procedures will be used in conducting the hearing.

1:37

One speakers should state their name and address for the record before beginning their testimony.

1:42

Two speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes.

1:45

Three, please relate your comments to the green roof incentives text.

1:49

Four, each speaker may speak only once.

1:52

Five speakers are requested to address all questions to the chair.

1:55

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

1:59

Six, when the planning commission closes the public hearing, the staff will hold the record open for additional written testimony that they receive by 4 30 p.m.

2:07

on Monday, March 23rd, 2026.

2:10

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

2:16

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

2:24

I'll now open the public hearing.

2:28

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

2:34

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

2:38

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

2:42

Seeing none, I'll look for a motion to close the public hearing.

2:46

Chair, uh, I'd look to close the public hearing and keep the record open until March 23rd, 2026 at 4.30 p.m.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Regulation███████████████████████████████31%
Environmental Protection███████████████████████23%
Public Works████████████████16%
Procedural███████████████15%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Paul Planning Commission Meeting - March 13, 2026

Note: The meeting transcript states the meeting occurred on Friday, March 20, 2026, but the assigned date is March 13, 2026. This summary uses the assigned date.

The St. Paul Planning Commission convened on March 13, 2026, to approve prior minutes, conduct a public hearing on a proposed green roof incentives text amendment, initiate a study on a salt storage ordinance, review the 2025 annual report, and receive updates on site plan review items. All actions were routine and unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of March 6, 2026, Meeting Minutes: Motion by Commissioner Starling, seconded by Commissioner Holtz, passed unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Public Hearing on Green Roof Incentives (Section 669.31 F): No members of the public testified. The hearing was closed with a motion to keep the record open for written testimony until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2026. The motion passed unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Salt Storage Ordinance Study Initiation: Staff presented a proposal to adopt new ordinance language regarding salt storage, required by the city's MS4 Phase I permit under the Clean Water Act. The language is based on a model from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Commissioners discussed applicability to other public entities (e.g., Metro Transit, MNDOT) and enforcement mechanisms. The commission initiated the study and set a public hearing for May 1, 2026, via a motion that passed unanimously.
  • 2025 Planning Commission Annual Report: Staff presented the report, summarizing zoning applications by type and ward, with notable cases. Commissioners suggested adding comparative data (e.g., zoning cases vs. building permits), updates on past major projects, and statistics on projects that did not proceed. No action was taken; the report will return for final review.
  • Site Plan Review Committee Report: Staff reported on items reviewed on March 17, 2026 (2200 Idaho Avenue East – new park at The Heights; 2004 Randolph Avenue – St. Catherine University access) and upcoming items for March 24, 2026 (101 Empire Drive – HEO Sandbox site; 345 Smith Avenue North – St. Paul ED remodel and entrance expansion).

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Initiate Salt Storage Ordinance Study and Set Public Hearing: Passed unanimously. The public hearing is scheduled for May 1, 2026.
  • Public Hearing on Green Roof Incentives: Closed, with the record open for written testimony until March 23, 2026.
  • Announcement: The acting director noted that the City Council approved the 325 Commercial rezoning (from residential to industrial for an Xcel Energy substation expansion) earlier in the week.

Meeting Transcript

I'll now call the Friday uh March 20th meeting of the St. Paul Planning Commission to order. Um the first order business is a roll call. Commissioner Grayl. Present. Commissioner Hackney. Present. Commissioner Holst. Here. Commissioner Johnson Becker. Commissioner Martinson. Commissioner Presley. Commissioner Riley. Yeah. Commissioner Starling. Present. Commissioner Tagia. Present. Commissioner Thomas. Six present. Thank you. Next up is approval of the March 6th, 2026 planning commission meeting minutes. Do I have a motion? So moved. Motion by Commissioner Starling. Do I have a second? I'll second. Seconded by Commissioner Holtz. Is there any discussion on the minutes? Seeing no discussion, we'll move forward with the vote. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. All those opposed. Any abstentions? All right. The minutes pass. The next item on our agenda is public hearing. I'm now gonna read the following rules and procedures for the public hearing. Today the City of St. Paul Planning Commission is holding a public hearing and the proposed amendment to section 66931 F. Notice that the public hearing is published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, and was sent to the early notification system list of recipients and other interested parties. The following rules of procedures will be used in conducting the hearing. One speakers should state their name and address for the record before beginning their testimony. Two speakers are requested to limit their remarks to three minutes. Three, please relate your comments to the green roof incentives text. Four, each speaker may speak only once. Five speakers are requested to address all questions to the chair. Planning commission members may address questions to the speakers and the staff.

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