St. Paul's 20-Year Comp Plan Heads for the Final Stretch

Frederick Melo reports on the details of the new 20-year comprehensive plan for St. Paul, under consideration at a series of public meetings this month and expected for a City Council by January.

According to Melo, the "St. Paul for All 2040 Comprehensive Plan" focuses growth around "Neighborhood Nodes":

St. Paul wants and needs to grow, and to do that, city planners have pinpointed 56 intersections where denser new housing, retail, transit stops and other important services could happily co-exist. That may mean lifting zoning and density restrictions, or taking advantage of zoning that already exists, to incorporate these future “neighborhood nodes” into local planning.

The entire comprehensive plan is split into six chapters, on land use, transportation, parks and open space, housing, water resources, and historic preservation, according to Melo's explanation. "The chapters touch on six themes — urban design, economic development, resiliency in the face of intense environmental changes, public health, helping residents remain in their neighborhoods as they age, and reducing racial disparities through equitable distribution of city services."