Reading the Highland Villager #249

[A Villager in a Grand Avenue foyer.]

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]


Headline: Agreement paves way for 3,800 homes on Ford site; $53.5M in TIF will help pay for streets and utilities, more TIF is expected for affordable housing
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The old truck factory is being redeveloped in to a mixed-use complex of buildings. The city will have to pay for part of the cost, especially for things like roads and parks, etc. They will use deferred property tax money to pay for this, which will cost quite a bit. But eventually it pays off. There was a press conference about it. Article includes a rendering.


Headline: Homeless families find a room at Interfaith inn; Interfaith Action's Project Home is now serving 24/7
Author: Leslie Walters

Short short version: Homeless families can spend the night in church basements. [I volunteered for this a few times, doing overnights. It's sad but a good thing. Only for families though.]


Headline: Parks & Rec lays out preferred plan for repurposing Highland 9
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An underused golf course across the street from another larger golf course might become athletic fields and a parking lot instead. There's no money to make the change. They would keep a "reconfigured" golf course [for some unknown reason]. Losing the old golf course "roiled golfers". [Golf, by the way, is trending down, unlike soccer.]


Headline: Committee supports coffee shop drive-thru at Sibley Plaza.
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Zoning Committee voted to support a gas station becoming a Starbucks with a drive-thru in the parking lot of a newly remodeled strip mall. [The backstory on this is that the strip mall could have been rezoned and was supposed to be redeveloped into a mixed-use project with far less auto-oriented design features. But this did not happen five years ago and instead it has been remodeled as-is.] Quote features ME: "Commissioner Bill Lindeke said the condition [to check the traffic impacts within a year] should give city staff more tools to work with the property owners. "With Snelling and Marshall, the city felt like it couldn't do much," he said.


Headline: Affordable housing complex proposed at University-Fairview
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A parking lot and some vacant historic buildings might become 279 subsidized affordable homes. It is right next to a light rail station. It will not be mixed-use, because "we've had a lot of retail sit vacant in our developments", according to the developer.  [This developer almost never builds mixed use, even in downtown Saint Paul, of all places. That seems bad.] 


Headline: Ford site TIF is expected to pay for affordable housing citywide; Additional tax revenue from Ford project could generate $1M annually for affordable housing
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The old truck factory that will become housing will also raise money to subsidize affordable housing in Saint Paul. 20% of the units at the factory site will be dedicated affordable, according to the plan.


Headline: Slim City Council majority approves $636M budget for '20
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city budget proposed by the Mayor was passed on a 4-3 vote. Quote from CM Prince: I will vote 'no' on this budget . because it does not cover the basics and it funds extras that my ward cannot afford." She wants more cops. CMs Thao and Busuri also voted against it. [That will be the last we will hear about CM Busuri.]


Headline: Tax levy hearing dominated by calls for more city spending; Appeals for social services exceed please for tax relief
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Some people want the government to do more things, while others do not want to pay for things the government does.


Headline: Making a B Line between Uptown Mpls. and downtown St. Paul; UPC seeks support for new bus rapid transit service on Marshall, Selby and Lake [No Oxford comma for the Villager!]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There was a meeting at a neighborhood group about a potential new fast bus that would go down Selby and Lake streets [like the streetcar used to do before the bus planners screwed it up!]. The bus would be fast and convenient and amazing. [And it cannot be built soon enough. I am very glad they are going with the longer route that would serve downtown Saint Paul and the Snelby corner.] Neighbors are concerned about long buses turning around corners.


Headline: District council drops proposal for off-leash dog area in Snell-Ham [Rare sighting of the awful "Snell-Ham" moniker.]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Some people wanted to make a dog park in a "green space" by a large bridge. Neighbors are concerned about parking, noise, A committee met and decided it was a bad idea after all. safety, and poop. A city official said it would be a "dog run" not a "dog park."


Headline: Vine Park is brewing new taproom for 2020
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A DIY-brewery-type-place is going to open a new facility with a taproom on West 7th. It's owned by Asian-Americans. [That's unusual for the beer industry!] 


Headline: Committee supports 7-story building on West 7th-Leech
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Zoning Committee voted to approve a building that would be seven stories tall and have homes and a shop on a site where an auto repair garage was.


Headline: Council settles suit regarding inaccessible parking meters
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Someone sued the city because some parking meters are too tall. it will be expensive to fix it. The person who is suing is a convicted murder, and has sued thirty businesses in the city. [He has sued lots of my favorite places in the city, including Mama's Pizza, Keenan's Bar, Mancini's, and many others. You can't make this up.] 


Headline: It'll cost more to get vehicles out of St. Paul's impound lot
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: If you get your car towed, it will cost more to get it back that it did before. The pricing used to be super complicated, but now it's a flat rate. [PROTIP: Move your car and it won't get towed.]


Headline: Mendota Heights establishes Historic Pilot Knob task force
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A suburb is going to try to spend money and time making a sacred Dakota site more accessible and culturally meaningful. [This is a very cool site and important project. I highly recommend riding your bike there.]