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2026-06-08

Good Development News in St. Paul, for a Change

[Condemned downtown skyway.]

In St. Paul, the default stance has long been glum resignation. Downtown is dead. Grand Avenue is vacant. The Midway is a wasteland. Nothing will ever be any better than it is right now. The best we can hope for is stasis. Can’t we just keep things as they are? Let’s reduce government to a holding pattern, defeating ambition in advance.

To be fair, it’s a comfortable place to be. It's like giving on on the Twins season in early May; from that point on you’re playing with house money, and have nothing to lose. Positive developments of any kind can be filed under surprising aberration.

To be fair, the city has been in economic doldrums for quite a while, even by St. Paul’s historic standards. We’re taking about a city that’s been concerned about its “beta” status since at least 1890, where for decades the primary function of city government was to keep taxes from going up for any reason, which had the barely-functional “Commission System” of government until 1974. We’re talking about a city that only started organized trash collection in 2019.

[This was in 2024, not long ago!]

In other words, critiques of its pace of change are entirely valid. But even by those standards, the last five years have been grim.

One anecdote suffices: In 2024, former Mayor Melvin Carter ventured past the boarded up the windows of the abandoned (once luxurious) Lowry building, just across the street (!) from City Hall, and was amazed to see find people squatting inside.

Elsewhere, a major downtown skyscraper was entirely condemned. [See photo at the top.] It’s not unusual to find a bucket in the middle of a skyway bridge catching drips in the middle of a vast patch of wet carpet. [See photo at the bottom.] The best thing to happen last year: an abandoned chain pharmacy store was demolished.

But I am here to tell you, hope is on the way. The nadir has arrived. Here are some headlines from just the past month:

Florida investor with grand plans buys St. Paul’s historic First National Bank Building for a steep discount

Probably the most important existing downtown parcel, the First Bank complex, has a new owner who is going to fix it up.

Rand said he plans to explore converting parts of First National Bank for other uses, including housing. But the first item on his agenda is installing new lights for the glowing red “1st” sign, a beloved feature of the city’s skyline.
...
The First National Bank Building occupies an entire downtown block between Fourth, Fifth, Minnesota and Robert streets. It consists of three interconnected buildings with more than a million square feet of space.

In particular, the new owner has pledged to refurbish and preserve the blinking “#1” neon sign atop our most iconic art-deco skyscraper. This is the key to the city’s identity, and must be done for St. Paul to thrive. If the light is lit and Mickey's Diner is open, downtown St. Paul is alive and well.

If you want, you can pause and ponder the fact that this huge skyscraper complex sold for a measly $3.8 million, but it is what it is. Someone not named Crockarell owning this building is good news, even if they're from Florida. [knocking furiously on wood]

Redevelopment of Former CVS Site to Advance in Saint Paul’s Midway Neighborhood

Here's the pertinent quote:

Development on the former CVS site is expected to bring market-rate apartments and new retail services to the neighborhood.
...
“This project will build on the historical importance of the Midway area and add to the vitality, excitement, and opportunity present in this diverse and important neighborhood,” said McGuire. “The CVS location sits on the high-profile Snelling Avenue corridor and is at the center of a vibrant community, directly across from the iconic sculpture The Calling, that so magnificently represents our state.”

An actual building is going to be erected at the site of the former CVS, and I trust McGuire (and his ego) enough to think it will be a good building, worthy of this important spot. It sure beats a CVS shell company owning the land!

Evereve returning to Grand Avenue in St. Paul

Here's the key bit:

Under the newly signed lease, Evereve will occupy 6,000 of the former Pottery Barn’s massive 8,000 square feet. It’s unclear who will take over the remaining space. The Pottery Barn location closed in 2024.
Site renovations are expected to begin this summer. Tamte plans to open up the store by Black Friday.

In other words, an actual Grand Avenue retail space, vacant for years thanks to the Ohio Teachers Pension Fund, is being leased to a national chain retailer and it’s not Spirit Halloween!

Evereve is fine. People like it. I thought this day would never come.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community investing in Grand Victoria project

Elsewhere up the street, actual new construction is happening on Grand Avenue. Again!

Quote from the article:

The $40 million development features a 90-unit mixed-used apartment with more than 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space along Grand Avenue. The Grand Victoria — at the site currently occupied by Victoria Crossing East Mall — is expected to open in 2028.

Given the historic exigencies of Grand Avenue and the evacuation of financing thanks to recent rent stabilization history, do you know how many camels must pass through eyes of the needles for this to happen? This is something of a miracle.

Meanwhile, in downtown St. Paul...

Securian Financial invests $50M renovating its downtown St. Paul facilities

It’s a notable addition to Robert Street, which has been under reconstruction for months, and among the most public-facing emblems of Securian’s new $50 million investment in its 1 million-square-foot campus in downtown St. Paul. Securian employees have been called back to work in person at least three times per week,

One of the last corporations left in downtown is investing in — rather than abandoning — its downtown headquarters building.

And then...

Bigos Management asks city for TIF dollars to convert Galtier/Cray Plaza to housing

Half a mile away, a 1990s urban mall albatross might be converted to housing, and there’s an actual plan to do so.

The building, which sits on the National Register of Historic Places, would benefit from a historic renovation that includes improvements to the skyway level and sidewalks.
The $56.3 million office-to-residential conversion would rely on $4.56 million from a tax increment financing pay-as-you-go note issued by the city over 26 years, as well as up to $650,000 from a forgivable loan backed by TIF dollars.

All of these things count as good news. Downtown might have a future. Grand Avenue might not be a lost cause. The Midway is not a zombie apocalypse.

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can bounce back. St. Paul is like that right now, and we've received a lot of good news in a a short span of time. Let’s celebrate for a moment, and maybe put a pause on the civic doomerism.

[St. Paul skyway drip bucket.]

2019-11-01

Reading the Highland Villager #245

[A Villager on a hot tin roof.]

2018-12-27

Reading the Highland Villager #224

[A cat helping to wrap presents in a Villager.]

2018-08-01

Walkability is in the Details and Cities Keep Neglecting Them

One of the most critical things I’ve learned about active transportation and street design is that you have to use it to understand it. The 1000’ birds-eye view from which most engineers or architects look at a problem does not to justice to the particular demands of creating a walkable space. Similarly, the 40 miles per hour windshield perspective leaves a lot of important factors out of the picture, and many decision-makers that only see projects from behind their steering wheels or peering through an open window. So many important design details are lost. Nothing compares to actual street-level use of a sidewalk.

[The Wabasha Bridge and the West Side.]

Here’s a great example of what I mean. Way back in the winter of 2015, Ramsey County began tearing down the old county jail built along the bluff at Wabasha and Kellogg Boulevard. It’s a prime spot at the heart of downtown, and the county was hoping to spur interest from developers in building something here.

(So far, they’ve had one serious offer. Unfortunately it came with a huge caveat: a demand for a huge publicly funded parking lot. Fortunately, the County rejected the proposal.)

One consequence of demolishing the building, though, was that it removed the sidewalk access to half of the Wabasha Street bridge, one of the critical pedestrian and bicycle links between downtown and the West Side where I live.

I found this out the hard way one winter morning when I began walking up the sidewalk of the bridge on my way downtown. It was a winter day, and the sidewalk was nicely cleared.

Unfortunately, more than halfway up the bridge, I found a concrete barrier with the announcement SIDEWALK CLOSED and a fence installed.

[On that day, the closure would have added 3/4 mile to my walk.]

At this point, there was no way on or off the bridge sidewalk, other than a staircase that led down to an island in the middle of the river. My choices were a) to walk back the way I came, run across a busy road, and walk back on the other side a total of 3/4 of a mile or b) hop the fence and continue walking on the dangerous icy margin of the road while cars sped blindly around the blocked-off corner.

Like any good militant pedestrian, I hopped the fence. It was harrowing.

Later that day, on February 10th, 2016, I emailed my Council Member and West Side neighbor, Rebecca Noecker:

Walking across the bridge this morning was a delight until I reached the middle of the bridge. Apparently the city is closing the sidewalk access halfway through the bridge on the West side. For someone on foot, the only if you want to get across the river are to go down the stairs to Raspberry Island, turn back and walk across the bridge on the other side after crossing the street (only legally back at Filmore, which is quite a walk!), or continue forward and have to hop a jersey barrier and almost get hit by turning cars, made worse because of a fence sign placed right in the sightline. You cannot cross to the other side of the bridge because you will fall to your death. (This has happened once.)

None of those options are good ones. The city should either keep access open to the crosswalk or close it completely on this side of the street.

Closing off the sidewalk might have seemed like the prudent decision for the County when they planned the demolition, but in reality, it’s a meaningful hindrance for walkability on the West Side. For many pedestrian trips to and from the West Side, having the sidewalk closed means crossing busy streets one, two, or three times. That might not seem like much while you’re driving around or looking at a map, but over time it matters for creating a walkable place

What’s worse, there was no meaningful end point for this needless detour. Nobody at the County has any idea when or if this site will be developed. Waiting for a new building and sidewalk to be built at this bridge might take two years or two decades.

Since my 2016 email, I’ve been chatting once in a while with Council Member Noecker about the sidewalk. According to her, she’s been emailing the County regularly, every few months, to check in on getting the sidewalk re-opened.

Flash forward to today, and it’s two-and-a-half years later.

According to Council Member Noecker, earlier this year the County budgeted money to install an “interim” concrete fence that would allow the sidewalk to be re-opened. Initially there were problems when the installation did not make the sidewalk wide enough, and they had to be tweaked again.

[From February 2016 to July 2018 is two and a half years.]

Finally, just last week, I saw a crane lifting the concrete jersey barriers off the bridge sidewalk and re-opening it to the public. The other day I walked over the west sidewalk of the Wabasha Bridge.

To many people, this might seem like a very small detail, almost inconsequential. But to me, it was an important step toward making sure that walkability and access are always included in urban street projects. Having both bridge sidewalks open and available to people will make a small but meaningful difference in people’s lives.

PS. There's Always More

This just crossed my desk from a friend. It's a pedestrian closure on Snelling Avenue, another street that is difficult and dangerous to cross on foot.

[Photo taken August 2018.]

Here's the email he wrote:

CM Tolbert and Director Lantry,

The lack of a safe pedestrian detour around the construction at Snelling & St Clair was brought to my attention this morning. This is completely unacceptable. First, there shouldn't be a sidewalk closed on Snelling Avenue less than a block from an A-Line station. The parking lane should be protected with jersey barriers and made pedestrian accessible for the entire length of the construction zone. No one should be forced to cross Snelling Ave twice to reach the transit station. Second, the "sidewalk closed" sign should be moved to the (only slightly) safer crossing of Stanford. Once the forced crossing is established at Stanford, there should be a painted crosswalk with a middle-of-the-road sign stating "state law requires drivers stop for pedestrians."

Finally, this happens nearly every time there's a project that necessitates the closure of the sidewalk. Public Works needs to create and enforce a comprehensive plan to address this during the permitting process. If a sidewalk is to be closed, then the contractor must do a better job of accommodating our most vulnerable right-of-way users.

Please address this specific instance today and work to ensure this is preemptively addressed for future construction projects by creating appropriate procedures.

When it comes to walkability, the devil is in the details. And in Saint Paul, we often get those details wrong.

2018-04-02

Reading the Highland Villager #205

[A Villager enjoying sprinter.]

[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: Plan for new 5-story building on O'Gara's site is taking shape; proposal gets mixed response from area residents at meeting
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The owner of a bar / building / parking lot on Snelling and Selby wants to tear it down and build a much larger building without surface parking and with many apartments. There was a neighborhood group meeting about it. Neighbors are concerned about traffic, parking, Ayd Mill Road, and "canyons."  Quote from bar owner: "we need to do something drastic to stay here." The buildings are a hundred years old [and Charles Shultz's dad's barber shop was there]. Quote from neighbor: "we have to talk about Ayd Mill Road. Close Ayd Mill off at Hamline Avenue and dump that traffic onto Hamline." The bar owner will keep the ceilings and re-build a smaller bar in a new building. "Traffic is horrendous already. We want to support the development but something has to be done about the traffic." [Close Ayd Mill Road? That would solve a big chunk of the traffic problem.]

Headline: Board wants city-county plan for Highland reservoir; Hy-Vee, solar, greenhouse ideas no longer in running
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There is some usable land on Snelling Avenue where a reservoir used to be [and, funnily enough, right across the street from the Villager offices] and a the "Board of Water Commissioners" gets to vote on what to do with it. They initially had a lot of choices, including a grocery store and a weird strawberry farm, but are instead trying to get the city and county to work together. Currently the city wants a field for kids to play and the county wants parking for people to park their cars when they take kids to the ice rinks next door and maybe an indoor ice rink too. The city's plan is much cheaper, but still nobody knows who would pay for any of this. [Um, hockey and soccer have different demographics and kids from different backgrounds play those two sports, and I think that should be taken into account. This seems like a no-brainer to me.]

Headline: Planning rolls on for recreational trail; five-mile route through Highland, West End may not be ready for six years
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An abandoned rail line might become a bike/walk path. There was a meeting about it, and open houses. It would not be done for many years. Nobody knows how it will be paid for, but might get some Federal or regional grants. [Saint Paul doesn't necessarily have enough money to pay the 20% match for all the bike/ped grants it could receive, believe it or not. That's a damn shame, because those are good investments.] Article includes some specs of the potential project. Crossing West 7th Street would be a real challenge. [Picture the Hiawatha/Greenway crossing...]

Headline: Dunkin' Donuts, Red's Savoy Pizza planned at Snelling-Hague; Coffee shop and mostly carryout pizza would replace old Dairy Queen
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A tiny Dairy Queen might become a one-story restaurant / coffee shop with a parking lot behind it. Some neighbors are disappointed that the building is not larger. Other neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking. The developer says that a multi-story building was not possible with underground parking on this size lot. Dairy Queen might have wanted to re-build here but would have demanded a drive thru. [I don't see how that could go wrong.] The neighborhood groups would like a median to help people cross the street. [That is a very important concept that has been tragically ignored for generations.]

Headline: City OKs liquor, entertainment licenses for Ethiopian eatery
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A new Ethiopian restaurant can open off West 8th Street. They will be able to have music and entertainment.

Headline: St. Paul picks official name for new Griggs Street park
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The new park built in the vacant lot by the school will be called... "Midway Peace Park." [Parks Park would have been better, named after Gordon Parks, and fun to say.]

Headline: Commission supports outdoor seating at historic Waldmann
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A brewery that dates to 1857 will probably be able to have people drink beer on tables outside. Neighbors were concerned about noise. Other people claim that people drank beer outside in the past.

Headline: City is planning a trial expansion of disc golf course in Highland Park
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A disc golf course will be expanded, for a while at least. Neighbors are concerned about "encroachment" and pedestrian safety. [I would have liked to have seen the disc golf community testify in support of this project, if only because I imagine it would have been like this testimony.]

Headline: Moratorium considered to protect 46 historic Merriam Park properties
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Old homes in an old neighborhood might get a "moratorium" for nine months to see if the city should protect them from demolition. There will be a survey of historical information about the homes, and to see if some of the area or all of the area have historical significance. [Very rarely to studies to determine if there is historical significance, done by historic preservation experts, not determine that there is historical significance.] College students are mentioned in the article. [Q: where are college students supposed to live anyway? Asking for a friend.] Neighbors are concerned about size and scale of new buildings. One house is being torn down already, probably.

Headline: Tenants have mixed reaction to proposed River Bluffs sale
Author: Kevin Driscoll

Short short version: A strip mall in the suburbs has been sold and the owner would like to build housing there. [The strip mall looks like an old timey wild-west main street, but is not actually old.]

Headline: Tav on the Ave could see transformation under new owner
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: ["Tav on the Ave" is not a good name. Also, I have never been in here. It seems too much like the Hog's Breath on Rice up in Little Canada for my taste.] There was a meeting to discuss the new owner. Neighbors have complained about "noise, fights, and trash." Some would like it to close at 1pm, but the new owner wants to close at 2. "A name for the new business has not been chosen." ["Tavern on the Avern"?]

Headline: West End showers Corbett with caring
Author: Mary Hansen

Short short version: [The guy I wrote about who has down syndrome, worked at the grocery store, and was hit-and-run by a driver off West 7th Street is in the hospital. He has a broken jaw and just eat pureed food.]

Headline: Recycling program falls short of city's goal for reduced waste
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The new recycle bins have gotten more people to recycle but the City Council goals still larger. Currently the city recycles 24% of its waste, but the goal is 35%. [A laudable goal! How to achieve it?] There were some complaints for a while, but those have somewhat faded away but not completely. Saint Paul might consider plow alleys to help the recycling trucks. [That'll be the day!] Recycling is way up in the less wealthy parts of town.

Headline: Marshall Avenue landlord loses appeal to retain student rental
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A guy who was letting students rent a house he owned can no longer rent it to students. There were too many people living in the home. Neighbors are concerned about parking and trash. Quote from neighbor: "overoccupancy is an open secret in the neighborhood." The owner of the home apparently filed a complaint on himself to try and get the extra students out of there. Quote from neighbor: "We're paying Summit Avenue property taxes to live in Dinkytown." [This quote might have a weeee bit of privilege showing.]

Headline: It's a Cub for The Capp: grocery is chosen for 46th & Hiawatha project
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [This is in Minneapolis. It looks great. Not in Saint Paul, though. It's market rate, former parking lot, next to a light-rail stop. with street frontages along the sidewalk.]

Headline: Commission OKs Davanni's use of UST lot for 3 more years
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [This is the first time I have been quoted in the Villager! I had a photo in here once, a photo of my right knee only. Wowee. Wait for it... It's the last line in the article. This is so meta.] A parking lot across from a sandwich shop that might have one day been used for student housing or a park will continue to be a parking lot for the next three years while the school and neighbors figure out what to do. A sandwich place uses the parking. The "conditional use" extension was approved by the Zoning Committee. Some people want the University to build housing. The UST liaison says the school is prioritizing other spots for housing. The school almost converted to "green space" but then the sandwich shop people said they liked it for parking. Here's the quote at the end: [dashingly handsome] "Planning Commissioner Bill Lindeke agreed. 'I feel like this is a spot that would be perfect for housing. I hope we don't have to do this again.'" [Wow. Well said. That is a great point. I agree completely with it.]

2017-12-14

Reading the Highland Villager #196

[A Villager bundled up for the wintertime.]

[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: Council may vote Dec. 6 on validity of petition seeking a referendum on Ford plan’s repeal
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A group of people trying to overturn the city’s adopted plan to rezone an old truck factory collected signatures on pieces of paper and submitted them to the County election officials in the hopes that the officials would put them on the ballot. One organizer stated, “now we are organized, and we will not be ignored.” [*narrator voice* They were ignored.] Article includes some history of the issue. There was a question about how many signatures were required to put a ballot measure on the ballot, and whether or not they had enough. [*narrator voice* They did not.] Article includes some question about the validity of this avenue in the first place, and mentions the upcoming City Council meeting. [Update: The City Council voted unanimously to reject the petition because it was not legal. They did not bring up the voter threshold issue.]

Headline: City scrambles to solve growing homeless problem
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There are more homeless people in Saint Paul than there used to be, and shelters turn away people every night. They are creating an “overflow” shelter in a Ramsey County building downtown. Article includes photo of tents at a “homeless camp” by 35E and the Cathedral. CM Noecker is leading the conversation about reducing homelessness. The “tight housing market” and rising rents are big parts of the problem. The vacancy rate for rental housing is 2.4% in Ramsey County. [Building more housing would seem to be prudent, in this light. These people are paying the cost for the lack of options at the bottom. Having a massive increase in affordable housing funding and/or a transformation of the private-property-based socio-economic order would probably also work.] Quote from a guy at the County saying we need to build more affordable housing. Catholic Charities shelter is expanding. County people are trying hard to count homeless people but it is very difficult.

Headline: St. Paul embraces new police-civilian review board; all-civilian membership is hailed, though some don’t trust the process
Author: Kevin Driscoll

Short short version: There is a group of people that tries to keep the Police from making mistakes, and handles complaints. Article includes a lot of details about the process and perspectives of the group, which vary widely.

Headline: Advisory committee OKs modern streetcar line for Riverview Corridor
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A technical advisory group approved the modern streetcar concept for West 7th transit at a meeting. It will be expensive. Planners are hoping it gets ranked well by the Federal government. The national park service is worried about the river crossing. Quote from a guy there: “we’re not in any position to embrace or promote the idea of a new bridge.” [The new bridge concept that was originally raised would have gone from blufftop to blufftop and the train would have gone north of Fort Snelling by the visitor center. That was nixed by the NPS people, apparently, and how they are planning a very expensive and less ped/bike friendly tunnel instead. Then it turns out the NPS people are still not happy about it? Strange to me. I suggested during a Committee conversation that a new ped/bike/rail bridge next to the old bridge would be quite good for the park, the river, and Ft. Snelling because it would dramatically increase access and views of these things for people not in cars, unlike the ugly and polluting car bridge that is there today. When discussing river views and “scenic resources”, in my view, it is important to consider the existing human impact of things like roads, freeways, and already-built development and not treat this bit of land as it is a virgin forest.] There will be a meeting of the decision-makers. [They voted to approve it just today!]

Headline: Trouble brewing over Starbucks drive-thru
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A drive-thru coffee shop has been causing traffic to back up at a key intersection. A cop stands there often to direct traffic. Plastic bollards try to keep cars from blocking the bike lane. Starbucks people are looking to fix it by re-striping their parking lot. Quote from a neighbor: “I love Starbucks, but I was against this plan from the beginning. It’s a horrible place to put a drive through.” [For the record, I have never in my life gotten a drive-thru coffee.]

Headline: Misery was in good company at county tax hearing
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Property taxes went up in Ramsey County.

Headline: Planning begins to manage traffic, parking near soccer stadium
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking during future soccer games. [If you build parking lots, they will drive. Let’s make sure instead that it’s very welcoming, convenient, and safe to walk and bike to the stadium.] Quote from a Planning Commissioner: “From my home three block away, I hear crashes on a regular basis.” [Prediction: the soccer game day traffic and parking will be terrible for a while, but will then get better.]

Headline: St. Paul has changes in store for permit parking program
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The “permit parking” zones, where only residents can park, is scheduled to be updated. Some zones may be removed, depending on how well used they are. Costs for new permits may increase, but probably not by much. There was a survey. Quote from the administrator: “almost nothing is universal about permit parking.” [The hassle of the way the city has been doing this program is almost impossible to describe. Each area has different rules and processes and hours, it seems.] Quote from same person: “Police have said that’s difficult to enforce” [referring to the short-term e.g. 1-hour limits. In fact, it’s impossible to enforce and are based almost entirely on the honor system, much like many Saint Paul traditions. Unless there are some seriously eagle-eyed whistle blowers, nothing happens.. The open secret about Saint Paul’s short-term zones is that nobody enforces them at all, and that goes double for permit parking short-term zones. The system is very flawed and would require huge increases in parking enforcement staff to make it work.] The plan will move forward and people will get to comment on the proposals.

Headline: Council considers new regulations for alternative financial institutions
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Odd credit agencies might be permitted in some zones. One particular credit agency was displaced and looking for a new location, but could not find one because of the zoning. They are now “happy in Mendota.” [I love Mendota. Very quaint, a home of 19th c. financial speculation, and a good place for a loosely regulated credit agency.]

Headline: Vacant 1509 Marshall building may house three new businesses
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An old roller rink [wait, what?] is going to become new businesses after it was rehabbed. It could be lots of things, but might be an architecture firm, fitness center, and/or restaurant.

Headline: New housing eyed at Marshall-Western
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The old Boy Scouts HQ might be rezoned [NOTE: it was rezoned] and could become housing instead of its current offices. It would become TN2 zoning. Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking. One neighbor was pleased, but the neighborhood group did not support the idea.

Headline: St. Paul JCC now seeking city approval for $15M expansion
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Jewish Community Center in Highland might become larger. There might be new pools and other things. [Little known fact: I was in multiple musicals at the JCC when I was a child!]

Headline: Design still evolving for Marshall-Moore apartments
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There might be a new apartment building on Marshall Avenue that would be marketed for college students. [Though the article does not mention it, I understand that neighbors are concerned about students and tearing down the existing homes.]

Headline: Highland reservoir proposals include grocery, greenhouse
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There are a bunch of ideas for what to do with the land currently occupied by a now-unneeded reservoir. It’s on Snelling Avenue [directly across from the Highland Villager offices] and some of the ideas include a grocery store, a strawberry greenhouse, a solar array, an ice rink, and field space. [Can’t believe they suggested a Hy-vee across from the Villager offices!]

Headline: Rezoning sought for senior housing on Morning Star site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An old church and its [massive!] parking lot may become housing for older people. It would require TN zoning. [This is very similar to the Boy Scouts situation, only with older people.] There will be underground parking.

Headline: Union Park seeks district plan changes for part of Selby Ave.
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A neighborhood group wants to change the plan it created so that a stretch of Selby Avenue is reframed to only have “smaller scale” development or mixed-use buildings. There will be a public hearing. Neighbors are concerned about density and the character of the neighborhood.

Headline: HPS rejects request to replace Summit brick alley with asphalt
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: People in a fancy part of town cannot repave their alley except with bricks. The bricks are expensive and fall apart.

Headline: Landlord appeals decision to shut down overcrowded student rental
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A landlord had his “student rental” license revoked because too many students were living there. The limit is four but there were nine. [The limits are dumb, especially in larger homes. Students like saving money and living in smaller spaces, as I did when I was that age.] City housing inspectors inspected it.The city’s “unrelated adult” rules were in play. [That is another thing that is very backwards. Who are cities to say who can live together in a place or who can’t? Or what constitutes a “family”?] Quote from a neighbor: Over-occupancy is not only illegal, it’s dangerous.” [IMO Fire code is one thing but antiquated bourgeois morality is another. I’d be curious to know more about this particular situation.] Article is full of quotes about the landlord being frustrated about the situation. Quote from him: “he is … unhappy with his neighbors, who he believes simply do not like college students.” [Well, they are Tommies… Stay tuned for more on this evolving situation!]

Headline: New signals, other upgrades in store to make Grand safer
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There is a roughly $1M grant to improve pedestrian safety on Grand Avenue. [How many people had to get injured or die before we finally got around to doing this?] The plans include leading pedestrian intervals, new crosswalks, new pedestrian ramps, bumpouts and/or median refuges [probably bumpouts], and redesigned bus stops. There might be some restrictions on left-turns at some places. A median might be built at Chatsworth, which is planned to have a bicycle boulevard. Article includes some history of the street and safety issues.

Headline: Palace takes over Wild Tymes space; new bar-restaurant in works to complement operation of theater
Author: Kasey McKee [The Villager’s new bar and booze beat reporter?]

Short short version: The crappy bar with a bad name [but super cheap beer during happy hour!] was bought by the First Avenue folks. It will be rebranded [thank god]. It will be done by May 1st. There will no longer be music there. [Also thank god. Their patio was nice though. And their happy hour went all-day on Sundays. I bet that won’t still happen.]