St. Paul sticks to setback rule; Jesus statue to move

The St. Paul City Council determined that a 17-foot tall Jesus statue is not exempt from Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area zoning standards. Its been a hard couple of weeks for the statue, which has been located on top of a bluff in St. Paul's West Side neighborhood for just a short time.

Homeowner Tuan Pham recently erected the 7-foot tall marble statue on a 10-foot tall base, a replica of a 105-foot tall Christ of Vung Tau statue in his native Vietnam.

Jesus found himself just 10 feet from the bluffs edge overlooking the Mississippi River valley and downtown St. Paul. St. Paul's Mississippi River Critical Area zoning — like cities throughout the region — calls for a 40-foot setback from the bluff edge for all structures.

As reported by Rochelle Olson of the Star Tribune, the St. Paul City Council voted five to two at their April 6th meeting that the statue must abide by zoning standards meant to help protect the bluffs and views of and from the bluffs.

Unfortunately, days after the decision an early morning fire was set around Phams statue. According to the Pioneer Press, there has been no word on who set the fire, and the statue was discolored but otherwise undamaged.

Pham suggests he may mount a legal challenge to the citys ruling, but the basis of such a challenge is unclear.