St. Paul closes in on final river rules
St. Paul is close to adopting new riverfront development rules. But there's still time to advocate for a bird-safe glass requirement.
For years, FMR has urged St. Paul to adopt an updated Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) ordinance to guide riverfront development, as required by Minnesota law and as the 24 other cities and townships in the river's critical area have already done.
After many delays, the St. Paul City Council is finally poised to vote on the ordinance and send it to the mayor for a signature in November 2025. This final step is a vital time for St. Paul residents to speak up for the riverfront, and we have a variety of ways to do that at the bottom of this page.
FMR led the work to establish these consistent, science-based baseline standards for the entire metro riverfront. A strong ordinance can preserve equitable public access to and enjoyment of the riverfront for all, not just those fortunate enough to live right on its shores.
We're excited to be so close to finalizing this chapter of metro riverfront rules reform. But we believe there is still one key improvement St. Paul could make before adoption.
Improvements made this fall
When a draft of this ordinance was released in spring 2025, FMR was alarmed to see how many strong elements of prior drafts had been removed.
The good news is that most of the problems have been fixed since then.
The vague, subjective standards for building heights and exceptions (variances and conditional use permits) have been updated with clearer language. This will make it easier for developers and the community to know in advance what building size is allowed and reduce project-by-project debate. Clearer standards save everyone time and make neighborhood development more predictable.
Bird-safe glass requirements still uncertain
Unfortunately, the proposed ordinance still lacks the requirement for bird-safe glass in new riverfront construction. (Such a requirement was included in a prior draft released in 2023 but never finalized.)
City staff have instead recommended a separate study about possible future bird-safe glass requirements.
We’re concerned that this study may never be completed. Given that St. Paul’s planning department is nearly five years behind its original state deadline to adopt its MRCCA ordinance, it’s hard to trust that any future studies will be completed in a timely manner.
At a recent town hall meeting we convened with partners in order to meet with Mayor Melvin Carter, we asked the mayor what kind of timeline and process he envisioned for a bird-safe glass study. He shared his support for bird-safe glass but declined to provide any kind of timeline for study completion.
And when asked why the city’s MRCCA ordinance has been delayed for so many years, he did not provide any concrete explanation.
Nearly 140 community members showed up to a town hall meeting with Mayor Carter to talk about river issues like ensuring a strong ordinance passes soon. (Photo by Mike Durenberger for FMR)
What you can do
Resident input is a vital part of this process. St. Paul's city council can choose to revise the ordinance based on your feedback. Since this ordinance will shape St. Paul's riverfront for decades to come, it's worth it to get it right. We will continue to advocate for the addition of a bird-safe glass building requirement and swift passage of the ordinance.
If you live in St. Paul and want to weigh in, we are happy to support you whether you only have two minutes to sign a petition or would like to get more involved. See additional opportunities below the petition.
More ways to get involved
Send a letter to your councilmember
You can use the form below to send a message to your city council member. The language provided is just a starting point. Please personalize it to share your own connection to the river and why this issue is important to you.
Speak at a public hearing
St. Paul City Council’s public hearing for comments on the ordinance is Wednesday, Nov. 19 at City Hall. The council meeting will start at 3:30 p.m., but it’s hard to know in advance when they will begin the MRCCA public hearing. It may be early in the meeting, or it may be an hour or more into the agenda.
Check out our quick tips or contact Grassroots Organizing Coordinator Jenna Hawkes if you would like help preparing a 1-2 minute comment to read aloud.
Become a River Guardian
Sign up and we'll email you when important river issues arise. We make it quick and easy to contact decision-makers. River Guardians are also invited to special social hours and other events about legislative and metro river corridor issues.