Weigh in on Saint Paul Park's comp plan

This year, every local community in the metropolitan region has or will update its municipal comprehensive plan, a binding document that guides future land use, zoning and development at the local level. For communities along the Mississippi, these plans must include additional protections for the state-designated Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area.

FMR is tracking the comprehensive plan process in several river corridor cities, and we are paying close attention in the City of Saint Paul Park, a small suburban town 12 miles downstream from Saint Paul. Saint Paul Park is charged with planning for 600 acres of land recently annexed from Grey Cloud Island Township, including approximately 300 acres of undeveloped critical area land that surrounds a quiet backwater bay on the Mississippi River.

River's Edge, a proposal by developer D.R. Horton to annex and urbanize the 600 acres, was the subject of intense community debate and legal challenges for nearly a decade. The annexation became final approximately a year ago, but the proposal is idle due to market conditions. FMR worked extensively with local citizens to prevent this intense development from being planned for the Rural Open Space District of the Critical Area.

Now it is the community's turn to establish a plan and a vision for how this area will change in the next 10 years. A draft Comprehensive Plan has been written and released to the public for comments.

In addition to accepting written comments through September 19, 2008, there will be a public Hearing at the Saint Paul Park Planning Commission meeting on September 8, 7 p.m. at City Hall – 600 Portland Avenue, Saint Paul Park.

FMR is advocating for a plan that will allow for and enable significant open space protection along the river. Working with the University of Minnesota Metropolitan Design Center a few years ago, FMR developed several design alternatives, each with a 250- to 350-acre natural area park, as well as urban residential development away from the river. These designs provide examples of how the city can plan for a large riverfront park that will both serve the community and support new economic development.

FMR has produced a comment letter with suggested river advocacy talking points for citizens and groups.