Take a Ride on the Business Side - Comp Plan Input for the City of St. Paul from the Business Community
The City of Saint Paul is updating its Comprehensive Plan for 2040, the City’s “blueprint” for guiding the physical development and capital improvement of Saint Paul over the next 20 years. It contains 6 chapters (land use, transportation, parks and recreation, housing, historic preservation and water resources), and is adopted by the City Council as official City policy. The current plan is available here: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/planning-economic-development/planning/citywide-plans
As an example of how the Comprehensive Plan impacts business, a company was recently looking for new space in Saint Paul. They were focused on industrially-zoned areas only, but discovered that our mixed-use zoning districts allowed limited production and processing. As a result, the company expanded its search and found a space on one of our commercial corridors. They also wanted a site that had bike lanes nearby. The policies on land use and transportation in the Comprehensive Plan helped set the stage for this.
In partnership with ESABA and West 7th Business Association, the City’s Business Review Council (BRC) is hosting a conversation with businesses to discuss the following questions:
- What are the key issues affecting your business success and/or the occupancy of your building over the next 10-20 years?
- How does transportation (including transit, bikes and pedestrian facilities) impact your business? How does it impact your ability to recruit and retain employees, or to move product, or to attract customers?
- How does the availability of affordable housing choices impact your business? Is there a relationship between transportation and housing costs for your employees or customers?