St. Paul opens comment period for Ford site plan

For the next 30 days, St. Paul planners will accept public comments regarding the Ford site redevelopment's potential impact on the surrounding environment.

Called an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR), the study area will include the former Ford site and adjacent parcels in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood — about 139 acres in all — south of Ford Parkway and along the Mississippi River.

Hannah Burchill, spokeswoman for the city planning agency, said an AUAR is a state-required review to better understand the effect of different development scenarios on the environment of the surrounding area.

This particular review will look at two different scenarios: the one proposed by Ford site developer Ryan Cos. and a slightly larger possibility called the Master Plan Maximum Development Scenario.

The Ryan plan includes 3,800 units of residential housing, 150,000 square feet of retail and service space, 265,000 square feet of office and employment space and 50,000 square feet of civic and institutional uses. The maximum development plan includes 4,000 units of housing, 300,000 square feet of retail, 450,000 square feet of office space and 150,000 square feet of civic uses.

Members of the public are invited to comment on the proposed development boundary, scenarios and scoping document before issuance of a Final AUAR order. Suggestions of additional scenarios — including sites outside the proposed geographic boundary — are welcome, Burchill said.

Comments will be accepted through July 10 at 4 p.m. They should be addressed to: Menaka Mohan, Ford Site Planner, Department of Planning and Economic Development, 25 W. 4th St., Suite 1400, St. Paul, MN 55102 or e-mail FordSitePlanning@ci.stpaul.mn.us. Comments also can be submitted online at stpaul.gov/Ford-auar.

James Walsh