Public shows strong support for St. Paul zoning changes geared toward density

In person and in writing, scores of St. Paul residents this week urged the City Council to approve a proposal allowing up to six housing units per lot in neighborhoods that long have permitted only single-family homes.

The council is considering a major overhaul of the zoning code that the city's Planning and Economic Development Department has been working on for more than two years. Staffers say the set of changes would make it easier to build different types of housing compatible in size and appearance with single-family homes — such as duplexes, fourplexes and townhomes.

As the policy nears the finish line and the council prepares to vote on the changes, perhaps as soon as next week, all but two members of the public spoke in favor of the zoning changes during a public hearing Wednesday. Dozens more sent in letters of support.

Advocates said they believe allowing more density throughout the city would eventually lead to more housing units, in turn leading to more affordable housing options — particularly for low-income families and people of color, who were historically segregated as a result of past zoning policies.

They also said the changes would boost the tax base, promote sustainability and vibrancy and give residents housing options better suited for a variety of lifestyles.

Opponents — who also wrote into the council, though in fewer numbers — said the zoning changes would lead to a loss of neighborhood character, property values, green space and privacy, while increasing congestion and parking problems. Some said they fear the changes will encourage developers to tear down smaller, more affordable homes to build new multi-unit properties.

Under current laws, nearly half of St. Paul's land can be used only for single-family homes. The changes would allow fourplexes throughout most of the city's residential neighborhoods, with the exception of a portion of the Highwood area, a hilly part of the Mississippi River bluff on the East Side that isn't consistently served by city sewer or water services.

Developers would be allowed to build six-unit properties if they meet the city's "density bonus" requirements, which incentivize builders to convert existing residential properties or add units with three bedrooms or income restrictions.

The proposal would substantially change dimensional requirements to make it feasible to build multi-unit housing. Standards for setbacks, building height and lot size would be altered to give developers more flexibility.

Additional amendments aim to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units — smaller, secondary housing units on the same lot as a single-family home — as well as cluster developments designed around a common courtyard.

City officials noted that allowing this type of housing doesn't mean it would be built. Financing and building code requirements can create challenges for smaller projects, which may not be able to produce a standard market-rate return.

Minneapolis may be evidence of the slow-moving nature of such reforms. The city was the first in the United States to abolish single-family zoning as part of its 2040 Comprehensive Plan passed in 2018, but it hasn't yet seen a deluge of duplexes and triplexes.

The fate of Minneapolis' policy is also up in the air due to a lawsuit filed by activists who argue that the city failed to adequately study the environmental impacts of its plan. Last month, the city appealed a District Court order to halt implementation of the plan.

While Minneapolis' policymaking process was wracked with contention, a few Twin Cities suburbs — including Roseville, Richfield and Bloomington — have more quietly passed reforms allowing additional duplexes.

Of St. Paul's seven council members, only Jane Prince expressed concerns about the proposed policy.

"There are so many good things about this," Prince said. "But I do not feel that we have adequately investigated what I think someone referred to as the potential unintended consequences, which I think are vast."

Councilmembers Mitra Jalali, Rebecca Noecker, Nelsie Yang and Council President Amy Brendmoen all spoke in favor of the proposal.

"I don't often leave public hearings — especially ones about zoning code changes — feeling excited," Noecker said. "But there was so much positivity and enthusiasm, and so much of a vision expressed here today for a more dense and vibrant city, that I just want you to know it's left me feeling charged and really eager for the changes that are in front of us."