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Approving the River Balcony Basis of Design Report as an addendum to the River Balcony Master Plan.
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WHEREAS, the River Balcony Master Plan (master plan) was adopted as an amendment to the Great River Passage Master Plan, an addendum to Saint Paul’s Comprehensive Plan, on June 21, 2017, and identifies the vision, goals, and design principles for the River Balcony, a 1.5-mile pedestrian pathway from the Science Museum to Union Depot along the top of the downtown bluff that will be designed to accommodate walking, outdoor seating, gathering and related public activities, and that will be a catalyst for economic development; and
WHEREAS, the River Balcony Basis of Design Report (basis of design report), which is the next iteration of planning for the River Balcony and represents a refined design for the River Balcony, was created in September 2022 with assistance from a consultant and updated by the city in February 2024; and
WHEREAS, the City hosted numerous activities and events from fall 2021 through fall of 2022 to engage the community, along with technical advisors and stakeholders; the activities and events included a walking tour, focus group meetings, a community workshop, a community open house, three digital surveys, and a design celebration; and
WHEREAS, the master plan contains design guidelines for the River Balcony and adjacent private development sites and states “The design of each project must adhere to the master plan document as a baseline…”, and there are key differences between the master plan and the basis of design report; and
WHEREAS, the basis of design report, at the direction of the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Great River Passage Conservancy, pivots towards an urban promenade layout using existing balcony and street infrastructure with less focus on elevated balcony elements and connections over the road and rail to the river; and
WHEREAS, the basis of design report was assessed in a memorandum from the Saint Paul Planning Commission’s Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning Committee, dated May 31, 2024, and the memorandum identifies the differences between the master plan and the basis of design report and assesses the basis of design report’s consistency with the master plan and also states that the basis of design report is intended to be a flexible document allowing for some design refinement as projects evolve from the schematic phases to design development phase and ultimately to construction documents; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission released the memorandum assessing the basis of design report for public review on March 1, 2024 and held a public hearing on May 10, 2024, pursuant to Legislative Code § 61.303, at which all interested parties were afforded the opportunity to be heard; and
WHEREAS, on June 7, 2024 the Planning Commission adopted Resolution #24-17, finding that the basis of design report is consistent with the River Balcony Master Plan, and recommending that the City Council approve it as an addendum to the master plan, authorize staff to administratively advance and refine its design as projects progress through the phases of development, and request to review any design evolution diverging from the River Balcony Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Commission held a public hearing on February 8, 2024 and adopted Resolution #24-02 recommending approval of the basis of design report as an addendum to the master plan; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council held a public hearing on July 10, 2024 to consider the River Balcony Basis of Design Report as an addendum to the River Balcony Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, based upon all the facts, files, and recorded testimony obtained during the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings, the City Council finds the basis of design report to be consistent with the master plan’s vision, goals, and design principles
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby approves the River Balcony Basis of Design Report as an addendum to the River Balcony Master Plan, authorizes staff to administratively advance and refine its design as projects progress through the phases of development, and requests to review any design evolution diverging from the River Balcony Master Plan.