Title
Authorizing the Department of Planning and Economic Development to apply to the Metropolitan Council for grant proposals requesting approval for city sponsorship to participate in Livable Communities Act (LCA) programs to receive funding for site assessment, associated cleanup or remediation, other predevelopment activities, and/or funding for new construction or redevelopment from the LCA Round One of 2026.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul (the "City") is a participant in the LCA Programs and the Local Housing Incentives Account Program for 2026, as determined by the Metropolitan Council, and is therefore eligible to apply for LCA funds; and
WHEREAS, the City has confirmed that the proposed projects outline below are in alignment with both Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan goals and policies and meet eligibility criteria for LCA program participation, and are in alignment with the Metropolitan Council’s Imagine 2050 goals and policy; and
WHEREAS, the City has the institutional, managerial, and financial capability to ensure adequate project administration; and
WHEREAS, the City certifies that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the grant agreement; and
WHEREAS, the City agrees to act as legal sponsor for the projects contained in the grant applications submitted by the City on April 15, 2026, and
WHEREAS, only a limited amount of grant funding is available through the Metropolitan Council’s Livable Communities Demonstration Account during each funding cycle and the Metropolitan Council has determined it is appropriate to allocate those scarce grant funds only to eligible projects that would not occur without the availability of LCA funding.
WHEREAS, the City finds that the project components for which Livable Communities grants are sought will not occur solely through private or other public investment within the reasonable foreseeable future but could occur if the City receives a grant award contract.
WHEREAS, the City represents to the Metropolitan Council that the City has undertaken reasonable and good faith efforts to procure funding for the project components for which Livable Communities program funding is sought, but was not able to secure sufficient funds from other sources necessary for project completion, and states that this representation is based on the following supporting facts:
• The City of Saint Paul has no general fund resources available to invest into these projects; and
• Planning and Economic Development staff seek all potential sources for a proposed project, encouraging developers to seek private, county, and state funding for required predevelopment and redevelopment for housing and economic development purposes to leverage private funding and equity, as well as other grant award sources.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, after appropriate examination and due consideration, the Saint Paul City Council, as the governing body of the City:
Finds that it is in the best interests of the City’s redevelopment goals and priorities that the following proposed projects occurring at each site would benefit from participation in the first round of the 2026 LCA Programs as follows:
LCA Demonstration Account TOD / Development / Redevelopment Grant Proposals for Projects:
• 470 White Bear Avenue (The Aragon)
• Parcel E1 (The Heights)
• 642 Selby Avenue (The Beasley)
• 750 Chatsworth Street (The VEER)
LCA Demonstration Account Predevelopment Grant Proposals for Projects:
• 1593 Jackson Street (Jackson and Wheelock Affordable Housing)
• 708 Marshall Avenue (Rondo Revitalize)
LCA Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA) Site Investigation for Seeding Equitable Environmental Development (SEED) Program Proposals for Projects:
• 1593 Jackson Street (Jackson and Wheelock Affordable Housing)
• 694 Minnehaha Avenue E. (Historic Hamm's Brewery West End)
LCA TBRA Cleanup Program Proposals for Projects:
• 58 Wood Street E. (Torre San Miguel)
• 500 Broadway St. (The Balsam II)
• 694 Minnehaha Avenue E. (Historic Hamm's Brewery West End)
The Director of Planning and Economic Development is authorized to apply to the Metropolitan Council's Livable Communities Act programs for the proposed predevelopment activities including site investigation and cleanup, new construction, or demolition with redevelopment as described within the project applications, and to execute such agreements or documents as may be necessary to implement the projects on behalf of the City, wherein said agreement contains indemnification provisions in favor of the Metropolitan Council.