Title
Approving the River Balcony Basis of Design Report as an addendum to the River Balcony Master Plan.
Body
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 Sai...
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