Title
Supporting the application to the Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority to build a District Geothermal Energy System at the Heights.
Body
WHEREAS, the 2040 Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan identifies the former Hillcrest Golf Course as an opportunity site with potential features such as higher-density mixed-use development or employment centers with increased full-time living wage job intensity; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul commenced a master planning process in 2019 to determine the future uses and layout for the site, which has resulted in a Hillcrest Master Plan passed by the City Council in 2022; and
WHEREAS, the Hillcrest Master Plan designates 54 acres for light industrial uses, 25 acres for residential/mixed uses, 5 acres for a City Park, and 15 acres for wetlands, district storm water, and passive open space; and
WHEREAS, the Hillcrest Master Plan land use allocations are estimated to provide for approximately 1,000 jobs and 1,000 households; and
WHEREAS, the Hillcrest Master Plan supports sustainability goals that integrate with the ecology of the site, support responsible material and waste stream management, and pursues effective, integrated, and visible storm water management; and
WHEREAS, the Hillcrest Master Plan noted that some sustainability goals were dependent on the potential availability of securing future funding from external sources, such as the potential for a district-scale ground source energy system; and
WHEREAS community members, advocates, and green energy experts alike have been integral partners to the work which identified a geothermal energy system as a potential solution which meets the sustainability goals of both the 2040 Saint Paul Comprehensive plan and the Hillcrest Mater plan; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Port Authority purchased the Hillcrest Golf Course in 2019 and has been working with the City of Saint Paul and District Energy Saint Paul on pursuing funding for a district geothermal system at The Hei...
Click here for full text