Downtown Development Strategy
Project Proposal
Make sure CRC is prepared to properly contribute to the development of the Downtown Development Plan. This involves preparing notes from the 2019 community forums in a presentable way, and being ready to actively participate in whatever workgroup is established to prepare the plan.
Board Sponsor
Shevek McKee, 11/9/2019
Location
N/A
How does this fit the CRC Mission?
It is my understanding that the development of such a plan is one of the mandates of the District Council system. It is the embodiment of our mission, really.
What actions have already been taken?
Several community forums lead by Tabitha Benci-DeRango.
What are the next steps to take?
Go through notes from forums. Keep in touch with Saint Paul PED about next steps.
What are the projects short term goals?
Be prepared for Downtown Development Plan workgroup when it is formed.
What are the projects long term goals?
Produce an updated Downtown Development Plan to file with the City.
Schedule
Expected to take somewhere between one and two years (According to Kady Dadlez of PED at Public Realm meeting on 11/7/19)
Other organizations being asked to support this project?
Saint Paul PED, likely: Downtown Alliance, Chamber of Commerce?, Catholic Charities?, other city departments
What community engagement will be involved?
Discussion at regularly scheduled CRC meetings
Project budget
Money has already been spent on Community Forums. Moderate staff time will likely be required.
Specific funding source plan?
not sure
Additional resources needed?
Forum notes. Familiarization with existing DDP and supporting documents.
Additional Info
DDP and other D17 plans can be found on city's website here: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/planning-economic-development/planning/neighborhood-plans.
Submit a project idea to the CRC!
SGAC Events
Upcoming events for the Skyway Governance Advisory Committee.
See all eventsSkyway Governance Advisory Committee
The Skyway Governance Advisory Committee (SGAC) exists to engage the public and to develop recommendations about issues and policies that involve the skyway system in Downtown Saint Paul. The committee discusses wayfinding and signage, hours of operation (including requests to temporarily close skyways), safety issues, accessibility, maintenance, heating and cooling, and other issues related to the skyways.
The SGAC meets the fourth Friday of each month from 9 to 10:30am
All CRC Meetings are currently held on Zoom
Meeting link is posted on the homepage
Committee members are appointed by the CRC officers, and they are intended to represent a broad range of stakeholders and interests, so that we can find consensus among people with different perspectives. The voting membership should at least include:
- Downtown residents,
- Accessibility advocates,
- Representatives of Downtown visitors (Visit Saint Paul officials and / or representatives of hotels, restaurants, or entertainment venues)
- Representatives of businesses (Saint Paul Area Chamber and / or downtown business owners / managers)
Downtown building owners (members of Saint Paul Building Owners and Managers Association and / or other representatives of building owners) - Youth advocates, and
- Representatives of organizations that provide social services.
The committee's recommendations are sent to the Skyway Work Group, which is led by the Ward 2 City Council member and is comprised of City staff whose duties and responsibilities are essential for implementing changes (including the City Dept. of Safety and Inspections, Saint Paul Police Dept., and City Attorney's Office).
For more information about the committee, please contact the CRC Executive Director.
Committee Charter
Draft committee charter (based on a previous document from 2009-2010)
Meeting Agendas and Notes
2024
-
Friday, July 26, 2024: Skyway Governance Advisory Committee, 9-10:30 a.m., via Zoom
- The City of Saint Paul is creating a Public Works ADA Transition Plan, and is working with a consulting firm to solicit feedback through early 2025. More information is on the City’s website: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/transportation-and-transit/public-works-ada-transition-plan#take-the-survey ... Maya Sheikh, Mobility Planner for Transportation Collaborative and Consultants, will present an overview of the project and will answer your questions.
- Discussion of public safety with representatives of Saint Paul Police, Metro Transit Police, and Downtown Alliance Security
- Updates from the City Department of Safety and Inspections.
- Friday, April 26, 2024:
- Skyway Hours Exception application by Sherman Associates for Landmark Towers -- A temporary wall has blocked access to the elevator on the skyway level in the building (345 St. Peter Street), which has made the pedestrian corridor narrower. The elevator had previously allowed pedestrians to exit to the street level and provided an alternate pedestrian route through the building. The property owner is also seeking to permanently close that alternate route and public access to the elevator. The committee made a motion to recommend approval of the application. The motion passed, and the recommendation will go to the City Council for a vote (date TBD).
2023
March 24 Agenda:
The following requests have been submitted to change skyway hours of operation in specific areas. Current skyway hours are 6 a.m. to midnight, and building owners may request changes. Meeting attendees should also review the skyway code of conduct in City Code Chapter 140 and map of skyways that includes bridge numbers. Each of the following will be voted on by the committee, and the committee recommendations will be sent to the City Council for a vote. If time allows, there will be additional discussions with managers from the Saint Paul Police Department, Metro Transit Police, and Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI). Here are the requested changes to skyway hours:
- Bigos Management / Kellogg Square, request to change hours for Bridge #34 to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Madision Equities, request to change hours to 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Bridge #s 17 (Alliance Bank Center), 18 (US Bank Center), 21 (US Bank Center and Alliance Bank Center), 22 (US Bank Center and 375 Jackson), 23 (375 Jackson), 24 (Alliance Bank Center), and 25 (US Bank Center and 1st National Bank Building).
- NOTE: The request was withdrawn by Madison Equities. Read the letter from Council Member Rebecca Noecker about planned improvements.
- March 24 Action Items: The committee approved a motion to recommend denial of the request to change the hours of operation for Bridge #34.
2022
- August 26 agenda: Review City of Saint Paul Skyway policy statement (last updated in 2006) - is this still accurate, or should changes be considered?
- August 26, 2022 Notes
- July 22, 2022 Notes
- June 24, 2022 Notes
- April 22, 2022 Notes
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March 25, 2022 Notes:
Presiding: Jess Grams, CRC Chair, SGAC Chair; Jon Fure, CRC Executive Director
Public Safety Update:
Presenters: SPPD Commander Laura Bolduan, SPPD Senior Commander Jesse Mollner, John Bandemer Downtown Alliance Safety Communication Center Downtown Improvement District
Property crimes continue to decrease, although overall there has been a slight increase which has been driven by a mild uptick in arson and changes in reporting methods.
Assaults are trending up citywide which are mostly domestic and acquaintance related.
There is no available data on crime statistics specific to the skyway system. Commander Bolduan will look into the possibility of obtaining this information. Past attempts have been unsuccessful.
New Police Academy Grads are being introduced to the downtown and skyway areas.
There will be an increased number of police officers deployed on two shifts in the downtown area as workers return to the office starting the beginning of April.
There are no new plans regarding a centralized skyway security system. The opinion was that there was a lack of consensus among building owners and also cost constraints. John Bandemer reports that their phone network connects a number of buildings in the district facilitating communication across buildings which addresses security concerns both on the street and in the skyway. Currently about 24 buildings are able to do this from Cedar Street going west. This does not include Lowertown or the Northeast quadrant.
DSI Update: Presenter Tom Ferrara, Department of Safety and Inspections
DSI is requesting progressive enforcement action at the Railroader Printer Building which is under new ownership. A prosecutor is assigned and the process is moving forward.
The Saint Paul Athletic Club reports that they now have security in place but there is nothing on paper at this time. There is the possibility of court action regarding this.
The SW stairwell at 345 Press House was being illegally accessed from the adjacent alley causing problems. This was addressed and the door should now be locked.
The skyway hours will be returning to a midnight closure starting on April 5th. Emails and letters have been sent to property owners regarding this. Hours will be 6am-12 midnight.
Any complaints regarding skyway ordinance violations pertaining to building owners and management should be directed to DSI. Tom said that they follow up on any and all complaints that they receive.
New accessible route signage from Lowry to the City Hall Annex is currently under review.
New art exhibitions from the Minnesota Museum of American Art coming soon to skyway bridges #30 and #31.
There continues to be problems with illegal skyway locking and lack of security by certain building owners. DSI is seeking attorney action on multiple building owners. Tom stated that these owners are eager to challenge the foundation of the skyway system and looking to change our current rules in their favor.
Questions arose regarding any other sort of recourse. Jon Fure stated that the Charter Commission recently voted against changing the charter to allow for administrative fines. Several members of the commission will end their terms this year. Interested parties are encouraged to apply. Their website is stpaul.gov/departments/charter-commission.
Other Business:
Judy Miller of the CRC Board of Directors reports that the CRC will be holding “Listening Sessions” across the district in June and September. Participation is open to all and data will be shared with the city. The CRC committees are asked to provide questions for these sessions.
Emma Burns from the Downtown Alliance reports a plan for new artwork in the skyway bridge between the Central Station connecting point and the Alliance Bank Building.
SGAC recommends that the city and the Public Works Department approve this.
The skyway map app is approaching the “soft launch” phase and will be needing volunteers for beta testing.
John Bandemer reports that the Downtown Ambassador Program is going well with about 90% of the Ambassadors currently working in the skyway system.
Judy Miller and Jean Krueger shared information regarding closures in the area affecting unsheltered individuals and efforts underway to find additional funding for housing/shelter.
John Bandemer reports that Freedom House will likely continue to be operational in a different building.
Sandy Smith recommended that the committee start posting meeting notes on the CRC website and asked if committee members would be comfortable sharing their email addresses with each other.
She also wondered if the committee could prioritize and pick projects to work on for this term.
Respectfully submitted,
Sandy Smith
2019
- Friday, December 20. - SGAC Meeting
- October 25, 2019 Meeting Notes
-
September 27, 2019 Meeting Notes
- Request to close Skyway to the public at 333 on The Park
- Section 140.09 - Safety requirements: Request for ideas regarding 911 call boxes or similar emergency notification system in the skyways
- August 23, 2019 Meeting Notes
- July 26, 2019 Meeting Notes
- April 26, 2019 Meeting Notes
- March 22, 2019 Meeting Notes
- January 25, 2019 Meeting Notes