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## District 4 Plan Summary
Addendum to the Comprehensive Plan for Saint Paul
Recommended by the Planning Commission December 4, 2009
Adopted by the City Council December 23, 2009
The District 4 Plan Summary appends to the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan the objectives and strategies of the Dayton's Bluff District 4 Plan and replaces the District 4 plan adopted in 1986. The Dayton's Bluff District 4 Plan consists of five major areas of focus, including (1) commercial and economic development; (2) community life, public spaces, and recreation; (3) housing and residential life; (4) neighborhood safety and livability; and (5) transportation, traffic, and parking.
## Location
Dayton’s Bluff is an irregularly shaped neighborhood on Saint Paul’s East Side, generally bounded on the south by the Mississippi River and Warner Road; on the east by Johnson Parkway and Etna Street; on the north by Phalen Boulevard and Minnehaha Avenue; and, on the west by Lafayette Road and I-35E.
Figure 1: Location of District 4
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## Vision
The vision Dayton's Bluff District 4 Plan summary includes these components:
- A revitalized business district, focused on East 7^{th} Street, Lafayette Park, and the Hudson/Earl intersection, represented by an active business organization, that provides a full range of good and services.
Public places, such as parks, that are available for planned or spontaneous activities that engage residents. Spaces in the community which are attractive and welcoming.
Improvements in the appearance of housing and its character, including retaining single-family residential units and preserving their historic architecture. Rental housing should be designed for that purpose and existing single family buildings should not be subdivided to increase the density of housing.
Promotion of the livability of the neighborhood by enhancing its appearance through cleanliness, crime prevention and rectifying code violations.
- A comprehensive multi-modal transportation system that incorporates transit, well-paved streets and opportunities for pedestrians.
## Strategies
## Commercial and economic development (C)
## Land Use
C1. Prepare a zoning study of existing commercial districts within District 4 to determine if the Traditional Neighborhood District is appropriate, particularly to promote mixed use development in these areas.
C2. Implement the policies and recommendations for the Lafayette Park business area as described in the Northeast Corridor Development Plan.
C3. Promote the reuse, instead of demolition, of existing commercial buildings.
C4. Promote the shared use of existing surface parking lots; oppose expansion of existing surface parking lots. District 4 supports the use of permeable or semi-permeable paving in parking lot construction and the use of rain gardens to reduce runoff.
C5. The Department of Safety and Inspections shall enforce regulations regarding the operations of retail stores; specifically, the issues of waste disposal, advertising, and parking.
C6. Collaborate with District 4 to expand and implement existing façade improvement programs.
Urban Design
C7. Utilize the East 7^{th} Street Design Guidelines during the site plan review process for proposed projects involving new and remodeled businesses.
Business Development
C8. Work with District 4 to strengthen the business district through the following:
C8.1. Determine the feasibility of creating a small business incubator; search for potential sites.
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C8.2. Ensure that new commercial development includes a mixture of uses and is integrated into the existing fabric of the commercial district in which it is located; new development would adhere to the building design standards in Section 63.110 of the Zoning Code. Include community input as part of the development process.
C8.3. Assist District 4 in partnering with an existing Community Development Corporation on programs that support business development.
C8.4. Work with District 4 to attract businesses that provide a full range of goods and services, including a bank.
## Community life, public spaces, and recreation (P)
## Urban Design
P1. Include connections, either by stairs or trails, between riverfront projects and Mounds Park and the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.
## Public Works
P2. Identify key gateways into the community; work with District 4 to prepare a plan for improvements intended to improve their appearance, including, but not limited to, plantings and historically sensitive signage.
P3. Install single lantern lighting in residential areas when lights are replaced as part of street reconstruction.
## Parks and Recreation
P4. Provide an interpretive center in the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary that focuses on the natural and human history of the area; include information on historic locales, such as Mounds Park and Swede Hollow Park.
P5. Provide a park on the site of the former Lyman Dayton home, on Mounds Boulevard between East 3rd Street and Conway Street; collaborate with the district council on potential sources of revenue for acquisition and operation.
P6. Prepare a master plan for Mounds Park; assemble a community based advisory group to provide input on the master plan as it is being prepared.
P7. Plant flowering trees on Johnson Parkway, as trees are replaced.
P8. Work with District 4 to form a Friends group for parks within the district, or to support an existing Friends group, and devise projects for the group that uses services of volunteers.
P9. Promote the use of park and recreation facilities by including signage to identify park locations, park information in multiple languages, and maps of amenities within parks at park entrances and gathering places. Post park hours and rules at park entrances. Provide adult supervision for activities at recreation centers.
P10. Work with District 4 to make parks more accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and disabled persons.
## Library
P11. Maintain library service, including bookmobile visits, at the Dayton's Bluff Library.
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## Heritage Preservation
The Dayton's Bluff Heritage Preservation District was created by the City Council in 1992 and includes the area roughly bounded by Mounds Boulevard on the south and west; Maple, Arcade and Hope streets on the east; Beech, Greenbrier, North streets and Bates Avenue on the north.
P12. Continue to support the programs and activities of the Heritage Preservation Commission as they affect the Dayton's Bluff Heritage Preservation District.
P13. Study the potential of establishing a conservation district(s) in District 4 outside the boundaries of the Dayton's Bluff Heritage Preservation District; criteria for said conservation districts shall be consistent with those established pursuant to policies in the Historic Preservation chapter of the adopted Comprehensive Plan.
## Housing and residential life (H)
## Design
H1. District 4 requests that higher density residential developments be designed consistent with the City's residential design standards and with parking strategies that encourage residents to use transit, including, but not limited to, reduction in the numbers of on-site parking spaces and creation of a parking management plan that prevents spillover parking in the neighborhoods and assists residents in using transit where adequate service is available. Public Works will work with the district council and the developer on issues related to on-street parking for the project and street design.
Neighborhood improvement and maintenance strategy
H2. Provide input from City code enforcement officials that District 4 can use to establish programs, such as the Good Neighbor Program, to address residential neighborhood problems.
H3. Identify problem properties and, in collaboration with District 4 and applicable neighborhood block clubs, develop strategies for addressing issues associated with them.
H4. Provide District 4 with information about Invest Saint Paul, the City's neighborhood improvement and maintenance strategy. This includes information about rehabilitation of vacant buildings and construction of new buildings on vacant sites, as well as the criteria used to determine whether vacant buildings should be rehabilitated or demolished. Seek input from District 4, as appropriate.
H5. Continue to provide District 4 with information about pending actions against vacant properties under the City's nuisance ordinance so that the district council may comment regarding proposed actions for the property.
H6. The District Council will work with developers to identify possible sites within the neighborhood to which a structure could be moved if the structure cannot be reused or cannot be incorporated into a proposed development. If demolition or rehabilitation of a structure is unavoidable, the District Council encourages “deconstruction” techniques to be used to salvage whatever materials possible for reuse.
## Zoning
H7. Prepare a study of residential districts within District 4 to determine if, and where, duplex districts should be rezoned to single family districts. Based on the conclusions of the study, work to rezone areas that are currently zoned for duplexes so that these housing units may be returned to their original use.
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## Neighborhood safety and livability (S)
Police
S1. Provide crime and safety information for community meetings and newsletters on a regular basis. This includes contact information for forwarding complaints about neighborhood safety issues, suggestions for improving personal and property safety, and instructions are posting house numbers to aid in quick emergency response time.
S2. Work with District 4 to provide information about crime prevention techniques and neighborhood watch programs, for dissemination to block clubs and other community groups.
S3. Provide owners of multiple family rental properties with information about safety issues and techniques for property maintenance and dealing with problem tenants.
S4. Continue the police storefront in the community and to provide lead officers for the Dayton's Bluff community.
Neighborhood livability
S5. District 4 will provide Public Works and Parks with information about neighborhood streets and other public areas where mid-block street lights and trimming of trees would aid pedestrians.
S6. Work with District 4 to provide information that the district council can disseminate to residents about the timely removal of snow on sidewalks, mowing of grass and trash collection.
S7. Study alternatives for trash collection; the objectives are to increase the lifespan of streets and alleys and to reduce noise.
S8. Encourage utility companies to bury lines in conjunction with development, when feasible.
S9. District 4 will provide the City with information about consistent violations of the noise regulations, as outlined in Section 293.02 of the Municipal Code, so that appropriate remedies can be determined.
S10. Continue Saint Paul's representation on the Metropolitan Airports Commission's Downtown Airport Advisory Committee and, in connection with that representation, collaborate with District 4 on issues related to Holman Field.
## Transportation, traffic, and parking (T)
Physical improvements
T1. Collaborate with District 4 to develop a plan for traditional neighborhood streetscape for arterials that includes, but is not limited to, sidewalks, lantern lighting, and boulevard trees. Public Works will work with District 4 to identify the arterials. Utilize single lantern lighting, consistent with existing City lighting policy, to the greatest extent possible; install twin lantern lighting along commercial streets (i.e., on East 7th Street east of Minnehaha Avenue) and major collectors in residential neighborhoods, including bridges connecting segments of commercial streets and major collectors, replacing bent straw lighting, in collaboration with the district council and affected property owners. Specific bridges are Earl Street over Interstate 94, East 7th Street between Kittson Street and Payne Avenue, and Kellogg Boulevard westerly of its intersection with East 3rd Street. Continue program of installing traditional streetscape improvements on local and collector streets in connection with the RSVP and collector street reconstruction programs.
T2. Provide improvements to facilitate left turns on East 7th Street at such intersections as Mara, Arcade, and Minnehaha to improve traffic flow.
T3. Mark crosswalks and bike lanes on arterials clearly to provide safe passageways for pedestrians and cyclists.
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Dayton’s Bluff (District 4) District Plan Summary
December 2009
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T4. Provide bike racks on arterial streets near bus stops and/or businesses.
T5. Complete implementation of the Residential Street Vitality Program (RSVP) in District 4 neighborhoods.
I 6. Construct sidewalks on residential streets where none exist and a need has been identified, once a petition from affected property owners is submitted to the City; preserve existing granite curbs when sidewalks are constructed.
## Traffic operations
T7. District 4 will provide Public Works with information about a need for traffic calming measures so that Traffic staff may review and recommend action.
T8. District 4 will provide Public Works with information about locations where speeding is excessive so that Traffic staff may review and recommend action.
T9. District 4 will provide Public Works with information about intersections with a higher-than-normal number of vehicular accidents so that Traffic staff may review and recommend action.
## Minnesota Department of Transportation
T10. Develop a policy to improve the function and appearance of freeway barriers and promote attractive plantings to improve the visual impact.
## Transit
T11. Collaborate with Metro Transit on fare and route improvements.
T12. Provide for transit shelters and benches that are well-lit and maintained and that are provided with route maps and schedules. Work with District 4 to encourage East Side businesses to sponsor transit shelters with heat lamps and benches.
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## Planning Commission Findings
The Planning Commission finds that the District 4 Plan Summary consistent with the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and other adopted City policies.
## Planning Process
The District 4 Plan update was prepared by a committee convened by the Dayton's Bluff Community Council. The committee work included results of a survey, printed in English, Spanish and Hmong, that was distributed throughout the community, as well as comments gathered at three community meetings and focus groups comprised of local businesses and Metropolitan State University. In addition, the committee collaborated with the Geography Department at Macalester College, which prepared GIS maps of key data, including census figures, land use and zoning. The district council approved the plan on October 15, 2007. The summary includes policies from the plan that the City is responsible for implementing. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the plan summary on October 2, 2009, and, after considering public comments, recommended the plan for adoption on December 4, 2009. 