11 October 2023
The St. Paul City Council will revisit a sweeping proposal to allow duplexes, and denser development, in every residential zoning district in the city on Oct. 18 following a “friendly amendment” introduced Wednesday by Council Member Rebecca Noecker.
The amendment increases maximum height limits in newly-proposed H1 residential and RL large lot zoning districts from 33 feet to 35 feet.
Noecker said she’d been contacted by developers of modular housing who said the higher limit would better accommodate three-story structures. The amendment was approved 5-2, with Council President Amy Brendmoen and Council Member Chris Tolbert opposed on the grounds that it would trigger a procedural delay in approval of the overall package, which had been scheduled to be voted upon Wednesday.
Brendmoen said further changes are likely down the line. The proposal calls for allowing up to six units of housing on lots within an eighth of a mile of transit corridors and designated neighborhood nodes, but Council Member Mitra Jalali said her constituents were interested in seeing that area expanded to a quarter mile.
Council Member Jane Prince said the multi-part zoning package should be voted upon piece by piece to allow for more feedback on individual components, a request that failed to gain traction with the rest of the city council.
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