Drive-through zoning code amendments: Sustain Saint Paul written testimony

Next Wednesday, the City Council will take up a proposal from the Planning Commission to ban new food- and beverage-related drive-throughs in the City of Saint Paul. Banks and pharmacies would still be allowed to open drive-throughs. Below is the letter we submitted to the planning commission as public comment.

November 7th, 2024

Public Hearing Testimony to the Saint Paul City Council

RE: Drive-through zoning code amendments

Council President Jalali and Councilmembers,

Sustain Saint Paul is a volunteer-led, grass-roots organization that champions abundant housing, low-carbon transportation, and sustainable land use in the City of Saint Paul. We strongly support the proposed amendments to the City’s zoning regulations regarding drive-throughs and urge you to pass them.

The City of Saint Paul has set ambitious goals to advance the sustainability, health, safety and prosperity of our city. Drive-throughs, particularly those operated by restaurants, run counter to these objectives. Drive-throughs make Saint Paul’s streets and sidewalks less hospitable and more hazardous for all residents, especially those walking, rolling, or biking nearby. They induce driving and thus inhibit Saint Paul’s progress towards reducing transportation-related pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the City – a key goal of the Climate Action Resilience Plan. 

Drive-throughs also fail to strengthen the City’s economy and financial health. Unlike small businesses, which reinvest their profits in the City and create “multiplier effects,” the profits of corporate drive-through restaurants are siphoned out of Saint Paul. They contribute little to the City’s property tax base, by devoting most of their taxable land to asphalt. Meanwhile, businesses with drive-throughs often inflict greater wear-and-tear on taxpayer-funded streets than do other businesses. In the end, drive-throughs impose more costs for Saint Paul than the benefits they offer.

Thank you in advance for your continued work to make Saint Paul a more environmentally sustainable, healthy, and financially resilient city.

Sincerely,

Sustain Saint Paul’s Board of Directors

Luke Hanson, co-chair

Melissa Wenzel, co-chair

Michele Molstead, secretary

Zack Farrell, treasurer

Karen Allen

Galen Benshoof

Paul Fiesel

Cody Fischer

Faith Krogstad

Chris Smith