Support elimination of petition requirements for new housing projects
Saint Paul’s planning staff are proposing to eliminate petition requirements for housing developers to apply for permits from the city. These petition requirements make it more difficult to develop housing because they enable nearby neighbors to effectively block projects. Please join us in publicly voicing your support of these proposed changes to the Planning Commission!
Ways to show your support for eliminating requirements
Speak at the Planning Commission’s public hearing in person or online on Friday, May 13 at 8:30 a.m. via Microsoft Teams or in person at City Hall, 15 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55102, room 40. New to public hearings? Visit our Speaking at Public Hearings page for info and tips.
Send an email to City Planner Kady Dadlez at kady.dadlez@ci.stpaul.mn.us by 5 p.m. on Monday, May 16.
Read below for some suggestions about what to say.
Background
In most parts of Saint Paul, a person who wants to convert a house into a duplex or build an accessory dwelling unit (e.g., a carriage house) is subject to a “petition requirement”: before they can even submit an application to the city for a permit, they must obtain the signatures of two-thirds of all their neighbors within 100 feet of the site where they want to build. This requirement is a major impediment to abundant housing in Saint Paul, because it gives nearby residents the power to block new housing in their vicinity, in spite of our city’s desperate need for more homes. For more information on the topic, and the official proposed zoning text amendments, read the study published by the city’s planning staff.
Not sure what to say to the Planning Commission?
Take a look at Sustain Saint Paul’s letter to the Planning Commission regarding petition requirements for some ideas. Here are a few talking points to consider:
No resident of Saint Paul should be empowered to block the construction of new housing in their neighborhood, to the detriment of the city and its would-be future residents.
The best way Saint Paul can respond to its housing affordability crisis is to facilitate the construction of more housing. We need to eliminate policies and requirements that impede people from building homes in our neighborhoods – including “gentle density” like duplexes and accessory dwelling units.
Even without petition requirements, there are still opportunities for members of the public to weigh in on proposed development projects. Anyone can sign up to receive electronic notices through the Early Notification System, and property owners within 350 feet of the subject property receive required public hearing notice through the mail. In addition, many district councils have formal processes to weigh in on zoning applications in their areas, in time for the Zoning Committee meeting.
