All right. Again, uh thank you all for joining us uh for this presentation about the traditional neighborhood district zoning uh study. Uh and tonight we're going to talk about how simplified objective rules can make St. Paul an even better place to live, work, and do business. So every 10 years, St. Paul is required to update its comprehensive plan which is the long range plan for the city that creates a vision and a blueprint for how we want our city to grow for the next 20 years. To implement the vision uh in the comprehensive plan, the city updates it zoning code after the comprehensive plan is adopted. This is because the zoning code creates the framework of rules encoding the vision laid out in the comprehensive plan. So, how does zoning work? Well, first the city zoning map determines where you can build different types of buildings. Uh, in some areas or zoning districts, uh, you can build residential buildings like duplexes or six-unit apartment buildings. In other areas or zoning districts, you can build industrial buildings like factories and warehouses. Um, and in other areas or zoning districts, you can build commercial buildings like restaurants and retail stores. And in other areas or zoning districts, you can build commercial buildings, residential buildings, and mixeduse buildings. And these areas are called traditional neighborhood zoning districts. So then within these uh different areas or zoning districts, there are standards that determine how a building is built which are called dimensional and design standards. Uh, and these include standards like setbacks, which determine how far a building needs to be from the property lines, or maximum building heights, which determine how tall a building can be, or a maximum or minimum floor area ratio, which is a multiplier of the lot area that determines the maximum or minimum square footage of a building. Uh so for example, if the maximum uh floor area ratio in a zoning district is 1.0, it would mean that you would multiply the lot area by one and that would be the maximum square footage you could have in a building. Um so here on this slide on the right, I'm showing kind of a diagram of F um and how uh a 1.0 F can look differently. Um so you know, if you had 100% lock coverage, that would be like a one-story building. uh 50% lot coverage uh uh twotory building etc. So by regulating where different types of buildings can go or the land use in different zoning districts and how different buildings look with uh design and dimensional standards. The zoning code shapes how our city looks and feels and it impacts everyone in St. Paul every day. So why are we here tonight? Well, we're here because we are updating our traditional neighborhood zoning districts dimensional and design standards and some of the permitted land uses within those districts to better align these districts with adopted policies in our comprehensive plan. uh such as policy LU1 which calls for encouraging transit supportive density or policy LU28 which calls for supporting transit uh pedestrian friendly streetscapes and visual visual interest through commercial building design. So there are four uh traditional neighborhood zoning districts. They go from T1 to T4. Um and as you increase in the number the districts become more intense. Uh so for example T1 would be the most restrictive. Uh it's the lowest intensity and fewer commercial uses would be allowed. Uh whereas in T4 uh it would be the least restrictive district with the highest intensity and would allow more commercial uses uh than uh some of the other districts. Um, of these districts, T2 and T3 are the most prevalent throughout our city. Um, and T1 and T4 are found um, only in limited areas in the city um, of St. Paul. So, there are traditional neighborhood districts along mixeduse and commercial corridors in every neighborhood of the city. And since 2004, when T districts were first adopted, most of the new housing and businesses in St. Paul have been built in T districts. Uh the four traditional neighborhood zoning districts are intended to support dense transit oriented development which helps promote things like walkability, uh new housing production, quality urban design, commercial development, environmental sustainability, and increased tax revenue. So, what changes are being proposed and how will that impact St. Paulites? Well, to help me explain, let's introduce you to some St. Paulites. Uh, we have developer Daniela. Um, and Daniela is a local housing developer. She builds midsize multif family projects that sometimes have force firstf flooror businesses. We have store owner Steve. Um, and Steve owns a small neighborhood grocery store and restaurant in a commercial corridor. Most of his customers live near his store and walk there to get groceries and other necessities. We have city planner Paula. Um, Paula is a city planner who works for the city of St. Paul. She's been a planner for almost 10 years and she loves tea districts, but she thinks they could work even better with some tweaks. Uh, we have renter Ronald. Um, and renter Ronald is a renter in St. Paul that works in the service industry. Him and his family qualify for uh housing units that are available for families making up to 60% of area median income. We have Arty Artist. Uh Arty is an artist who has some side gigs to maintain a steady income. She's inspired by vibrant neighborhoods and needs her own space to work and relax. Uh and finally, we have Jamie Jr. Uh Jamie is a tween who is gaining uh independence. Their mom will not let them cross the busy street, but they can go to neighborhood parks and shops alone with friends. Uh so now that we're through with introductions, let's get into some of the notable amendments that are being proposed. Uh the first amendment that is being proposed would increase height limits in T2 and T3 zoning districts and also in master plan developments. Uh so the proposed amendments would increase the base height in T2 districts from 35 ft to 45 ft. And in T3 districts, the proposed amendments would increase the base height from 45 ft to 55 ft. And in master plan districts, building heights can be the heights that are stated in the adopted master plan. Uh so for de developer Daniela, this increase in maximum heights means that developer Dianiela can build more housing units in her developments uh which will create more housing supply in our market uh and will help bring down the cost of housing and provide more housing choice in our market over time. um related to the proposed increase in height limits. The proposed amendments also include a floor area ratio density bonus for providing affordable units and new developments. Uh so with this proposed amendment, we would offer a 0.5 floor area ratio bonus if 10% of the units are affordable at 60% AMI or less or a 1.0 you know, floor area ratio bonus if 20% of the units are affordable at 60% AMI or less. Um, and so again, as a reminder, a floor area ratio is a is a multiplier of the lot area. And so what this density bonus would do would would be to add uh to that multiplier of the lot area. So without the density bonus, uh we might see a development shown here on the left, uh which would be a 30,000 foot building with a 3.0 F, um and 40 market rate units, but no affordable units included. Uh but with this density bonus, we may see developments that look more like the the diagram on the right, which would be a 40,000t building with a 4.0 F that has 40 market rate uh units in the building but then 10 affordable units added in exchange for that density bonus. So for renter Ronald and his family, the density bonus means that he can afford a brand new unit in one of developer Daniela's new buildings. Uh and for planner Paula, the density bonus means that affordable units will be included in developments that would otherwise not have any without providing subsidies. And for store owner Steve, the new affordable and market rate housing units in his neighborhood means more purchasing power and customers near his store and a more vibrant commercial corridor. Uh speaking of commercial corridors, another proposed amendment will enable a more vibrant and active streetscape. Uh so one of the proposed amendments would increase the maximum front yard setback or in other words, how far a building can be from the street as long as the area is used for things like outdoor seating. For store owner Steve, this increased maximum setback means that he can have more seating in front of his restaurant. And for art artists, the more active street streetscapes in commercial corridors help inspire her work. Uh the proposed amendments would also allow more flexibility for businesses zone T1 and commercial corridors. Uh so for example, one amendment would allow larger coffee shops in T1 before they need special approval from the planning commission and another amendment would allow new types of businesses or land uses in T1 like small retail stores. For Jamie Jr. this means more small businesses in their neighborhood that they can walk to in the nearby commercial corridor. And finally, to make uh development in T districts and commercial corridors easier to implement, the proposed amendments streamline design standards and make them less subjective. And they also give the planning administrator the authority to modify design standards to conform to master plans already approved by the city council under certain circumstances. For developer Dianiela, the streamlined design standards means that she will have more certainty that the plans that she submits to the city will be approved without a lot of revisions or variances. And for planner Paula, the streamlined design standards means that she will have to spend less time reviewing plans and working on various variance requests. So together, the proposed and simplified and objective rules will make St. Paul an even better place to live, work, and do business. So, to recap, the proposed amendments will increase maximum heights in T2, T3, and master plan districts, which will make it easier to build more housing units and commercial corridors, and will reduce overall housing costs over time. Uh, the proposed amendments will also create an incentive to build affordable housing by offering a density bonus. Um, and this incentive may mean that affordable housing units will be added to new developments that may otherwise have not had any. Uh, the proposed amendments will also increase the maximum setback for certain building features, which will help promote more active and lively streetscapes in our commercial corridors. Uh, they'll streamline design standards, which will make the rules easier to understand for developers and will make reviewing plans easier for city staff. And finally, they will allow new business types in T1, which may mean new businesses will be established in areas that previously couldn't have them. And for our St. Paul lights. These amendments mean more vibrant commercial corridors and new business opportunities, more walkable communities, more housing choice and affordability, new tax revenue, better designed buildings, and a simpler zoning code and approval process. Um, so we would like to hear your input. Um, so we are going to the planning commission on Friday, um, and asking them to release this study for public review. Um, and we're, uh, hoping to get a public hearing scheduled for Friday, July 11th at 8:30, uh, in room in city hall in room 40. Um, and you can submit, uh, uh, comments for the study to Spencer via email or you can mail uh, send them in the mail in the address uh, listed on the slide. Uh for more information, you can also visit the traditional neighborhood zoning study page as well. Um and so with that, we'll conclude our presentation and we'd be happy to answer any questions that people have. Uh thank you.