Adoption of Zoning Amendments for Cannabis-Related Businesses
Last week, the St Paul City Council unanimously approved zoning amendments that outline where different types of legal cannabis operations can locate in Saint Paul. These regulations will help support the local economy while promoting public safety and mitigating potential negative impacts to neighborhoods.
The adopted amendments focus on permitted locations, operational impacts, and separation requirements for different types of businesses:
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Cannabis retail sales are allowed in areas zoned for commercial and mixed-use. Cannabis retail can locate anywhere in downtown and must be 300 feet from schools in all other parts of the city. Retail locations of over 15,000 square feet will require a conditional use permit (CUP), except in districts zoned as industrial. These retailers must have cameras and cannot share a common entrance with tobacco product shops.
- The majority of businesses already carrying hemp-derived edible products can continue to operate as usual in Saint Paul’s mixed-use and commercial zoned areas. These businesses can only sell lower potency hemp-derived products and cannot also carry cannabis.
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Limited cannabis production and cultivation (under 15,000 square feet) can happen in mixed-use, commercial, and industrial districts. Commercial outdoor cultivation, such as rooftop growing operations, will require a CUP.
- Industrial zoned districts are the only areas of Saint Paul where industrial scale and cultivation (over 15,000 square feet) business can locate.
2025 Budget Listening Session
Share your thoughts on the proposed 2025 Saint Paul Budget with the Saint Paul City Council during this Tuesday's public listening session. Your input will influences the changes made by the City Council to the Mayor’s proposed budget.
Before you come, feel free to listen to Mayor Melvin Carter's 2025 Budget Address or read through the proposed 2025 Saint Paul Budget. Mayor Carter’s budget totals $855 million, with a general fund budget increase of $24.5 million and a property tax levy increase of 7.9%, totaling an increase of about $11 per month on a median-value home.
Highlights of the 2025 budget proposal include new firefighter positions and promotions to operate a new fire station, an all-in housing approach that will launch an office-to-housing conversion study, activating public spaces in downtown, and climate investments.
ABOUT THE CITY OF SAINT PAUL BUDGET PROCESS
The City Council has been meeting with department leaders to review the Mayor’s proposed budget. These public Budget Committee meetings are recorded and viewable at any time by visiting the St Paul City Council meetings page. As required by state law, the City Council will set the maximum property tax levy in September. Budgets may be adjusted, but they cannot exceed the maximum tax levy.
Saint Paul Secures $15.7 Million Federal Grant to Enhance Transportation Safety
The City of Saint Paul was awarded $15.7 million in federal funding to implement improved roadway safety measures in underserved communities experiencing a high rate of severe crashes. Saint Paul was one of 354 communities to receive the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program grant, made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
SS4A funding will support critical safety improvements in high-risk areas across Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7, and will also fund two important planning studies for Como Ave and White Bear Ave. These streets and intersections were selected based on a comprehensive crash analysis from the Transportation Safety Action Plan, which identified a High Injury Network and areas with the greatest risk to vulnerable road users.
"With this funding, we will undertake substantial safety improvements across 40 miles of roadways and 100 intersections, targeting some of the city's most hazardous areas,” said Public Works Director Sean Kershaw. “We look forward to collaborating with our county partners to advance these improvements and studies.”
About the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant Program
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides funding to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries. It offers grants to local governments and other eligible organizations for safety measures, including infrastructure improvements, planning studies, and data collection. By targeting high-risk areas and encouraging systemic changes, SS4A aims to create safer transportation environments and support the Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths and injuries. More information can be found online at: www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/2024-awards.
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