Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

Urban29 owner Joyce Sanders stands in her new store at 633 University Ave. W., in the new Frogtown Crossing building. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN Urban29 lost its space at 804 E. Lake in Minneapolis when the building burned after the murder of George Floyd. Owner Joyce Sanders of Longfellow opened a pop-up location … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 11/9/22

This Taco Bell building has been demolished and will be rebuilt.

Judge allows new Taco Bell

A new Taco Bell restaurant is going up at 565 N. Snelling Ave., thanks to a successful court challenge by owner Border Foods. Neighbors were surprised that the longtime location was fenced off and … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/9/22

Shaunie Grisby hopes to create a place like The Den from the television series “Moesha”– a place that is a community hangout. Flava Coffee and Cafe at 623 University Ave. West serves beverages, breakfast and lunch. “I wanted to create a space like that where people loved being,” said Grisby. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

One latte at a time

Frogtown has a coffee shop again.Over three years of planning culminated with the official opening of Flava Coffee and Cafe on Aug. 27, 2022 in the newly built Neighborhood Development Center at the … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 11/9/22 | 1 comment

Hamline Midway Library design released

Designs for a new Hamline Midway Branch library have been unveiled, as efforts to save the existing building continue. Designs and floor plans for Hamline Midway, Hayden Heights and Riverview … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/9/22

Sherburne Collective aims for deeply affordable housing

Developers of a changing and complex Frogtown affordable housing proposal have been given more time to put things together. The St. Paul City Council, acting as the Housing and Redevelopment … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/9/22

Development update November 2022

ALATUS PROJECT MOVES FORWARDLexington Station is chugging along, with excavation this fall and much more work to come for the next several months. The Union Park District Council (UPDC) land use … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/9/22

New park opens at Highland Bridge development

On Aug. 9, 2022, the City of Saint Paul celebrated the opening of Uncií Makhá Park (2230 Montreal Ave.), a brand-new 6.4 acre park at the Highland Bridge development. The new park … more

9/18/22

What happens if you remove I-94?

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN What happens if Interstate 94 is removed between St. Paul and Minneapolis?Our Streets Minneapolis is leading the conversation to rethink I-94 and consider various … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 8/12/22

The city plans to demolish the historic Hamline Midway Library and build a new one, as shown by this rendering.

Hamline-Midway library to be demolished

By Jane McClure The Hamline Midway Library will be demolished and replaced with a new structure for $5.8 million. St. Paul Public Library administration announced the decision May 26, 2022. Social … more

By Jane McClure | 6/26/22

Next up: figuring out rental control ordinance

Rent control for St. Paul was approved, 53 to 47 percent, by the voters. Now the challenge of figuring out the ordinance and what it means begins.The measure places a three present cap on maximum … more

By JANE McCLURE | 12/11/21

There’s a brand new play space at Hamline Park

Located in the Hamline-Midway area at 1564 Lafond Ave., this play space has been completely replaced, including new safety surfacing and new drains underneath to keep the playground dry. The new play … more

11/12/21

Development Roundup November 2021

Keystone project moves aheadKeystone Community Services’ planned new and expand food shelf facilities took a step ahead Oct. 20 as the St. Paul City Council approved an allocation of $902,255 … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/12/21

B Line plan moves ahead

B Line bus rapid transit service is to start in 2024, providing a faster connection between St. Paul’s Union Depot and Uptown Minneapolis. The $65 million project’s final corridor and … more

By JANE McCLURE | 11/12/21

Midway Center was demolished in October 2021.

Midway Center finally demolished

As October began, demolition equipment was quickly crunching through the remains of Midway Center. Excavators smashed down walls, and carefully picked out and set aside metal. Parts of the structure … more

By JANE McCLURE | 10/17/21

Bikeway extension?

Extending the Midtown Greenway into St. Paul could generate $3 billion in economic development, according to a recent study, and the supporters say the route will help fight climate change.Midtown … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 10/17/21

A NEW DALE STREET BRIDGE

In her dream, a young girl was walking down Dale Street with her mother, who pushed a stroller. She was reading a poem on the sidewalk. “Look, mama, you can read it both ways,” the girl … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 9/16/21

Midway Center superblock gets more TIF funding

Redevelopment of the Midway Center superblock, including the burned-out remnant of Midway Center, is moving ahead with changes to a tax increment financing (TIF) district and an order to demolish the … more

By JANE McCLURE | 9/16/21

The center of the Midway Shopping Center was the most severely damaged by the fire on May 28, 2020. The shopping center remains vacant and boarded, with a fence around it, more than a year after the damage.

Will demolished Midway Center be used for parking?

The fire-ravaged Midway Center faces an order to be demolished within 15 days at the Aug. 25 St. Paul City Council meeting. While a building demolition permit for the shopping center at the southwest … more

By JANE MCCLURE | 8/12/21

Ryan Companies Parks and Public Spaces project manager Mac Pegovac and Bob Fossum of CRWD check out the progress of the storm water management at the heart of the redevelopment project at the former Ford Assembly Plant property. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

Reviving upper Hidden Falls Creek

This summer, workers are building a channel and bridge that will connect a recreated upper Hidden Falls Creek with the lower falls at East River Parkway and Magoffin Avenue.It’s part of the … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 8/12/21

FNA’s Anti-Displacement Community Organizer Danielle Swift, said, “What makes me most excited about this project is the opportunity to be creative around affordable housing and community ownership. The city of Saint Paul will transfer ownership of 652 Sherburne to Model Cities. FNA will be a working partner in this project along with Hope Community’s Housing Justice Center and Historic Saint Paul.” (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT

About two dozen people boarded a big yellow bus on a hot, sticky night to discuss the prospects for Development without Displacement in the Frogtown, Rondo, and Summit University neighborhoods. … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 8/12/21