St. Paul Goes for the Green

The St. Paul City Council adopted an ordinance Wednesday to  require green space be allocated on all new developments in St. Paul. Developers could also pay a fee that would go into funding the purchase of parkland.

Duriing the public hearing for the ordinance last week, there was discussion about postponing the effective date of the project until the end of the summer so that projects without green space would move along more quickly to avoid the penalty. The idea was turned down in part because the council has the ability to waive any part of the ordinance.

The Chamber of Commerce, which opposes the project, said the ordinance would have a negative impact on potential development. The chamber’s representative said, “We seriously question what the parks department wants — land or fees.