Money, history and community meetings might not be the stuff of soap operas, but you wouldn’t know it looking at the Bridges of St. Paul project. The controversy surrounding the project so far is sure to continue as the project moves forward. With historic designations and land use plans being questioned, the project is in for more of the same in the months to come.

The Money

Developer Jerry Trooien still fully intends to request $125 million in TIF funds despite the city of St. Paul’s early denials of the money.

TIF, or tax-increment financing, is a statewide financing tool for urban redevelopment projects. The additional property tax revenue  generated from an improvement on a piece of land can then be used for a community benefit (parking ramps, for example, would be among parts of the Bridges project that would be built with TIF money). The city wouldn’t see any of what the increased property tax would be until the time period (20 years proposed in this case) is up.

In the final session of a four-meeting series, developer Jerry Trooien talked extensively about TIF. He said, “If you don’t do the development, if you don’t create the revenue, you don’t get the money.” He repeatedly said that the money would only come out of the land and would not take money out of other areas of the city.

The History


One of the most-talked-about problems with the project is the view. That view is now one of Preservation Alliance’s 10 most endangered places in Minnesota.

Trooien says about the question of view, “Whose view and from where?” The Preservation Alliance points to the Mississippi River vista as seen from Mounds Park in St. Paul. Concerned citizens have been talking about the multiple spires that will poke their way into the skyline.

This is the first time a landscape view has found its way onto the list. The controversy of the project undoubtedly played a role in that decision. “We support development on the West Side if the design is consistent with zoning guidelines,” said Bonnie McDonald, director of Preservation Alliance. “But we’re opposed to the scale of the Bridges and how the design would alter both the cultural and natural landscape.”

The Meetings

The Bridges project has been a great boon to anyone who really enjoys meetings. From the now defunct Tri-Council to the Zoning and Planning Committees to the WSCO annual meeting to the information sessions that just wrapped up and now — and certainly not finally — onto the WSCO community engagement sessions, meeting hawks can get their fix from this project’s process.

WSCO is kicking off the first of six meetings Monday night. The meetings are supposed to help gather more information about the Bridges, the site and the feel of the community. They will cover topics including development plans for the area, environmental considerations, zoning, traffic and economic sustainability. From an hour to an hour and a half is set aside at every meeting for JLT Inc., Trooien’s company, to present. Each meeting will also allow an hour for other presenters, including the city of St. Paul, the Riverfront Development Corp., the DNR and the Met Council. Finally, each meeting will have some time for questions.

The meetings will be held at the Wellstone Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 7, 15, 21 and 29 and June 4 and 12.