Proposed Downtown Improvement District would serve greater portion of St. Paul
FILE - Downtown St. Paul is viewed from Cass Gilbert Memorial Park. (KSTP/file)
A proposal penned by the St. Paul Downtown Alliance aims to grow the amount of the city that would be included in the Downtown Improvement District.
The new district would encompass all of downtown, including residential areas. When SPDID was established, only commercial and industrial areas could be included. However, a law change in 2023 allows residential areas to participate.
There will also be new services focused on public safety, according to the Alliance. Funds would add safety ambassadors — including extra coverage on the skyway — and bike patrols.
SPDID said it will also work with the city of St. Paul to hire a city attorney to prosecute exclusively chronic offenders and “quality-of-life” issues by 2025.
Since its creation in 2021, police calls for quality-of-life crimes and concerns dropped 40% in SPDID, the Alliance said.
SPDID is governed and paid for by participating property owners.
“Creating a new district that covers all four corners of downtown will allow the SPDID to provide a safer, cleaner and more consistently positive experience,” said John Bandemer, director of safety strategies for the SPDID. “We are proud to bring our proven strategies to the entire downtown community in partnership with property owners.”
More information on the proposal can be found here.