St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter delivered his State of the City address on Monday, highlighting the city’s progress in improving public safety while laying out the challenges facing downtown.

In his speech at the new North End Community Center, Carter touted a significant reduction in gun violence, continuing a trend of steadily falling crime.

“As of April 11, we’ve seen a 73% drop in non-fatal shootings and zero — yes, I said zero — gun-related homicides so far this year,” Carter said.

According to the St. Paul Police Department, there have been two homicides in the city so far this year, both stabbings.

Carter also highlighted the police department’s new non-fatal shootings unit, which is now clearing 71% of cases, up from 38%.

Meanwhile, the city is facing an uphill battle in revitalizing downtown. One-third of St. Paul’s downtown office space is sitting vacant, Carter said, an issue the mayor attributed to the rise of hybrid and remote work.

City and state leaders alike have told government workers to return to in-person work, but Carter said a focus on housing, not work, is needed to bring life back to downtown.

“We’re working to bring 20,000 more residents to downtown, and we’re unlocking the space to make that happen,” Carter said, pointing to office-to-residential conversion projects at the former Ecolab University building and Landmark Towers. The city is also looking at development proposals around the Central Station light rail stop.

While the city has committed a few million to improving public spaces around downtown, the mayor’s big ask is for hundreds of millions in state funds to renovate Xcel Energy Center, RiverCentre and the Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Carter did generally acknowledge the city’s economic pressures, including declining downtown property values and a potential loss of federal funding due to St. Paul’s status as a sanctuary city.

To combat these effects, he emphasized the need to build affordable and market-rate housing, which he hopes will be boosted in part by proposals to pare back the city’s rent control ordinance and strengthen tenant protections.

“These proposals reflect the urgency of the moment,” Carter said. “They protect renters, give builders clarity and help us keep growing the homes we need without losing the protections many of our neighbors count on.”

One major issue facing downtown that Carter did not mention in his speech: the neglect and closure of numerous properties owned by Madison Equities, St. Paul’s largest property owner.

The city had to intervene last year when residents complained about deteriorating facilities at Lowry Apartments and again in March when Madison Equities abruptly told tenants to vacate Alliance Bank Center. After keeping the utilities running through the end of the month, the city closed skyway access through the office building due to concerns about its condition.

“There’s not really a great playbook for the collapse of … your largest property owner downtown,” Carter told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS after his address.

The mayor said “there are a lot of things underway” surrounding Madison Equities’ insolvency, but he did not immediately share any details of a plan.