A visual tour of the area reveals seven separate urban character types within the District. These types often stand in stark contrast to each other and create significant visual variety not found in many districts or communities within the city. These variations also show the challenges faced by the community in integrating land uses and creating connections, especially at the edges where these urban types meet. The following images provide illustrative examples of the community’s strengths and redevelopment challenges.
Neighborhood Residential
Making up the single largest visual type in the community, is the single-family neighborhood. In St. Anthony Park, residential neighborhoods are characterized by attractive curvilinear streets, significant amounts of vegetation and hilly topography. Laid out in the 1870s in the park-style fashon of the times, the residential areas are dominated by attractive single-family homes, duplexes, institutions, small apartment buildings and neighborhood oriented commercial services integrated through pedestrian oriented streets. The north St. Anthony Park neighbordhood is significantly larger and separated from the southern neighborhood by Energy Park Drive and two railroad corridors.
Limited Access Industrial
Industrial areas conrtibute to the fragmentation of the larger community due to their linear nature. Other than Highway 280 and Energy Park Drive, these industrial areas have limited access to other local transportation routes. This zone is characterized by impervious surfaces comprised of single story, relatively nondescript buildings surrounded by parking lots and truck loading areas. Properties are generally viable and have relatively high value due to their access to the regional transportation system.
Big Box Industrial
A zone of very large single story buildings occupies a significant anount of the land in the south part of the community. Many of the buildings are relatively new and were built following the construction of Transfer Road in the 1970s. Many of these buildings were designed for warehousing and the trucking industry; many are currently vacant or under leased. The area is dominated by large blocks with limited street access, and is nearly all comprised of impervious surfaces.
Street Grid Industrial
There are two remnants of old style industrial building patterns in South St. Anthony Park. Both of these areas are built on a finer grain street pattern with strong pedestrian orientation. Buildings tend to be brick with attractive details and built to the sidewalk. Parking lots and truck loading areas exist in this zone, however, they tend to be smaller and fragmented and thus do not dominate the landscape.
Historic Commercial District
The Raymond-University intersection and adjacent blocks form the commercial core of South St. Anthony Park. this designated historic district is a remnant of the streetcar era and contains numerous commercial structures of historic value. It is the most intensely developed zone in the community. The area is gaining significance as a growing cultural, entertainment and residential area and is experiencing on-going development. the area contains great potential to become a classic urban village, especially if LRT becomes a reality on University Avenue.
Suburban-Style Light Industrial & Commercial
The "Westgate" area northwest of University and Highway 280 was built in the past fifteen years as a suburban style light industrial and commercial complex. These big block buildings have a strong "arterial" street orientation. The buildings have large setbacks and are surrounded by parking. Signage is large and oriented to fast moving traffic on University Avenue. This area is effectively separated from most of the community and clearly reads as a development pattern all its own.
Transition Zone
The area southwest of University and Highway 280 is rapidly developing. With the recent Emerald Gardens and Berry Place housing developments, over 800 units of new housing have been introduced to St. Anthony Park. In addition to these new housing complexes, the area contains single-family homes, some industrial properties along the freeways and large office buildings along University. This area appears physically and visually a part of the Prospect Park neighborhood in Minneapolis as it is separated from the rest of St. Anthony Park by University Avenue and Highway 280.
