Land Use
St. Anthony Park is dominated by industrial uses occupying 50 percent of the District’s land area (Table 1). Residential uses comprise the second largest use category at 20 percent and commercial occupies 8 percent. Park areas occupy only 2.5 percent of the area. Despite the dominance of industrial uses, the city’s land use map for District 12 shows a fairly large diversity of land uses (given the coding system used by the city) within St. Anthony Park. The land use map shows a relatively rich mix of housing types within the existing residential areas. Duplex and multi-family homes are mixed in with single-family homes. It is interesting to note that only a small portion of University Avenue is zoned for commercial use, however, almost its entire length is in actual commercial use. Current land use economics appear to indicate that there is greater demand for commercial over industrial land in this area.
While both industrial and residential land uses are major features in the community, they are generally separated from each other by significant transportation corridors and thus coexist rather well. The exception to this is the smaller residential neighborhood in South St. Anthony Park. Much of this area is in close proximity to rail yards and industrial activity. Despite the fact that these transportation corridors separate incompatible land uses, they also have fragmented the community into disconnected components. Overcoming these barriers and connecting the community continues to be an on-going challenge.
It should also be noted that the 2004 zoning map for St. Anthony Park (see map at left) has not been updated by the city to reflect recent revisions to the Zoning Code. The most notable additions to the code with relevance to District 12 are the introduction of the Traditional Neighborhood or “TN” districts. These districts recognize the unique mixed-use nature of urban neighborhoods and encourage the compatible mixing of uses in a pedestrian and transit-friendly environment. A number of areas within the community would be appropriate for rezoning to at least one of the TN designations. These include commercial nodes at Como and Carter, University and Raymond, and Raymond and Hampden. The entire district should be evaluated for proper zoning classification.
Economic Vitality
Commercial and industrial land use in St. Anthony Park has undergone drastic changes in the past three decades. The shift toward railroad-oriented trucking and warehousing activities has contributed to the diminished relative land value of a huge swath of land running through South St. Anthony Park. Additionally, the gradual but steady decline in the national and regional industrial sector has also contributed to the decline and underutilization of land in this same area. Much of this area is dominated by acres of aging industrial structures and brown fields. The structural shift in the national and regional economy has also affected employment. Employment in the area today is largely focused along University Avenue and its intersection with Highway 280. These areas are largely commercial uses in new or renovated structures. Employment drops off significantly as distance increases from University Avenue.
Likewise, St. Anthony Park’s retail-commercial districts have been confronted by dramatic changes in the transportation system and by consumer trends that have moved commercial and business traffic from the District to suburban shopping malls and big box retail centers. The University Avenue commercial corridor still contains many marginal commercial properties. However, significant recent and ongoing investment in new housing is likely to support future investment in consumer-oriented commercial services.
The University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus is the largest employer and source of residents in District 12. Though the campus is not within the D12 boundaries, it represents a significant opportunity for economic and cultural development within the St. Anthony Park neighborhood. Specific opportunities include capturing more consumer spending by University students and employees on housing, retail, restaurant and services. Additional opportunities include leveraging the University’s research functions for new commercially viable products and services. With its large inventory of underused land, South St. Anthony Park has significant real estate opportunities to house these market building activities. The key to capturing any of these opportunities is in creating new transportation, cultural and spatial connections that bring D12’s land supply “closer” to the University.
Land Value Analysis
An analysis of land values was conducted for the District 12 planning process using 2002 Ramsey County data. Land values include both building and land value as determined by the county assessor for each parcel. This total value was divided by the area of each parcel to arrive at a value per square foot. While industrial land occupies the majority of the land area within District 12, it also has the lowest average market value at $8 per square foot. Conversely, residential land has the highest average market value at $26 per square foot. Recently developed market rate town homes in the area have some of the highest market values at $89/sf. Most of the high value commercial land is aligned along University Avenue. The Court International office building has the highest value of all commercial buildings at $82/sf. The Westgate suburban style office complex is valued at $26/sf. The average market value for commercial property in District 12 is $13 per square foot. Most of the high value industrial land is located on the edge of the District with good access to area freeways or Transfer Road.
A large amount of industrial space is currently vacant. With the decline of manufacturing, and the large supply of industrial land in the area, one could expect future declines in industrial land values. The development of new market rate town homes or other higher density housing, such as loft apartments, provides an opportunity for building higher land values and tax base in the area. Considering the excellent regional access, the area also offers opportunities for adding new commercial office space and employment centers when the regional market for office space rebounds.
