The metro’s regional planning agency is poised to distribute $200,000 to two initiatives aimed at helping St. Paul’s communities of color thrive and avoid displacement as housing and commercial real estate development picks up around them.
The Metropolitan Council will vote on both grant proposals Wednesday. The council’s Community Development Committee has already recommended approval.
If approved, the Rondo Restorative Development Overlay District will receive a $150,000 “Livable Communities pre-development” grant for research into anti-displacement strategies. Proponents of a “land bridge” over Interstate 94 between Chatsworth and Grotto streets hope a highway lid will create room for new housing, jobs, retail, recreation and community spaces where the Rondo neighborhood once existed prior to freeway construction.
Organizers are mindful that new real estate tends to favor pricey housing units that could displace rather than house local communities of color, and they’re exploring opportunities that would support instead of pricing out local residents. One likely strategy would be to designate an official African-American Cultural Enterprise District, which could serve as a magnet for public, private sector and philanthropic support. More information is online at reconnectrondo.com/engage.
The Met Council will also review a potential “Livable Communities transit-oriented development” grant of $52,500 toward the commercial redevelopment of Plaza del Sol, a small food and retail business entrepreneurship center at 990 Payne Ave. The project, led by the Latino Economic Development Center, is expected to create 40 new jobs along the business and burgeoning transit corridor by incubating new locally-owned ethnic businesses.
