After 10 years of planning, a dozen studies surrounding the now-vacant Ford Motor Co. campus in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood have been condensed into a single draft plan, a key step in developing a new riverfront community.

A master developer, which could be selected by 2018, would be expected to work with the city on a range of housing types, neighborhood parks and recreational amenities, including a stream-like water corridor, as well as retail and office buildings. Building heights and densities would be dictated by six zoning districts. Related Articles St. Paul district reports enrollment drop as pandemic moves school online

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“It will have a neighborhood feel,” said city planner Merritt Clapp-Smith, who said all but one “gateway” business district in the northwest corner of the development would allow a mix of housing and commerce. Heights would “step up” from the Mississippi River on the west, and get taller moving east.

She described a district dominated by condos in two-story, mansion-style buildings; another primarily composed of townhomes, condos and apartments; and another featuring multifamily housing ranging in height from four to 10 stories wrapped around retail.

The goal is 4,000 new housing units, with a maximum of 1.5 parking spaces per unit. Shared parking ramps, small parking lots for 20 vehicles or fewer, and limited on-street parking are key features. Car sharing, electric vehicle ports, bicycle paths and LED lighting that doesn’t block out the night sky are also on tap.

Presenting to a University of St. Thomas auditorium crowded with residents, Clapp-Smith described a central stormwater feature running from north to south, “a series of interesting and attractive spaces across the site.” What begins to the north as a scenic stream could culminate in a pond at the south end that would be used for winter skating, and a connection to Hidden Falls Regional Park.

Rather than open new traffic lanes around the Ford property, plans call for a new traffic connection between Cretin and Montreal avenues to reduce traffic pressure on Ford Parkway. Cretin could even host a “dedicated” transit lane for a possible transit link. The goal, in part, is to keep heavy traffic off Mississippi River Boulevard, which would gain a bicycle/pedestrian path on its east side.

Mayor Chris Coleman called the opportunity to guide the 135-acre river bluff development in one of St. Paul’s most desirable neighborhoods a unique opportunity within Minnesota and the nation. The mayor has led a delegation of planners and civic partners as far away as Europe to study best practices for a “21st century community” that showcases environmentally sensitive urban design.

“There is no better site for redevelopment, anywhere, that I’ve ever seen, that comes close to this,” said Coleman, who met with Ford officials in Dearborn, Mich., a few months ago. “It could be a home for (seniors) as they continue to downsize. It could be a home for millennials. … I want everything.”

Mansion-style 2-story buildings nearest the river would house multiple condos, not the Vanderbilts or J.J. Hill… pic.twitter.com/3PWBnoJiXu — FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) November 15, 2016

The mayor said Ford has been a responsible partner, working hand in hand with the city and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to perform dozens of soil borings and determine where to remove and replace contaminated ground on the site of the former automotive factory.

“I rarely ask us to give a round of applause for a corporation, but we should give a round of applause,” Coleman said. “We’re getting closer. But most importantly, we’re getting it right.”

Ford will go on the market sometime in 2017-18 to court a master developer for the land. A 25-member community task force has met over the past 10 years, and 34 community meetings have helped craft public priorities around transportation access, job creation and environmental concerns. A dozen technical studies have gauged real estate potential, traffic, open-space demand, options for sustainable energy and other amenities.

The site includes 122 acres on top of the bluff and an adjoining 13-acre, five-mile Canadian Pacific Railway spur, which could become a future public transit, bicycle and pedestrian route into the neighborhood. The city plans a rail spur study funded in part by federal transportation grants and East Metro Strong, a public-private economic development partnership with a transit focus.

City Council member Chris Tolbert, who represents the neighborhood, called the redevelopment of the former Ford land a “once-in-a-century opportunity to plan the next 100 years. … We have an opportunity for a great development, not just for today, but for the future.”

The next Ford site meeting, at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at Lumen Christi Catholic Church, will focus on transportation and traffic studies.