St Paul Proposes More Fouplexes

While the city of St Paul passed a rent control ordinance in an attempt to cap rising rent, the ordinance did not result in the creation of a single unit of housing.

And yet, rents have continued to rise.

In an attempt to foster the creation of more housing, the St Paul Planning Commission recently recommended a set of zoning amendments to the City Council in an effort to address the lack of housing.

The changes would allow fourplexes to be built in most parts of the city, as well as potentially amend some setback, lot size and height requirements theoretically removing some common barriers to construction. Other proposed changes are intended to simplify the process of adding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which are often referred to as granny flats.

Almost half of the city of St Paul is currently zoned only for single-family homes.

It’s important to note the city of Minneapolis made similar changes to its building and zoning requirements in 2018 as part of its comprehensive 2040 plan. To date, few duplexes and fourplexes have been built.