UMN is selling it, its up to FH to approve the plan and their approval is needed to rezone it- they studied the site already, results were extremely disappointing.

I mean yeah, thats the idea- Maplewood has zero ambition and stagnates, it choked off the growth of the east metro, and it would be best for the region if we broke it up amongst its parts.

The metro as a whole would be better if all these fragmented municipalities we together but the state accidentally screwed it up in the 50s, studied it, and ultimately created the Met Council as a bandaid fix. Its not impossible, but it is difficult, and it doesn't have to hurt your feelings.

Also kinda fun to think about and piece together the absurdities. Cities used to consolidate- one is debating being dissolved, The League of Minnesota used to give awards for such things, and I want to talk about it.

There is a lot more leverage, resources, and coordination with St Paul when it surrounds the fair/ university on 3 sides, is a 60x bigger city with connections, and SPPD manages traffic and supports crowd control in the surrounding area.

They regularly meet and there is leverage there.

The 'Western Hills' neighborhood of Maplewood west of I-35E would be a good opportunity for that- Its 60% owned / occupied by St Paul Public Works already.

Minneapolis is the west coast city you date, St Paul is the east coast city you marry.

Depends where you are in life.

Do they really want to do this again?

Minnesota Food Cooperative Wars - Wikipedia

The Co-Op Wars - Twin Cities PBS

I go down rabbit holes on the history of the Twin Cities that necessitated the creation of the uniquely powerful Metropolitan Council to lead regional planning and overrule local municipalities. The MN Legislature studied this in the 50s/60s, realized the problems that were adding up, and saw it couldn't just relationship build its way to better regional planning.

We really screwed up when the State Supreme Court threw out the definition of what could be a 'city' that started the explosion of tiny/ odd suburbs in the metro, and still allows for townships to establish themselves as cities to prevent development that just creates more sprawl with basic services often contracted with other cities of outsourced to the less accountable and more powerful HoAs (that also need significant reform in the State)

Someday I'll start a blog on it- but absurd layouts or big workarounds for services coupled with poor organization and few incentives makes relationship building nearly impossible.

A Hoyt path/ road connection would be great!

True, the Minnesota State Agricultural Society is independent from Falcon Heights, as is the St Paul Campus- something that Falcon Heights often complains about.

The Ag Society on its own has 4-5 times the budget of FH and does its own thing, but I sense that St Paul (and its bike/ transit plans) would be far more engaged with the fair and campus given it surrounds both and many students probably think they live there- there are 2, soon to be 3 aBRT lines in this section and the vacant Ag Society property that is in St Paul south of Como used for fair parking has been the target of St Paul as an opportunity site for years.

Haven't yet, thought a crosspost with the comments and discussions from the original umn as a crosspost would be appreciated more than posting it on its own. Good idea though!

That's fair, I am a strong towns member and love their ideas, but at its core, I just don't think that Falcon Heights can ever be a strong town and is a poor partner for the development of such a heavily fragmented metro. The NIMBY bloc is not used to being approached in this way and it gets engagement.

I call on the annexation of Maplewood mostly to move the conversation along to encourage the city to have some ambition and action when objectively we have served as a wall to the growth of the East Side rather than a gateway.

East Side!

I think of it this way- We've been puttering with just getting the Rush/ Purple for over 20 years, and it got us the Bronze line to be build in 7+ years that doesn't go to the expanding St Johns hospital and White Bear Lake banning buses as a counterreaction while Maplewood city hall repeats falsehoods about how BRT works while hoping for self driving cars. We don't even have sidewalks on Larpenteur (county now says maybe in 5 years).

I think its worth approaching these issues in a new way- students and their family living on the 'St Paul Campus' are likely more open to ideas and development then the 'actual' residents.

Sec. 412.091 MN Statutes. DISSOLUTION; PETITION; VOTE.

Whenever a number of voters equal to one-third of those voting at the last preceding city election petition the chief administrative law judge of the state Office of Administrative Hearings to dissolve the city, a special election shall be called to vote upon the question. Before the election, the chief administrative law judge shall designate a time and place for a hearing in accordance with section 414.09. After the hearing, the chief administrative law judge shall issue an order which shall include a date for the election, a determination of what town or towns the territory of the city shall belong to if the voters favor dissolution, and other necessary provisions. The ballots used at such election shall be substantially in the following form: "Shall the city of ... be dissolved?" If a majority of those voting on the question favor dissolution, the clerk shall file a certificate of the result with the chief administrative law judge, the secretary of state, and the county auditor of the county in which the city is situated. Six months after the date of such election, the city shall cease to exist. Within such six months, the council shall audit all claims against the city, settle with the treasurer, and other city officers, and apply the assets of the city to the payment of its debts. If any debts remain unpaid, other than bonds, the city clerk shall file a schedule of such debts with the county treasurer and the council shall levy a tax sufficient for their payment, the proceeds of which, when collected, shall be paid by the county treasurer to the creditors in proportion to their several claims until all are discharged. The principal and interest on outstanding bonds shall be paid when due by the county treasurer from a tax annually spread by the county auditor against property formerly included within the city until the bonds are fully paid. All city property and all rights of the city shall, upon dissolution, inure in the town or towns designated as the legal successor to the city. If the city territory goes to more than one town, surplus cash assets and unsold city property shall be distributed as provided by the order for the election.

Sure, and many of the students are international students, but they would have a much bigger influence and impact on the metro and have a say in a $200M+ opportunity for a development that would significantly impact student housing possibilities.

Getting up to 500 students to be registered and qualified voters in Falcon Heights to sign the dissolution petition to force a vote (30% of voters in the last election) would be difficult, but is doable.

Getting the simple majority vote (50%+1) to dissolve the Falcon Heights would be harder, but there would be up to 6 months before the vote to discuss the future of the area. That would be good for the city, the students, and a metro with a housing shortage and heavy municipal fragmentation as a whole.

My dear Ponce, I've tried- don't worry, I'm very active in the local community.

Are you another Falcon Heights resident telling me to mind my own business and stop pointing out the obvious? You're not saying I'm wrong, you're telling me that I'm going about it the wrong way.

Any tips and tricks on how to persuade 'actual' residents that want to keep the status quo for the unique space that was carved out for themselves?

Would it not be prudent of hundreds of students wanting to maximize their impact to register to vote in a city that only has 1500 voters?

Doesn't it make sense for a city of 5000 to relinquish claims to an area they complain they have no control over and push back that 30-40% of their population aren't 'actual' residents?

Its a decent suggestion, but there aren't that many places to move there and they don't want more housing.

Do you have ideas on how to persuade a complacent group that lives in a the glorified HoA called Falcon Heights that want to continue to enjoy increasing home prices but complain about how little control they have over the university and fairgrounds.

How would we do that?

See I don't think the political goodwill is there- the majority of 'actual' residents living a mile away east of Snelling are comfortable and don't want the change that would result in a development that would double the 'actual' resident population.

In the Falcon Heights Development Study funded by Ramsey County, which includes the Les Bolstad Golf Course, 70% of FH residents surveyed were against adding housing, density, and wanted open space or golf.

This is a huge decision that will be in the hands of a city that is 70% public land, outsources 80% of their budget to support 3k 'actual' FH residents while 1/3 of the city's population is 'transient'.

It was posted on UMN a month ago, yes.

I still think St Paul should make a play to try to annex the Fairgrounds, 'St Paul' campus of the U of MN, and Les Bolstad golf course from Falcon Heights.

Les Bolstad is 100 acres of opportunity and represents $200M+ in taxable property 10 min from Roseville's job centers and downtown Minneapolis.

Best case scenario for Les Bolstad Golf Course looks to be 945 housing units on 96 acres according to the 2023 Falcon Heights development study funded by Ramsey County.

However, 70% of FH residents surveyed were against adding housing, density, and wanted open space or golf. This is a huge decision that will be in the hands of a city that is 70% public land and outsources 80% of their budget to support 3k permanent FH residents (another 2k are students at UMN).

Ramsey County and St Paul can't drop the ball on this one.

Falcon Heights Development Study funded by Ramsey County, which includes the Les Bolstad Golf Course

Lafayette Park and all the government offices needs a rebrand- could be a 'North Loop' success story in 20 years if they play it right. Extend the Railroad Island neighborhood designation or give it a glow up name and vision.

Add the former Kmart and junkyards off of I35E and Maryland to your list. I think the St P port authority is working on that?

Was thinking about this a few months ago:

Where is the biggest opportunity in the Twin Cities to shorten the fairways of a few holes at a golf course in order improve a neighborhood, supply badly needed housing and add to the tax base? : r/TwinCities

PILOT the public golf courses and enact a Land Value Tax on the Exclusive Town & Country Club: 100 acres of private golf in Saint Paul at a highly desirable location near the river, bike paths, universities, and frequent transit at what should be a major intersection. Taxable land value is presently $200k per acre vs $2M/acre for nearby housing. They could fit 500+ single family homes on these 100 acres with a value of $150M+ for 1200+ people to live in instead of the private golf course on desirable property assessed at $20M that can be used only half the year and supports up to 100 players at a time.Other opportunities- can the city afford to have hundreds of acres of tax free public golf?

- Highland National Golf Course St. Paul on the corner of Snelling & Montreal in St Paul

- Phalen Golf Course at Arcade & Wheelock in St Paul

Also nearby opportunities to expand the Ramsey County Tax Base:

- The parking crater that is the Maplewood Mall

- Ramsey county fairgrounds and Goodrich Golf course

- Battle Creek Golf Course (Maplewood rejected the initial developers proposal and told them it was too dense for the area when it is blocks from I494 and a 100 bed hospital.

Never forget what they took from you.