|
 |
On the Way What's Happening to the Old Ford Plant Site?
In 2008, that will change. The Ford Motor Company plans to close the assembly plant in 2008. Although the plant’s closure is a significant loss for the community, especially with the loss of union jobs, it also provides an unprecedented redevelopment opportunity in one of the most beautiful, stable, and economically strong neighborhoods of St. Paul. “There are tremendous opportunities with the Ford Plant redevelopment,” says Dave Van Hattum, Policy & Advocacy Program Manager at Transit for Livable Communities. “It would be wonderful to see development that connects housing, business, and retail with opportunities to take transit, walk, and ride bicycles. At the same time, it’s important to recognize the significant loss of union jobs and to think about development that addresses that loss.” A Ford Planning Task Force, appointed by the City of St. Paul Planning Commission, is charged with helping to identify a plan that creates a positive legacy for the City and the Ford Motor Company. Specifically, they will prepare a development framework for a mixed-use development, which will be considered by the Planning Commission, City Council, and Mayor. “We want to ensure that the planning process fully and thoughtfully engages the community and stakeholders, with the assistance of city staff, consultants and the task force,” says Mayor Chris Coleman on the City’s website. The Ford Site Planning is a two-phased process. The first phase brought together the Ford Site Planning Task Force, the Ford Motor Company, public officials, the community, and other stakeholders to prepare five development scenarios:
In Fall 2007, Phase II began, analyzing each of the five scenarios based on the Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR), fiscal possibilities, public purpose goals defined over the summer, and sustainability potential. The AUAR looks at a number of environmental factors such as water, soil, waste, and emissions, as well as traffic and compatibility with surrounding community development plans. In addition to these analyses, environmental assessments of the current site are being completed. Recent editorials in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press see an opportunity for green manufacturing to replace jobs lost from the Ford Plant’s closure, offering both jobs and a chance to build a clean energy future. With high density housing, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and transit-oriented development, the Ford site redevelopment could serve as a national model of a prosperous, sustainable neighborhood. For more information, visit the City of St. Paul Ford Site Planning Site or a coalition-created Community Blog.
|
|||||||||
|
For the past 80 years, 125 acres in the bustling Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul have been home to an assembly plant operated by Ford Motor Company. 