2013 was a busy year for St. Paul’s Ward 2 area, the political ward that encompasses downtown and much of Summit Hill, the West Side and West Seventh Street. How busy was it?
According to St. Paul City Council Member Dave Thune’s office, about $91.4 million in commercial construction permits were pulled in 2013. The next closest wards (Ward 3 – Highland Park/Mac-Groveland and Ward 4 – Hamline-Midway) had about $25 million in permitted commercial construction apiece.
What accounts for that $91.4 million in construction? Not the Schmidt Brewery housing renovation or the Penfield apartment project — those permits were pulled in 2012.
No, the construction figures are in addition to the Schmidt and Penfield, which have received scads of public attention in the media.
According to Thune’s newsletter:
“What is surprising is how little economic development activity in a year is subsidized by the city, or are projects like buildings and parks owned by the city. Less than 11% of all projects fall into these categories.”
The subsidized projects include STAR-funded projects that received a 50 percent match from the city, such as the Bedlam Theater. Schmidt, which received its permit in 2012, received a 4 percent city subsidy.
The newsletter notes that even removing projects that were built in downtown proper from the mix, the ward would still be home to $47 million in commercial construction — nearly double the commercial construction permit figures from the city’s next-busiest wards.
Here’s a geographic breakdown from Thune’s office:
10 percent:
$9.2 million on the West Side, much of it spent on school construction
32 percent:
$29.3 million on West Seventh Street, much of it spent on hospitals
.7 percent:
$616,000 spent on Summit Hill, most of it for the Minnesota History Center
5.7 percent:
$5.2 million spent on Railroad Island, most of it on hospitals and offices
51 percent:
$47 million spent downtown, with the largest project being the Ordway renovation.