Focus Area: North End Nexus

In 2016, four governments came together in an unusual partnership to re-imagine the area around Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue, which is not only a major intersection on the city's north end, but an intersection shared by three cities as well. Coordinated redevelopment can draw together assets that need to be tied together across these cities.

Three older strip malls and a three-story office building anchor the heart of the Rice and Larpenteur intersection, while institutions from Wilebski's Blues Saloon to Western Bank's office building bookend the area's commerce. Market analysis of the surrounding area show strong opportunities to capitalize on the growing population of children and families in the area, but the kinds of space available may not match the market potential.

Just north of Rice and Larpenteur, the tranquil McCarrons Lake hosts a beach and trails which circle a lake dotted by homes, some modest and some dramatic. The newly-redesigned Saint Paul Grand Round crosses Rice Street a block south of Larpenteur, providing a scenic parkway, biking trail, and walking trail to connect Lake Como to near Lake Phalen.

South of Rice and Larpenteur, Saint Paul is home to many mid-century apartments that have provided an early beginning for young families, while the western edge of the focus area is dominated by a range of tidy bungalows centered on Wheelock Parkway. On the eastern edge of the focus area near I-35E and rail connections, a number of vacant or underutilized industrial sites present significant opportunities for redevelopment.

With momentum from recently-completed planning, smartly-deployed opportunity zone projects will help this area come together to realize its obvious potential.
 

A widely embraced, cross-jurisdictional vision plan for the core Rice and Larpenteur area was recently completed. It sets the stage to support private sector investment in a key area hub.   A growing number of residents call the Rice & Larpenteur area home. The area's diverse built environment is likewise home to a diversity of people, including owners of the many single family homes around Wheelock Parkway and McCarrons Lake, and many diverse residents and more recent immigrant families who animate the area's mid-century apartments.   The focus area is served by a direct connections to Interstate 35E just north of downtown, and has ready access to rail corridors, bus lines, and regional trails.   In the northwest part of the focus area, McCarrons Lake is a natural hub for activity and recreation, and connects to a larger off-road trail system extending through Roseville and Saint Paul. In 2016, a long-awaited Grand Round connection for bicyclists and walkers were built out along Wheelock, to connect Lake Como to Lake Phalen. The Trout Brook Trail and adjacent Gateway Trail provide the area off-road connections to downtown Saint Paul and Stillwater.

Click here to view the North End Nexus Opportunity Map!

 

Opportunity Zone Home Saint Paul: Minnesota's Livable and Dynamic Capital City Saint Paul's Approach to Opportunity Zones Contact us about Opportunity Zones!

Focus Area: City Center and Riverfront, including District del Sol Focus Area: Creative Enterprise Zone Focus Area: Midway Soccer Stadium, including Little Africa  Focus Area: Green Line East, including Little Mekong and Rondo Focus Area: North End Nexus Focus Area: Phalen Corridor Focus Area: Gold Line East