It is anticipated that residential units on the future Ford Site will be a mix of ownership and rental, will vary in size and price, and will target different ages and household types. The City’s goal is to expand the mix of housing options in the City of Saint Paul and in Highland Park by better meeting the demand of housing for younger and older households, single-person households, and a variety of incomes. Providing affordable housing options as part of the overall housing mix will be important to creating a stable and healthy place, and the City will work actively with site developers and housing partners to do so.
The Ford Site will include multi-unit large homes, carriage houses, townhomes, live-work units, apartments, condominiums, and potentially senior housing. This range of housing can bring together a mix of people and ages in a residential community that has enough density to support local stores, restaurants and services, and provide the tax base for more parks and amenities.
The Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan sets the framework for a range of 2,400 to 4,000 (maximum) housing units at full build-out. It is worth noting that this full build-out will take place in phases and could take between 12 to 20 years.
Housing affordability is an important need across the region, the city, and within the Highland Park neighborhood. The City's housing affordability goals for the Ford Site include:
- 5% of housing units should be affordable to households earning 60% or less of Area Median Income
- 5% of housing units should be affordable to households earning 50% or less of Area Median Income
- 10% of housing units should be affordable to households earning 30% or less of Area Median Income
- Affordable units should be a mix of housing types, including townhomes, rental, ownership and senior
- Provide some affordable units within mixed-income buildings -- a blend of market-rate and affordable units
- Locate affordable units throughout the site; do not cluster or concentrate them in one area
These goals are in addition to the city-wide affordable housing policy, which applies when certain public subsidy is invested in a housing project. Find details about this policy in the housing section of the City's current Comprehensive Plan.
For any housing development seeking subsidy from the City or the City’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the affordable housing standards under Strategy 3.3 of the Comprehensive Plan’s Housing Chapter shall apply as determined by the City Council or the Housing and Redevelopment Authority’s Board of Commissioners.
The images and designs of housing options shown for the site are conceptual only. Detailed design of actual development will occur during the developer’s master planning process, in consultation with City staff and public stakeholders.
