The return of the Bridges (again)

Developer Jerry Trooien has re-submitted his proposal to build a massive new mega-mall type development, the Bridges of Saint Paul, on the river across from downtown. Though the project was widely criticized and failed to win approval from the Citys planning commission last fall, the new proposal remains essentially unchanged.

The proposed Bridges of Saint Paul combines approximately 1,100 residential units, 250 deluxe hotel guest rooms, 82 luxury condominiums, and 400,000 square feet of retail space all with free underground parking in a development that would place a wall of tall buildings on the west side flats and privatize the riverfront with simulated public space designed to attract shoppers.

Last fall, faced with a lack of support from the planning commission and the City Council, the developer withdrew the proposal, pledging to work with neighborhood groups and other critics of the plan to come up with a proposal that works better for the river and the City.

Since then, the developer has orchestrated a controversial take-over of the neighborhood district council, the West Side Citizens Organization (WSCO) by exploiting a loophole in the organizations bylaws that allows citizens who have volunteered in the neighborhood to vote in its board elections. The developer bussed in construction trades employees whose business address is in the neighborhood as well as individuals who had volunteered to attend pro-Bridges meetings. The meeting where the election was held attracted more that 600 people and though the results were close, the full slate of pro-bridges board candidates was elected.

This spring, the new WSCO board has organized a series of community input meetings to gather neighborhood and stakeholder perspectives on the project. These meetings were hastily organized and poorly attended and many observers have noted that very few of the new board members have even bothered to attend the meetings to hear testimony from City planning staff, the National Park Service, FMR and others who were asked to provide information.

The developer, JLT Group, has also hosted a series of so-called community discussions where the architectural brilliance, economic viability and many community benefits of the Bridges proposal could be fully explored and marveled at.

Which brings us to the new proposal that was submitted Tuesday. Turns out it is almost identical to the old proposal including the request for $125 million in tax-increment financing from the City. When asked about what he had learned from the various community-input meetings, Trooien said I promised to investigate challenges brought forth from all sources — from the mayor to the guy on the street. Candidly, there wasnt much brought forth.

If City staff find that the developer has submitted all the necessary information then the 60 day development review clock will begin to tick. Specific dates for planning commission review and public hearings have not been set yet, but under the circumstances it is not at all clear that the new proposal will have any more support from the planning commission or the City Council than it did last fall. Stay tuned for further bulletins.

Read coverage in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press of the proposals resubmission (free registration required).

Find out more on theBridges proposal in our Bridges section.