North St. Paul's well-known icon, the 47-foot-tall snowman along Minnesota 36, is included in the revitalization plans for the city that were unveiled Wednesday at the Metropolitan Council.

``Oh, absolutely it stays,'' said Wally Wysopal, city manager.

The snowman, located on the corner of Minnesota 36 and Margaret Street, stands at the entrance to downtown North St. Paul, an area that could undergo radical changes under the plans prepared by the Calthorpe Associates of Berkeley, Calif.

The Metropolitan Council hired Calthorpe this summer to develop plans for growth along Minnesota 36 and the St. Croix River Valley. The study focused on six sites: North St. Paul, Oak Park Heights, Lake Elmo, Stillwater, St. Joseph Township, Wis., and New Richmond, Wis.

In North St. Paul, which was used to illustrate development and redevelopment in an older suburban downtown, Calthorpe suggested adding a retail anchor such as a grocery store near the snowman on Margaret Street ``to bring more people into the downtown district.'' Officials said that many people don't realize that the city's central business district, which runs along Seventh Avenue East between Helen and Charles streets, is only a few blocks from Minnesota 36.

Timothy Rood, project manager for the St. Croix Valley Development Design Study, suggested that the city add a range of housing options in downtown and make street improvements ``to foster a more pedestrian-friendly environment.'' ``We want to make these communities walkable, town-like places to live,'' he said.

In January, Rood will provide ``before and after'' photos of actual streets in North St. Paul that will be created using some of Calthorpe's suggestions. Wysopal said he and other city officials welcomed the suggestions and looked forward to seeing the photos.

``The pictures will go a long way in convincing developers (to develop in downtown),'' he said. ``We don't view this at all as the Met Council coming in and saying `This is where you should have City Hall.' What they have done is taken the time and effort to have professional planners come in and offer suggestions about what they would recommend.''

The Metropolitan Council will not provide money for the recommended improvements, but Wysopal said the city of 13,000 hopes to use available tools such as tax increment financing to spur development. ``And hopefully, (these plans) will spark private investment,'' he said.

Metropolitan Council Chairman Ted Mondale said the Calthorpe study will help ensure that development that occurs around the proposed new St. Croix River bridge will remain consistent with the goals and policies of the council's regional blueprint.

``The resources from this study will give the selected communities, and the region as a whole, a wonderful opportunity to put `smart growth' principles on the ground,'' he said. ``It will show us how we can develop in ways that are friendly to transit, pedestrians and the environment -- and that preserve the character of our communities.''

Mondale said the process marks a distinct change from the former Metropolitan Council, especially in its decision to include two sites from the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River in the study. ``I'm not sure that we've done that before -- gone to Wisconsin,'' he said. ``But we've had a tremendously positive response from local officials there.''

The Calthorpe study will be another ``tool'' for all local governments to use when dealing with growth and development issues, he said. ``They're generic in nature so they can be used throughout the region,'' he said.

Dave Schaaf, Oak Park Heights mayor, said the study was the ``single, most positive thing'' the Metropolitan Council has done. The study looked at an area of the city, Lower Oak Park Heights, which was ``bought and destroyed'' by the Minnesota Transportation Department for the previously proposed bridge alignment over the St. Croix River, he said.

According to the Calthorpe study, the area ``presents an unparalleled opportunity for innovative development. With mature trees, existing utilities, proximity to the river and access from highways 95 and 35, this site could once again become an extremely livable residential neighborhood, along with the possibility of some professional office space and convenience retail.''

``We have the possibility of recapturing some of that land -- 10 to 11 acres,'' Schaaf said. ``It's not as much as I'd like, but we hope to recapture almost as many of the housing units that we lost.''
Mary Divine, who covers Washington County, can be reached at mdivine@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5443.

Design study