Council adopts ordinance updating legislative code; clarifies campus height language, says no practical change to campus height limits

The Saint Paul City Council gave final adoption to Ordinance 25-34 on July 16 to omit and correct several chapters of the legislative code and to update and clarify language in the code.

Councilmember Provodzke spoke to the item on the council floor, addressing concerns raised by higher-education institutions about building height language. "The underlying zoning language mentions 90 feet as an upper height limit. This amendment actually isn't altering or creating that 90 feet verbiage that's already been in the underlying zoning code," Provodzke said, adding that most campuses also have overlaying conditional use permits that control building height in specific areas.

Council discussion emphasized transparency in responding to resident and institutional questions and underscored that the ordinance is a technical cleanup intended to reflect how staff and the city have been interpreting the code. "So just to be super, super clear, nothing is changing in terms of the heights that are allowed for buildings on college campuses with these changes," the council president said before the council moved to final adoption.

The council voted 7-0 to adopt the ordinance. The ordinance omits chapters 33, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65 and 66 of the legislative code and makes editorial and technical changes intended to correct errors and clarify existing standards. Councilmembers said that even where a 90-foot permissive height appears in code language, conditional use permits in many cases functionally cap heights on portions of campuses.