Read our latest e-newsletter here.
Highlights:
Show your view from Summit Hill
Spring Fling and Puppet Show coming up
Ward 2 Annual Meeting
Neighborhood Garage Sale details
On April 23rd at 7:00, the Zoning and Land Use Committee will meet via Zoom to discuss three issues:
On-sale liquor license application for cafe and bakery on main level of 695 Grand Avenue.
Potential angled parking pilot on Grand Avenue.
Citywide drive through amendments (tentative).
A Zoom link and final agenda will be posted here the day of the meeting.
Following a multi-year study and advisory committee process, the Planning Commission opened a public comment period on proposed amendments to the East Grand Avenue Overlay District. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the changes on April 12, 2024. Pending Planning Commission action, the City Council will also hear the changes before the amendments are finalized.
The Summit Hill Association held a Zoning and Land Use Committee meeting on this topic on February 20th from 7:00-8:30pm. At the meeting, city staff presented an overview of the amendments and the committee received public comment and discussed possible board comments or recommendations to the City. The full SHA board voted on a motion and letter (below) regarding the amendments on March 14th, 2024. Any additional public comments on the amendments should be submitted directly to the Planning Commission.
Read our latest e-newsletter here.
Highlights:
Last call for plant sales
Update on Linwood Park
Earth Day clean-up coming up April 20
Summit Hill garage sale returns in June
Grand Old Day 2024: Waiver Of Block Party Petition Requirement
The Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA) attended the February 8th Summit Hill Association (SHA) Board Meeting to present initial plans for Grand Old Days 2024. As part of their permits for the event, GABA sought SHA’s support for their event permits. SHA voted to support the event which means GABA does not need to gather petition signatures to close Grand Avenue for that day.
The 2024 event will be held on June 2nd, 2024 and will extend from Dale to Snelling Avenue. More details are included in the letter below. GABA will also mail information about the event to neighbors in late May. SHA will post maps, event details and contact information for Grand Old Day as we receive it.
Letter from GABA
February 8, 2024
Executive Directors of Macalester Groveland Community Council and Summit Hill Association, The Grand Avenue Business Association has hosted Grand Old Day since 1973. In 2024 it is our intent to host a celebration of our 51st year of a kick‐off to Summer for our community. The one‐day celebration has attracted up to 200 thousand people which has enhanced our commercial corridor and helps solidify the Grand Avenue brand of a corridor which brings unique dining, retail and experiences. We are hopeful to plan and implement a Grand Old Day which is reminiscent of past events while making the event more family friendly. We intend to bring back some aspects of the event which have been absent from our more recent activations including a fun run, a car show, along with a maker's market and non‐profit corridor which will serve as a service‐learning corridor for residents and their families.
Grand Old Day is Scheduled for June 2, 2024. GABA respectfully requests Macalester Groveland Community Council and Summit Hill Association support of a waiver for required block party petition.
Footprint in 2024 is Snelling to Dale.
8:00 a.m. Fun run – to begin at St Albans and end at Saratoga St.
9:30 a.m. Parade from Dale to Saratoga St.
11:00 a.m. street Festival and tentative stages at the same spaces as 2023; Billy’s, Red Rabbit. We will also have GABA stages at additional locations in past they have included the Walgreens, Grand Experience, US Bank parking lots.
Gardens sponsored by businesses will close at 7:00 p.m.
GABA stages plan to close at 5:00 p.m.
All vendors west of Victoria to Fairview cease business at 6:00 p.m.
Safety is one of our greatest concerns for Grand Old Day. The Grand Old Day Committee is working with the Saint Paul Police Department to have the same level of safety equipment that was used in 2023 to reduce the potential of a high‐speed vehicle impacting the event. The safety equipment will take a considerable amount of me to install and remove. There may be some intersections closing earlier and opening later due to the installation and removal of safety barriers due to the request of the Saint Paul Police Department. Funds collected from Grand Old Day have always been the primary funding source for the Grand Avenue Business Association budget. Funds will be allocated to advance the interests of this vital and important corridor. We plan on increasing our investment in the beautification of our corridor and increasing the collaboration and marketing of our member businesses.
Respectfully submitted,
Chris Jensen
President, Grand Avenue Business Association
Letter of support from SHA
February 8, 2024
To: Department of Safety and Inspections
CC: Grand Avenue Business Association
Re: Grand Old Days Block Party Petition Waiver
The Application
The Grand Avenue Business Association plans to hold Grand Old Days on June 2, 2024 and close Grand Avenue for the event from Snelling Avenue to Dale Avenue. GABA presented the plan for the event at the Summit Hill Association’s February 8th, 2024 Board Meeting.
SHA Board Recommendations
Having hosted a public meeting and evaluated the application, the Summit Hill Association supports the waiver of the block party petition for Grand Old Days 2024. Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Kind regards,
Monica Haas Simon Taghioff
Executive Director President
Materials:
In partnership with the Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA), SHA has requested an urgent meeting with City of Saint Paul elected officials and staff to address economic development on Grand Avenue.
This letter comes after repeated attempts over several years to work in partnership with the City, residents, other neighborhood organizations, and business partners to ensure a safe, vibrant Grand Avenue corridor.
The drumbeat of headlines related to Grand Avenue closures have brought these years of discussion to a head. SHA is committed to bringing economic development, public safety, and community development experts together to find real solutions through the Grand Avenue Working Group.
See our letter, submitted January 10, 2024, below:
A record crowd of over 2,000 people toured Summit Hill last weekend as the 2023 Summit Hill House Tour returned in full force.
Glorious weather, pent up demand from a 5 year hiatus, and a stunning roster of storied homes combined to bring out the crowds, as tour goers soaked in a mix of Victorian charm and thoughtful contemporary updates that allow 100+ year old homes to adapt to modern living.
Homes featured on the tour included Summit Avenue mansions, grand homes designed by a who’s who of notable architects such as Cass Gilbert and Clarence Johnston, family homes and duplexes. Together, the homes on this year’s tour collectively provide a window into life in Summit Hill.
A full list of this year’s houses is available on the Summit Hill Tours website.
Supporting Summit Hill
The House Tour is the Summit Hill Association’s biggest fundraiser of the year, supporting our community-focused programming throughout the year while helping to ensure the long term health and the neighborhood.
Some of our current projects include rebuilding Linwood Park, a working group to define a new vision for Grand Avenue, and community-building events such as summer concerts and open-air children’s theater.
A huge thank you to all the homeowners, volunteers, and community members who made this year’s tour possible.
On Monday August 3rd we held a community Open House for the Reimagine Linwood Park Project. Well over 100 community members - kids and adults alike - came out to the Rec Center on a beautiful summer’s evening, enjoyed an ice cream and told us about what they want to see in a redesigned community space.
Sharing Ideas for Linwood
We shared maps, information about existing facilities, pictures of play equipment, and survey data / analysis. By most displays, there were prompts, sheets and markers available to have folks respond to the information presented. Dot voting was extremely popular, and by the end of the night colored stickers covered almost everything on the wall.
Parks & Rec staff and SHA board members were also in attendance, and had lots of great conversations with community members throughout the evening.
Survey Readout and Analysis
We shared preliminary results from our community survey last night. We had over 200 responses going into the evening, and are now at close to 250 responses overall! Top priorities for a reimagined park include improved tree cover and shade, an amphitheater or similar for concerts and performances, picnic tables, and - parent favorite - a splash pad. Here’s the presentation:
If you haven’t taken the community survey yet, there’s still time!
Hearing from Kids
It’s important that kids’ voices are heard loud and clear throughout this process, not just the adults! Last night we set up tables where kids were led through a facilitated exercise to draw their ideal play and recreational facilities, which Linwood Rec’s kids program teacher facilitated.
We also made sure that dot voting and other activities were placed low enough so kids could engage with them directly.
Thanks to everyone who showed up, helped out, and made the event such a success!
How to Get Involved
We’re actively accepting volunteers to join a community working group for this project. The group will:
Visiting other play and rec spaces throughout Saint Paul and beyond for ideas and inspiration.
Working on initial concepts and ideas in partnership with Parks & Rec.
Conducting community engagement as plans take shape.
Planning small scale fundraising events to supplement grant funding.
Communicating regular updates to the community.
If you want to help us make this exciting project happen, please email reimaginelinwood@summithillassociation.org or call the office at (651) 222-1222.