Setting up 360 degree visibility proof of concept in the alley of our Summit Hill Neighborhood. Our Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Calming committee is putting together a plan for similar setups in obstructed view alleys throughout the neighborhood. We are currently researching funding sources for this project.
What do you think? Do you have an alley intersection you’d like to nominate for consideration? CLICK HERE to submit your suggestion!!!
Launching Fall 2018, Read Brave Saint Paul is a citywide, intergenerational reading program set around a common theme relevant to the city. The 2019 Read Brave theme is housing, a critical topic in Saint Paul where thousands of people struggle to afford housing.
The city is faced with brave decisions to make about housing in our communities—decisions that start with deep conversations among our residents. When we all read the same books, we all have a common vocabulary, characters, and experience through which to engage in meaningful dialogue around challenging topics.
Read Brave is presented by the Saint Paul Public Library, City of Saint Paul, and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Read Brave Saint Paul is generously sponsored by Bremer Bank.
Inspired by the Read Brave Saint Paul program, Summit Hill Association invites you to participate in a Book Club and Community Discussion beginning in January 2019. During the 4 monthly meetings we will be reading and discussing books which are related to the Read Brave reading program. You don’t need to attend all 4 to participate! Childcare, food and beverage will be provided. Book Club meetings will be held at Linwood Rec Center. Books will be available to borrow, either from SHA or from the public library, or purchase your own and pass them on to others! More information will be available in the print edition of 'The Summit’. We currently have 10 copies of ‘Evicted’ in the office available to borrow. Call ahead @ 651.222.1222 to reserve a copy today. Get started reading over the holiday, then join us for discussions beginning in January.
The books chosen and the dates for each discussion are as follows:
Tuesday, January 22nd @ 7PM
‘Evicted’ by Matthew Desmond
Poverty and Profit in the American City is a 2016 non-fiction book
by the American author Matthew Desmond. Set in the poorest areas
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the book follows eight families
struggling to pay rent to their landlords around the 2008 financial crisis.
A community conversation about housing insecurity.
Tuesday, February 19th @ 7PM
‘White Fragility:Why it’s so hard for white people to
talk about racism’ by Robin DiAngelo
The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions
white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged,
and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.
A community conversation about racism
Tuesday, March 12th @ 7PM
‘Voices of Rondo: Oral Histories of St. Paul’s Historic Black Community’ by Kate Cavett
In Voices of Rondo, real-life stories illuminate the northern urban Black experience during the first half of the twentieth century, through the memories and reflections of
residents of Saint Paul’s historic Rondo community.
A community conversation about the Rondo neighborhood
Tuesday, April 23rd @ 7PM
‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give is a young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It follows events
in the life of a black 16-year-old girl, Starr Carter, who is drawn to activism
after she witnesses the police shooting of a childhood friend.
A community discussion about the Black Lives Matters Movement
SIGN UP
Click to sign up for each individual book club meeting you would like to attend. In your email, indicate if you will need assistance in getting the reading materials and if you will be needing childcare.
The Annual Meeting of Summit Hill Association/District 16 will be held on
Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 7PM at
Dixie’s on Grand, 695 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN
Are you interested in serving your community? Through Summit Hill Association there are a variety of ways to lend your voice and talents to community engagement:
• RUN! Consider adding your name to the ballot for election to the SHA Board of Directors. The Annual Meeting of Summit Hill Association/District 16 will be held on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 7:00 pm at Dixie’s on Grand, 695 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul. All property owners, business owners and renters are eligible to run for the board. At the Annual Meeting you can meet current members of the Board of Directors and add your name to the ballot. Currently 6 incumbent members will be running for re-election. Additionally 6 open seats are open to be filled at the Annual Meeting. The deadline to submit a written application has passed, however if you are interested in running for an open seat, please come to the meeting and add your name to the roster for consideration. For more information on the service expectations click here:
https://www.summithillassociation.org/become-a-board-member/
• VOTE! At the Annual Meeting you can meet announced candidates and hear about their interest in serving on the Board of Directors. Be a part of choosing who will fill the open seats and serve the Summit Hill community.
• VOLUNTEER! Meet current members of the Board of Directors and find out more about a variety of ways you can participate through volunteering with Summit Hill Association.
We will begin with social time, and then move into elections. Light appetizers will be served, and the cash bar will be open for both soft drinks and cocktails. Each candidate and incumbent will be given a few minutes to introduce themselves and talk about what interests them about Summit Hill. Board members and committee chairs will introduce themselves, and will be available to answer any questions you may have.
Please join us on October 11th for the Summit Hill Association Annual Meeting. We look forward to meeting you and working together to make Summit Hill a great place to visit, live and work!!
Sign up for the Summit Hill Progressive Supper and have some fun with your Summit Hill neighbors while enjoying an evening of tasty food. The more people who participate, the more fun (and food!) there is.
Beginning at 6 p.m., the evening consists of four courses: appetizers, soup/salad, main, and dessert. After the conclusion of a course, you’ll progress to the next home and your next group of dining companions. It’s a low-key, casual way to connect and experience a Summit Hill tradition.
Participation is $10 per person. Please make any checks out to Summit Hill Association, and return by Monday, October 29, with your registration form to the SHA office. The office is located at 860 St. Clair Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55105.
If you have questions about the event, please contact the SHA Office at (651) 222-1222 or info@summithillassociation.org.
The Annual Meeting of Summit Hill Association/District 16 will be held on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 7PM at:
Dixie’s on Grand, 695 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN
Are you interested in serving your community? Through Summit Hill Association there are a variety of ways to lend your voice and talents to community engagement:
• RUN! Consider adding your name to the ballot for election to the SHA Board of Directors to fill the 10 open seats on the board. All property owners, business owners and renters are eligible to run. Submit an application by October 3, 2018. For more information on the service expectations and an application, click on:
https://www.summithillassociation.org/become-a-board-member/
• VOTE! At the Annual Meeting you can meet announced candidates and hear about their interest in serving on the Board of Directors. Be a part of choosing who will fill the open seats and serve the Summit Hill community.
• VOLUNTEER! Meet current members of the Board of Directors and find out more about a variety of ways you can participate through volunteering with Summit Hill Association.
We look forward to meeting you!
At the Zoning and Land Use (ZLU) meeting and public hearing held on Thursday, July 19, the ZLU and the nearly 50 neighbors in attendance heard Jamie Radel, senior planner for the City of Saint Paul Planning and Economic Development Department and lead on the ADU issue, give a presentation on the proposed move to allow ADUs city-wide.
In her presentation and handout, Radel outlined the City's rationale for this expansion. Numerous questions were asked by neighbors and the ZLU during the course of the meeting; those that she couldn't answer at the meeting were addressed the following week in a follow-up email. These questions and the responses are outlined here. Ward 2 councilmember Rebecca Noecker was at the meeting to listen to the discussion. (Note that there are links to the City study and proposed ordinance in the previous news item on the July 19 meeting.)
At the end of the ZLU meeting, committee members voted 3-1 to recommend to the full SHA board that Summit Hill not be included in this expansion, but would consider it at a later date if and when there was sufficient data from other parts of the city that would answer the many concerns and questions raised by Summit Hill neighbors. This recommendation will be given at the next board meeting on Thursday, August 9 at 7 pm at Linwood Recreation Center.
We highly encourage neighbors to send their written comments to the SHA board ahead of the August 9 meeting for the board to review. All comments received will also be forwarded to the City Council regardless of which side of the issue they reflect. Those should be sent to info@summithillassociation.org. Please be sure to include your street address in your correspondence. Neighbors are also welcome to attend the August 9 meeting to listen to the discussion and vote. Due to time constraints, comments by non-board members may be limited, so we encourage you to send your written comments to ensure your viewpoint is shared ahead of the vote.
The outcome of that vote will go to the City Council as SHA's recommendation prior to the Council's third reading of the proposed ordinance on Wednesday, August 15 and public hearing. A vote by the Council to be taken after the fourth reading a week later.
The Summit Hill Association (SHA) learned that on June 1, the St. Paul Planning Commission recommended that Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) be allowed city-wide from the current permitted area half a mile on either side of University Avenue along the Green Line from Lexington Parkway and Emerald Avenue. The initial study for expansion was limited to Mounds Park and four district councils (1, 3, 7 and 9). The Summit Hill Association was never advised about the proposed city-wide expansion until June 6.
SHA expressed concern about both the lack of transparency around the process of this proposal as well as the substance, and asked the City to extend the time period for the City Council readings and vote to allow adequate time for residents of Summit Hill and other affected districts to learn more about the proposed changes. The City Council public hearing was subsequently rescheduled from July 11 to Aug. 15. SHA's Zoning and Land Use Committee will be holding a meeting on Thursday, July 19 at 7 pm at the Linwood Recreation Center to hear public comment. All neighbors are welcome to attend.
Jamie Radel, PED Department senior planner and author of the ADU study, will be at the meeting to present the findings and answer questions. Ward 2 Councilmember Rebecca Noecker will be attending to listen to any neighborhood concerns. Based on neighborhood input, the ZLU committee will make a recommendation which will be voted on by the full SHA board on Aug. 9 and communicated to the City Council ahead of their public hearing.
You can learn more about this issue by reviewing the study and initial legislation through the links above. If you are unable to attend the July 19 meeting, please send comments to info@summithillassociation.org or call the office at 651.222.1222.
After the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) meeting on May 24, where public testimony was heard on proposed changes to the Ch. 73 Legislative Code, HPC commissioners voted to form a committee to re-look at some of the elements of the proposed changes. Subsequently, on June 14, City of St. Paul Planning and Economic Development director Dr. Bruce Corrie issued a statement advising that HPC would be suspending its efforts on Ch. 73 for the foreseeable future.
The Summit Hill Association, which had been planning on hosting a public input session in June on the proposed changes, has postponed those plans in light of this information. We will revisit the matter at such time as HPC issues revised language on Ch. 73. Thanks to all who shared their comments ahead of the May 24 HPC meeting.