Major 2026 developments
slated for West St. Paul

(Major 2026 developments slated for South St. Paul)

Major 2026 developments slated for West St. Paul
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | January 2026

The West St. Paul City Council recently approved its 2026 levy and budget which is raising annual property taxes on a median priced home in the city – $311,800 – by 5.82%, or $230. The bump will allow the city to maintain regular operations as well as support an array of improvements. Among the projects scheduled for 2026 are:

• Significant landscaping to create the expanded Albert Park at the Smith-Dodd intersection, which underwent a major improvement project in 2025 consisting of realigning multiple streets and adding stop lights. The project includes creating a new memorial for Officer Scott Patrick, who was killed in the line of duty near that intersection ($2 million total).
• Emerson Avenue reconstruction from Delaware to Charlton, and mill and overlay on Emerson from Charlton to Oakdale. The project includes a new sidewalk ($4.76 million).
• Improvements at the West St. Paul Sports Complex including renovating the horseshoe pavilion ($254,000).
• Major renovation of the city owned pool at 92 W. Orme St., including slide rehab, improved pool finishing and pool deck, filtration and chemical system replacements, and bathhouse upgrades. The project is set to be completed in two-phases by the end of 2027, during months when the pool isn’t open. City staff are hopeful the pool will be open for most of the 2026 season following the first phase of work in spring 2026. The project should allow the pool to operate for at least another 25 years. Improvements are also expected for the adjacent Poolside Park (approximately $3 million total over two years).
• Begin a two-year comprehensive ice arena improvement project including painting the exterior, replacing benches in the spectator area and locker room, restroom renovations, new rubber flooring throughout the building, piping a sprinkler system and expanding a storage room on the south side of the building ($675,000).
• Exterior repair and waterproofing of the West St. Paul Sports Dome ($1 million).
• The city is working to finalize site work and design for the construction of 13 new affordable townhomes at 424 Butler Ave. E. Bidding for the project is expected to open in February, with expected cost of approximately $2.5 million.
• The city has earmarked $24 million to create a new fire station and police department building, or make major renovations to the existing stations, from 2028-2029.

Housing project approved, but without a park
Greco Properties has officially signed a $7.8 million purchase agreement for the 12-acre site at 150 Thompson Ave. E, formerly home to the YMCA. It will build a project dubbed “Town Center Commons,” consisting of a 272-unit and a 185-unit apartment complex, 19 townhomes and the renovation of the former AutoZone building for commercial use and a restaurant. Throughout the planning and community engagement process, the project included creating a new city-owned park with a slew of amenities, including a bandshell and an urban beach. However, that piece has hit a speedbump due to an approximately $2.5 million gap in financing. The 2-acre area intended for the park will receive some preparation work for future development, but no amenities will be installed until the city can find the funding. The park plan may also need to be trimmed a bit based on what funding is available. Construction of the housing development is expected to begin in 2026, with the 185-unit building being the final phase of the project.

“Staff and the developer worked hard to squeeze as much value out of the tax increment financing as possible to fund as much of the park as possible, but in the end we were only able to get to about $3.5-$3.8 million [of the required $5-$7 million],” said West St. Paul City Manager Nate Burkett. “This will fund some basic public improvements in the area and give the city about 2 acres of bare land to build the park in the future. Our goal is still to complete it in the same time frame as the overall development. We are hoping for some funding from the state, and we will find some City funding as well…. In the end, I am pretty sure we will have to do some value engineering to get the price of the park into a more manageable amount.”