City invests in Cesar Chavez St.
and other commercial corridors

City invests in Cesar Chavez Street and other commercial corridors
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | June 2025

Some of St. Paul’s highest traffic business districts may soon get a facelift, courtesy of the newly created Commerical Corridor Organization Assistance Program, approved by the St. Paul City Council in April.

The program will dole out up to $1.4 million annually to designated community groups in each of the city’s seven wards. The funds come from the city’s 2024 Economic Development STAR fund and must be used on projects that spur economic development, such as corridor-wide beautification, public art installations, business sub-grants, hosting community events that celebrate and showcase the corridor, and corridor marketing campaigns. Funds must be used within a year of receiving them, and if they are used to create plans for corridor-wide efforts, the plans must be implemented within three years. Funds can be used to acquire vacant or underutilized buildings and land if acquisition and development can occur within two years. Groups can receive up to $81,500 for a project and are encouraged to collaborate with other groups to help achieve wider goals for each corridor.

The process of applying for and receiving funds is designed to be quick and easy so improvements can begin fast – likely by this September. The overarching goal is to enhance popular business corridors rather than simply awarding grant funding to individual businesses for various projects. However, the city continues to offer STAR (Sales Tax Revitalization) grants and other programs for individual projects, such as HVAC replacement.

The West Side Community Organization is the district planning council for Ward 2, which encompasses the West Side. It will be responsible for projects along Cesar Chavez Street and Smith Avenue. While the CapitolRiver Council is the district planning council for downtown, the St. Paul Downtown Alliance has been selected to manage downtown projects. City staff will monitor each project quarterly to ensure they are on budget, and to update timelines and report outcomes. The grant program aims to retain and grow businesses, encourage new business openings and private investment, and increase the tax base.

WSCO’s Land Use Action Circle has been working with the University of Minnesota Design Center for about a year to develop priorities for improvements to Robert Street to help make it a community-centered destination rather than just a transportation corridor. This is timely because the Minnesota Department of Transportation is slated to reconstruct Robert Street from Kellogg to Annapolis in 2028-2029, including replacing the 95-year-old viaduct. Work on the street may begin as early as 2026. A final proposed design was recently released and additional design concepts for the viaduct will be presented to the public later this year.

“We have not yet met with city staff to determine what a feasible plan for these dollars would look like, nor have we had the chance to connect with West Side business owners and key community stakeholders to gather input,” said West Side Community Organization spokesperson Julia Diaz. “That said, our top priorities for corridor improvements continue to reflect the focus areas of our current campaigns: safer street crossings, economic vitality, placekeeping and cultural preservation, and environmental and natural resource stewardship. These values will certainly guide our conversations as we move forward.”

The Downtown Alliance has no shortage of ambitious long-term plans in its Downtown Investment Strategy. In the short term, however, several projects have been identified as top priorities.

“The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance plans to apply for this fantastic opportunity and is exploring different options for how best to use these funds,” said Saint Paul Downtown Alliance president Joe Spencer. “Downtown is home to an incredible collection of small businesses, and we are grateful for the City’s investment in downtown through this program. Our top priority will be to drive visitor traffic to support our small businesses community, ultimately bolstering the success of our downtown commercial corridor.”

Other selected community organizations and their commercial corridors include: Rondo Community Land Trust, Selby (east end); Neighborhood Development Center, University (east end); Grand Avenue Business Association, Grand Avenue (east end); Macalester Groveland Community Council, Snelling and Grand; Highland District Council, Snelling, Ford, Cleveland, and W. 7th St. (west end); Union Park District Council, Snelling and Selby; Hamline Midway Coalition, University and Snelling; South East Community Organization, Suburban Ave./Old Hudson Road and White Bear Ave.; Greater East Side Community Council, White Bear Ave.; West 7th Fort Road Federation, W. 7th St. (east end); Rice Larpenteur Alliance, Rice Street; East Side Area Business Association, Arcade St., Maryland and 7th St. E.; East Side Neighborhood Development Company, Payne Ave., Maryland, and 7th St. E.; and North End Neighborhood Organization, Como, Maryland and Dale.

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