How will Jim help Falcon Heights?

I am a servant leader.  My initial reaction to seeing a need is to jump in and help.  That can take the form of being the grunt that sets up, the treasurer that keeps the books, or the chair that helps coordinate others.  For Falcon Heights, I expect my experience will be in asking the tough questions and facilitating a plan forward.

The future of Falcon Heights depends on effectively ushering in the development of the U of M’s Les Bolstad golf course.  This 140-acre development is the second largest in-fill development in Ramsey County in decades (bigger than either Highland Bridge or the Heights).  The quality development of lifecycle housing, with a focus on housing affordability, the inclusion of quality parks and trails that connect all of our neighbors, and the sustainability of the development, both environmentally and fiscally, are my main priorities.

The Les Bolstad golf course development is the answer to both.  The development will change the look of Falcon Heights, will bring in thousands of new neighbors, will bolster the tax base of a City with most of its land exempt, and will allow us to develop for the future.

Communication is key.  Not just listening, but having the ability to view the problems and solutions through various perspectives. We need to talk to the experts wherever they come from, and that often means reaching out to the business community.  We also need to communicate the City’s needs to the business community, and be able to communicate why the best for the community might not be the cheapest or the option that produces the greatest profit.  These are the push and pull of priorities, and we need to recognize that businesses want the best for our community as well.

There is more work that can be done within the City to prioritize our business community and develop actionable strategies to take advantage of our location and proximity to other commercial corridors to benefit our current businesses and grow our base.

Public safety post-COVID has been a challenge for most communities.  There is a need to be visible and proactive.  I would like the City to ensure a more visible presence, particularly in the Snelling and Larpenteur section.  This will require including our partners with MNDOT and County Public Works, as well as the owners of the housing units and businesses on the intersection.  The new partnership with the Saint Anthony Village Police Department and the St. Paul Fire Department will go a long way, and we (the City) need to be active in managing those partnerships.

We need to listen to the ideas of those who produce and manage housing, as well as the residents, in coming to solutions.  Our small city doesn’t have the ability to impose market restrictions like rent control, and are limited in our ability to provide subsidies.  The biggest step a city can take is to remove barriers to housing.  I have already been part of adopting accessory dwelling uses, reduced parking minimums, and greater flexibility for lot sizes, through my service on the Planning Commission. I would continue that, and provide for flexibility for development while ensuring quality housing.  

We are located on two of the busiest streets in Ramsey County, which creates a challenge to pedestrian and non-motorized options. But, it also means that we have many visitors to our fair city.  The first step is to provide safety for these uses (separated or protected bike lanes, sidewalks, etc.).  The next step is to connect those options to our neighbors in the U of M, St. Paul, Roseville, State Fair and Lauderdale through infrastructure and way-finding.  After that, we need to adjust zoning and encourage walkable commercial options, so that our neighbors see walking and biking as options, and get used to using different transportation alternatives.  Falcon Heights is at the crossroads, and we want to welcome people, however they wish to travel.

I have always been reluctant for municipalities to rely on temporary sources of revenue for ongoing expenses.  With the upcoming development of the Les Bolstad golf course, we have additional opportunities and challenges for the fiscal state of the City.  The new development will provide a significant expansion of the tax base, but much of that will likely be committed, at least initially, to the infrastructure of the new neighborhood.  This provides an opportunity for a reliable revenue structure, but it will require long-term planning.

The idea of a City mandating employment regulations or human service services is a difficult one.  There is no question that a city the size of New York City should consider wading into those areas, as they have the size, tax base, and impact to address more than the basic city services.  This becomes a little more problematic for cities like St. Paul and Minneapolis, for which the needs and residents are more regional than contained within the city.  For a smaller community like Falcon Heights, we simply don’t have the wherewithal to take on many policies outside of core city services. However, that does not mean that we don’t have a say in policy debates.  We are a participant in the market place, and can support the values of our community through the provision of services.  We can be an incubator and an example of good policy, whether it is positive environmental initiatives, good labor relations, sustainable tax policies, or effective community engagement