09/25/2026
LOCATION UPDATE:
Dear Neighbors and Friends of St. Thomas:
Due to scheduling conflicts in Scooter’s, we are relocating the Community Open House for the Conditional Use Permit discussion to McNeely Hall 100, located on the SW corner of Summit and Cleveland, across from Davanni’s. Many of you know this room because it is where you vote. The Open House will be held on Wednesday, September 30, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
Warmly,
Jerome Benner
INVITATION:
Dear Neighbors and Friends of St. Thomas:
You are invited to attend a community open house to learn about the university’s proposal to update its Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which is a zoning document. St. Paul colleges and universities have conditional use permits from the city that regulate land use and development on their campuses, including height restrictions, set back requirements, and other terms.
Over the course of this year, St Thomas has had conversations with community members, the Union Park and Macalester Groveland District Councils, and key neighborhood leaders about the future needs of the university and how they can best plan for developments on campus. This past spring, they shared our proposal in more detail, which includes:
Changes to height limits, setbacks and other restrictions that would allow development of the Mid Campus area on Grand Avenue with housing and retail to help strengthen the Grand Avenue Business corridor.
Changes to restrictions to allow development of academic buildings on the south side of Summit Avenue, between Cretin and Cleveland. Increasing building heights on the South Campus to allow for additional parking spaces at the Anderson Parking Facility.
In May and June, they conducted a survey that received over 1200 responses from community members. They learned through these conversations and engagement that we share many of our neighbors’ priorities, including building more on-campus housing, preserving green space on campus, contributing to the character of Summit Avenue, and providing more on-campus parking options.
Please join St Thomas on Wednesday, September 30, 6:30-8:30, in McNeely Hall 100, located on the SW corner of Summit and Cleveland, across from Davanni’s, to learn more about their proposal, and to share your thoughts and feedback. There will be a presentation from St. Thomas about the proposal and time for open discussion.
St Thomas is committed to listening to suggestions about how these proposed changes could impact the greater community, and how they can develop a shared vision with the neighborhood.
We look forward to seeing you on September 30.
