Minnesota Session Laws - 1993, Regular Session

  
    Laws of Minnesota 1993 

                        CHAPTER 242-S.F.No. 262 
           An act relating to the city of Saint Paul; authorizing 
          the city by ordinance to prepare, adopt, and amend 
          design districts and design framework, to establish a 
          design advisory committee, and to establish design 
          review procedures to preserve and enhance the city's 
          appearance and environmental quality. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
     Section 1.  [ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT OF DESIGN DISTRICTS AND 
DESIGN FRAMEWORK.] 
    To preserve and enhance the environmental quality of the 
city of Saint Paul, the city may take the following actions. 
    (a) The city council may by ordinance after recommendation 
from its planning commission and after a public hearing, notice 
of which shall be published in a newspaper of general 
circulation at least 20 days prior to the date of the hearing, 
adopt or amend design districts and design framework to be 
subject to special controls of the types authorized by sections 
1 to 3. 
    (b) Design framework adopted by the city council may 
include a compilation of design policies, goals, standards, 
principles, visual forms and images, and action programs to 
guide future development of public and private property within 
the design districts. 
    (c) Design districts may include designated corridors along 
freeways and other major thoroughfares; historic areas; areas 
abutting major educational and cultural institutions; areas 
abutting lakes, rivers, major parks and parkways; the downtown 
business district; areas abutting major transportation 
terminals, major public facilities, and community business 
districts; and other areas that the city council finds to be 
especially significant to preservation and improvement of the 
visual character and environmental quality of the city. 
      (d) Design districts adopted by the city council under this 
section must not be given jurisdiction over the capital area, as 
defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 15.50, subdivision 2. 
    Sec. 2.  [DESIGN ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] 
    The city council may by ordinance create or designate a 
design advisory committee or committees, whose members shall be 
appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council, for 
the purpose of reviewing public and private improvements within 
design districts for compliance with design framework.  Design 
review committees should have members who are knowledgeable in 
environmental design by virtue of their interests, training, or 
experience, and should also have members who are residents and 
business persons from the design district. 
    Sec. 3.  [CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS.] 
    The Saint Paul city council, if it exercises the authority 
granted under section 1, may by ordinance provide that no 
significant improvements, such as buildings or other structures, 
site improvements, or signs, may be erected, altered, restored, 
moved, or made within the design districts until after a 
certificate of appropriateness is issued by the city.  The 
ordinance may provide that plans for the proposed improvements 
be submitted to the design advisory committee for review as to 
compliance with the design framework before a certificate of 
appropriateness is issued.  The ordinance shall provide for a 
right of appeal to the city council if a proposed improvement is 
found not to be in compliance with the design framework. 
    Sec. 4.  [LOCAL APPROVAL.] 
    This act is effective the day after compliance by the 
governing body of the city of Saint Paul with Minnesota 
Statutes, section 645.021, subdivision 3. 
    Presented to the governor May 14, 1993 
    Signed by the governor May 17, 1993, 3:08 p.m.