Park Perspective www.stlouisparkmn.gov
Winter 2024 – 25
Winning name of city’s 2024 snowplow naming contest revealed on page 6.
Inside this newsletter Now hiring!.......................................................... 2 Join the multicultural advisory committee.........3 Understanding property taxes..............................4 Utility rate and city budget updates.....................5 Preparing for snow...................................................6 January Christmas tree pickup..............................7 Winter events............................................................8
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 603
This is the official city newsletter of the City of St. Louis Park. It’s printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paper in an effort to meet the city’s environmentally preferable purchasing policy.
City considers zoning code revamp The city’s current zoning code, mostly unchanged since 1992, restricts many neighborhoods to single-family housing only. St. Louis Park zoning officials have spent years exploring ways to update the code to better meet modern needs and city priorities. Proposed zoning code updates aim to create more sustainable, community-focused neighborhoods. In traditionally single-family areas, the changes would permit one-, two- and three-unit housing to be built at the same scale as currently allowed for single-family houses. Along key transportation corridors, low-rise options like townhouses, fourplexes and
three-story buildings—often called “missing middle housing”—would become more common and help the city meet its strategic goals of offering a broad range of housing types and more affordable options. The proposed zoning revisions also take performance standards (lot sizes, setbacks, height, etc.) into account for each new district and housing type. Throughout the process, the city has actively sought community feedback on potential changes. City officials gathered public input throughout 2023 and 2024 and will hold a final open house this December.
Continued on page 4.
Share you r Story! Share your park memories with us! Join us in celebrating the joys of our parks and recreation activities by sharing your personal experiences and stories. Whether it’s a favorite activity, a memorable event or a newfound passion, your story can inspire others to get involved. Help us showcase the vibrant community life in our city! We will be featuring submissions on the city’s social media channels and website, and in publications like the Park Perspective and Parks and Recreation catalog. Be on the lookout for your story! Visit bit.ly/my-park-memory or scan the QR code to learn more and share your park memory.
Scan the QR code! #MyParkMemory
Sarah and Jonathan’s story Sarah Wagner and her father Jonathan Wagner (left) shared their park story after exploring Westwood Hills Nature Center’s trails with the all-terrain wheelchair this summer. Jonathan is an 84-year-old nature enthusiast and resident of a local memory care home. When his daughter Sarah visits from Washington, D.C., she often brings him to Westwood Hills Nature Center, where they can take advantage of the GRIT Freedom all-terrain wheelchair that’s available to all visitors to use on the trails. “My dad was in heaven being able to take in the sights, sounds, smells of the woods, lake and native flowers,” Sarah said. “Thank you for making this opportunity possible for my father. I can’t express how much it means to us.” Did Jonathan and Sarah’s story spark a memory of your own? Share your story with us!
All-terrain wheelchair available for free use at Westwood Hills Nature Center
The nature center’s manual, all-terrain wheelchair has a chain drive system that allows users to operate it independently or assisted by a caregiver with handlebars. Visitors can use the wheelchair for free during normal business hours by visiting the interpretive center front desk, 8300 W. Franklin Ave. For more information, call 952.924.2544.