St. Louis Park City Council adopts commercial-district zoning changes
The St. Louis Park City Council adopted the second phase of the city’s commercial-district zoning update on Aug. 3, changing the framework for non-neighborhood properties and rezoning 8800 Highway 7.
The council’s action followed a first reading on July 20. The ordinances are scheduled for publication on Aug. 13 and state an effective date of Aug. 28, 2026. As of Aug. 5, the new rules were not yet in effect.
Nine districts become seven
Phase 2 replaces nine existing non-neighborhood zoning districts with seven mixed-use, business, industrial and park districts. The affected categories include commercial, office, industrial, business-park, mixed-use, planned-unit-development and park areas.
The ordinance also restructures the remaining articles from six to 10 and revises performance and development standards. City materials say the updated format uses more tables and reduces duplication.
What changes for development
The adopted rules revise standards that can affect how property is used and developed, including permitted uses, building form, site design, parking, density, height and other dimensional requirements.
The ordinance creates potential density and height bonuses in the MU-2, MU-3 and B-1 districts through conditional-use permits. The higher density or height is not automatic: the ordinance requires qualifying projects to meet the city’s inclusionary-housing and green-building policies, along with other applicable district standards and approvals.
The change creates additional flexibility for some housing and mixed-use development, but it does not approve a project or guarantee taller buildings, additional units or construction at any particular site.
Parking rules also change
In mixed-use districts, the ordinance applies rules modeled on the Historic Walker Lake parking approach. Uses in existing buildings generally would not have to satisfy new minimum parking requirements, while existing on-site parking would remain. New construction and additions would be subject to the applicable mixed-use standards.
Within the Historic Walker Lake Overlay District, the ordinance removes parking minimums entirely. The city’s materials say that could allow some existing parking lots to be converted to other uses and would remove minimum parking requirements for new construction in the overlay area.
Map changes include 8800 Highway 7
The zoning-map amendment changes the property at 8800 Highway 7 from C-2 General Commercial to N-4 Neighborhood-4. The council packet also identifies the 4.4-acre property in a separate land-use discussion involving a change from commercial to high-density residential guidance.
The zoning-map change by itself does not approve a development proposal. Any future project at the property would still need to comply with the applicable zoning, comprehensive-plan policies and city review and approval processes.
Elsewhere, the map amendments center mixed-use districts around transit-station areas and the West End, with MU-1 districts along corridors including Excelsior Boulevard and Minnetonka Boulevard. The materials also describe B-1 areas that include existing big-box retailers and car dealerships along Wayzata Boulevard.
What applicants and property owners need to know
The ordinances were adopted Aug. 3 but are scheduled for publication on Aug. 13 and list Aug. 28 as the effective date. Plans and permit applications filed before the effective date are expected to be reviewed under the code in effect when they were filed, according to the council materials.
City staff will update the city website, zoning maps, handouts and related documents. The city has applied for a $75,000 Metropolitan Council grant to help cover those associated expenses.
Property owners, residents and applicants should check the city’s updated zoning map and planning materials after publication to determine the district designation and standards affecting an individual parcel.
Sources
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