Support transit corridors by restricting drive-throughs before Feb 25th

Publicly available data provided by Ramsey County and compiled for Sustain Saint Paul by Urban3

Sustain Saint Paul is asking all urbanists, transit-advocates, and residents concerned with rising property taxes to write to the Saint Paul City Council before THIS WEDNESDAY February 25th asking them to amend their current proposed ordinance to restrict the construction of new drive-throughs in the immediate vicinity of existing and planned transit stops.

Drive-throughs near transit stops are a poor and inefficient use of land. They generate roughly half the per-acre tax value of comparable non-drive-through commercial uses. Near transit stops, they undermine the immense fiscal potential of transit-oriented development. These concerns compound with safety concerns for pedestrians and drivers alike.

A previous version of the proposed ordinance included a ban on future drive-throughs, which the city has now taken off the table in favor of other restrictions. In light of this, we are submitting an official public comment outlining why we believe it is essential to amend the proposed drive-through ordinance to increase the minimum distance of new drive-throughs from existing and planned Light Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, and Arterial Bus Rapid Transit stops from 300 feet to one-eighth of a mile (660 feet) — approximately one city block.

Support sustainable land use by joining us in emailing Contact-Council@ci.stpaul.mn.us before the public hearing at 3pm on Wednesday, February 25th - JUST THREE DAYS AWAY.

Copy and paste this form letter for your comment:

Subject: Support transit corridors by restricting drive-throughs

My name is [Your Name] and I live at [Your Address]. I am writing to ask you to strengthen our property-tax base and protect our significant investment in transit-oriented development by amending the proposed drive-through ordinance to increase the minimum distance that new drive-throughs must be located from existing and planned Light Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, and Arterial Bus Rapid Transit stops from 300 feet to one-eighth of a mile (660 feet).

Then, consider joining us for in-person the public hearing at 3pm on Wednesday, February 25th. Bring your Sustain Saint Paul shirts and buttons - if you don’t have any, we will provide them as well as any talking points you may need.