We believe in government transparency and provide these West St. Paul City Council previews with the support of our members.
West St. Paul City Council held a rental license hearing and approved a provisional license for the Eagle Pointe apartment complex after a long and contentious debate. The Council also approved the new sign and mural ordinance, took the next steps in the former Hy-Vee/YMCA land redevelopment, and celebrated recent accomplishments.
Rental License Hearing for Eagle Pointe
City staff recommended approving a provisional license for Eagle Pointe apartments, who have been operating without a license since Monument Capital Management purchased the property in September 2021. Monument applied for a rental license in May of 2022. When a property goes under new ownership, all the units must be reinspected. Many units failed the initial inspections, resulting in delays. Inspections occurred from July 2022-April 2023. All units have now passed inspection.
There have also been other numerous issues with the property, including work without a permit, 92 police nuisance calls, six fire inspection violations, and three code compliance letters.
Doug Turner, a Minneapolis attorney representing Monument Capital Management and Eagle Pointe Apartments said, “Property owners and landlords don’t get a whole lot of respect. The frustrating part of that is because my clients … they provide homes for people.” Turner argued that the company purchased the buildings as is, and took on the existing tenants and any conduct problems.
Turner claimed that the city’s provided spreadsheet of police nuisance calls included 17 domestic violence calls, and that state law protects tenants’ right to call the police and be protected against retaliation for doing so in domestic violence situations. City Attorney Pam Whitmore quickly jumped in and said that domestic calls were not supposed to be included in the report. Turner cited a call in the spreadsheet that detailed a dispute between two neighbors, which Whitmore said was not a domestic dispute. He then pointed to another call that involved an incident between a man and his girlfriend. “I believe there are calls on this document that should not be counted against the landlord.”
The discussion moved on to the mitigating factors added to the provisional license, issues Turner stated that the property owner already has addressed or is in the process of addressing. He asked the Council not to impose the $1,200 fee to monitor the mitigation plan. Turner also said that he wasn’t sure what evidence the city had that the decks and other unpermitted remodeling was done during his client’s ownership and not under the prior owner.
Though much of Turner’s presentation to the Council was defensive, he concluded that Eagle Pointe will, “continue to work with staff. We don’t want this to be adversarial. We want to make sure you guys are happy.”
Two city residents spoke next, citing some of the many issues experienced by Eagle Pointe tenants, such as pest infestations, lack of heat and water, leaking in units, crime, and safety issues. Kimetha “KaeJae” Johnson told many of the stories we highlighted in 2022, and said of Eagle Pointe, “It’s just not safe.” She urged the Council to consider the provisional license as an opportunity to ensure the property owner is held accountable. “This is an opportunity to get the voices of renters heard. Renters are afraid to speak up.” Johnson also disputed much of what the attorney argued, in particular stating that the deck repairs and unpermitted remodeling were happening under the new management.
When it was time for the Council to ask questions and make comments, Council Member Lisa Eng-Sarne said that the Council has had similar hearings with businesses to remedy a problem and they “never approach us in the way Mr. Turner just did that felt so non-collaboratory … with guns blazing regarding the police reports. I wasn’t expecting us to spend 80% of the time talking about that. I was expecting some empathy … and maybe even some remorse for the way renters have been living.” She said she wasn’t interested in dropping the $1200 fee, and said the fees “seem like an absolute bargain for the level of violations we’ve read.”
The Council debated continuing the conversation to the next meeting, and adding additional mitigation steps to the provisional license, such as including a specific date for security cameras to be installed by and requiring the property owner to attend neighborhood meetings. Ultimately, the council approved the provisional license as recommended by city staff 3-1, with Council Member Julie Eastman voting no (Council Members Robyn Gulley and Pat Armon were absent). Because of how long the process has taken, Monument and Eagle Pointe will already have to reapply for their 2023-2024 rental license in July.
Hy-Vee/YMCA Redevelopment Progress
The Economic Development Authority considered a preliminary development agreement for the former Hy-Vee/YMCA space and approved the resolution to give construction company Swervo/Greco exclusive rights to work with the city on the development.
Sign Ordinance Changes
City Council unanimously voted to approve the proposed changes to the sign ordinance that relax requirements and allow murals.
More on the Agenda
- League of Minnesota Cities conference: The Council spoke highly of their experiences recently attending the League of Minnesota Cities conference in Duluth. They also congratulated Council Member Wendy Berry, who was elected 2nd Vice President of the LMC board.
- Juneteenth event: Kimetha “KaeJae” Johnson spoke about the recent Residents of Color Collective (ROCC) event at Dodge Nature Center, with more than 400 people in attendance. ROCC will be hosting additional events this summer, including an event at the Wentworth Library on July 20 from 5-7, partnering with 360 Communities.
- Women of West St. Paul pad drive: A representative from Women of West St. Paul spoke about the fifth annual pad drive. The organization is looking to raise $10,000 over the next 10 weeks. All money and period products will go to Neighbors, Inc., impacting the local community. Go to womenofwsp.com for more information about donating and upcoming in-person product drop-off parties, or see our article on how to donate.
- Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Former Council Member Ed Iago was recognized for his work at Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, a nonprofit organization that provides services and support to veterans and their families. He spoke of the many ways the organization has helped veterans with financial needs, such as home improvements and car repairs, food, and assisting veterans to stay in compliance with their properties, with help shoveling snow or mowing lawns.
- 2022 financials: The city’s financials were reviewed during the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), including a comprehensive audit of 2022’s numbers.
Engage
- Watch: City Council, OCWS, and EDA meetings are archived online.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
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