Thanks to Amore Coffee for their support. Amore hosts free homework help for all ages, led by retired professors, on Sundays from 4-6 p.m.
A packed room looked on as the West St. Paul City Council approved the 150 Thompson redevelopment project, as well as the 2026 budget and property tax levy and presented the inaugural Good Neighbor Awards.
150 Thompson Redevelopment
It’s been seven years since Hy-Vee agreed to purchase the West St. Paul YMCA and three years since Hy-Vee backed out of their plans and the city purchased the property. But finally, the 150 Thompson redevelopment project was fully approved.
- What: The project includes 457 apartment units in two buildings and two phases, 19 townhome units, commercial space in the former AutoZone, infrastructure, and setting the stage for a future park.
- At issue: This summer’s prevailing wage update has been at the center of debate, a tweak that gave City Council the power to make certain exceptions to the prevailing wage ordinance in exchange for a public benefit. At one point the project proposed paying certain workers 85-88% of prevailing wage in order to pay for park amenities. Ultimately that effort failed, and a narrow “clarification” passed that allows union labor performed under collective bargaining to comply with prevailing wage and allows labor from apprenticeship programs to be used in compliance with state law.
- Details: Council also approved authority to refinance bonds to help with cashflow and timing issues and approved tax increment financing (TIF) for the project—phase one for up to $12,473,000 for 26 years, and phase two for up to $7,157,000 for 23 years.
- No park: The approved plan does not include a finished park, despite the objections of multiple Council members and Mayor Dave Napier threatening a veto at a previous meeting. The plan will cover grading, a parking lot, and utilities, but no park amenities. There’s roughly a $5-7 million gap to complete the park.
- Public turnout: The Council chambers were standing room only, primarily with union workers. Two people spoke during the public hearing on the TIF district, one asking a clarifying question and one opposed to the use of TIF. No one spoke during the Economic Development Authority (EDA) public hearing.
- Votes: The prevailing wage clarification passed on a 5-1 vote with Council Member Pat Armon the lone no vote. Armon initially moved the 85-88% prevailing wage option, but didn’t get a second. The development agreement also passed 5-1 with Armon voting no. The bond refinancing and TIF district passed unanimously. The EDA approved the TIF and purchase agreement unanimously.
- Comments: A few members weighed in on issues, though there was little discussion.
- Armon: “For this site, people have been waiting a long time for something to happen. And if we don’t have a park, we get only apartments, which we’ve been hearing people have had enough of.”
- Napier: “I support this project either way, whatever we do, because I ultimately want a win, win, win, all the way down the line. I want our taxpayers to win. I want our employees who deserve a fair wage to win. I want all the residents, all the children, all the community members that can come out and enjoy this beautiful outdoor community center—I want everyone to win. What this is going to do is just probably move it down the line, and we’ll get it done.”
- Lisa Eng-Sarne: “I do want to acknowledge the three years of public engagement we did that included a park. … I just want to let the public know that we heard you and we heard your excitement about the park. … I can’t say I’m not disappointed to see the park project go.”
- Robyn Gulley: “I don’t think we’re sacrificing public good for nothing. I think we’re making a decision that supporting the public good means supporting the workers as well.”
2026 Budget & Property Tax
City Council held a public hearing and unanimously approved the final 2026 budget and property tax levy increase.
- Property tax: The final levy increase is 5.82%, down significantly from the published 8% that went out in statements to residents, and even down from the 7.38% shared at the last meeting. The 5.82% increase works out to $230 per year for a median value home.
- Why the change: That increase dropped due to belt tightening on future years’ capital projects and higher than anticipated fiscal disparities receipts.
- Highlights: Notable items in the budget include a scaled back $2.6 million renovation of the city pool over the next two years and up to $100,000 to start planning the future of the fire station, police station, and city hall.
- Public hearing: Four residents spoke during the public hearing, two opposed to increased taxes and two thankful for the Council’s efforts to keep taxes low.
Good Neighbor Awards
The city recognized four residents with Good Neighbor Awards. Nominated by their fellow neighbors, these are West St. Paul residents who give back to their community in some way. Nine others received an honorable mention.
- Donna Ludeking and Mary Heath were recognized for decorating the community room at their apartment building all year round. The nominating comments read: “I greatly appreciate Donna for her sweet smiles and good spirit to all!” and “Mary Heath is a lovely lady that goes above and beyond in spite of her disability.”
- Chris Kelly was recognized for being a welcoming neighbor who always helps with home repair projects: “Chris represents everything a good neighbor embodies and more.”
- Our own Kevin D. Hendricks (yes, that’s me) was recognized for his work on West St. Paul Reader—”He’s built a vital, community-centered platform that keeps residents informed and engaged.”
Expanded: Previously the city recognized beautiful yards and homes with a property recognition program, but this year they expanded the program to look at contributions beyond aesthetics.
Other Items on the Agenda
- Charter amendments: Council unanimously approved four charter amendments—changing the process for vacating right of way, tweaking the official publication designation process, raising the threshold for a petition to force an audit, and changes to petitions, referendums, and recall elections to align with state law.
- Vacating right of way: Council also unanimously approved a change to city ordinances on vacating right of way to align with the charter change.
Engage
- Watch: City Council and EDA meetings are archived online. You can also watch a video recap from Council Member Robyn Gulley and John Justen.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
Whew, a lot happened in that meeting! And we had to hire a contributor to also cover the ISD 197 School Board meeting happening on the same night. We make local news freely available, but it’s not free. Join now to support local news and keep your community informed.
Kevin, you deserve this recognition. Thank you for your good work.
Congrats Kevin and the rest of the great neighbors!
How utterly disheartening it is to read that the 150 Thompson Redevelopment plan was approved to proceed. Was anyone representing the citizens of West Saint Paul??? How will this plan to shove another 457 apartment units into West Saint Paul benefit us? Or even simply not do civic harm? No surprise that the plans for the park were late-stage eliminated, as it will not benefit the developers/profiteers. So many avoidably foolish planning errors continue in our small community. That the new complexes on Butler Avenue so predictably require continual policing should have ended any subsequent mention of the scourge “apartment.”
I wonder if anything can be salvaged from the 150 Thompson park plan. Perhaps a bandshell for community concerts in this newly open space, that will have parking and utilities and grading. Maybe the unions could help chip in?