The Metropolitan Council on March 12 authorized the regional administrator to negotiate a tentative developer agreement with Flaherty & Collins and the Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority to pursue redevelopment of the Central Block Station site in downtown Saint Paul.

A council member presenting the item described Flaherty & Collins’ proposal as an estimated $130,000,000 mixed-use project with roughly 300 market-rate residential units and about 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail along Fifth Street. The conceptual plan calls for two buildings — a 20-story tower on the northeast portion and a six-story building on the southwest portion — connected by a skyway over the tracks.

The council member noted that Flaherty & Collins, founded in 1993 and based in Indianapolis, has experience with mixed-use urban infill and public–private partnerships and already has projects in Minnesota. The action before the council grants Flaherty & Collins an exclusive option to work toward a development and purchase agreement and requires milestone progress before a final sale, including community feedback, compliance with city regulations and identification of project financing, including any public subsidy.

A representative for the council’s staff said the developer will work with the "joint entity" of the Saint Paul HRA and the Met Council to move a broad proposal toward a financeable, compliant plan. The council member said the Met Council is approaching the property primarily as a partner to support downtown revitalization rather than as a major revenue source.

Council members who spoke during the item described the step as long-awaited and welcomed the public- and agency-engagement that occurred during the transportation committee review. One council member noted the HRA had voted unanimously on Feb. 19 to direct staff to finalize steps toward a developer agreement on this site.

The motion passed by voice vote. The council record shows the motion carried; individual roll-call tallies were not specified on the public transcript.