Saint Paul’s City Council signed off Jan. 28 on a full reconstruction of Pelham Boulevard between Franklin Avenue and Mississippi River Boulevard, clearing the way for utility work, new sidewalks, and an off‑street bike and pedestrian trail. The vote lets construction move ahead in 2026, but it landed with a thud among nearby homeowners, who warned that the new layout and the special assessments tied to it will be costly, disruptive, and hard on the block’s leafy character. Several longtime residents told council members that new alignment choices, intersection changes, and the loss of on‑street parking could make it tougher to back out of driveways and keep the street feeling like the tree‑lined corridor they moved onto years ago.
Project scope, timeline, and funding
The plan calls for replacing underground utilities, rebuilding curbs and sidewalks, and converting the existing on‑street bike lanes into an off‑street, sidewalk‑level bikeway that matches the Grand Round design and the city’s bicycle plan, according to the City of Saint Paul. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2026, and city staff say the work will include intersection tweaks and a median at Doane to slow drivers. The City Council’s Jan. 28 agenda included a Final Order for the Pelham project, authorizing staff to lock in the design details and move toward bidding and construction.
Council backs plan as residents warn of steep bills
The council’s approval came despite pointed objections from residents about both the street layout and the size of their property assessments. MyVillager reports the package totals about $18.5 million and that several homeowners said their estimated assessments are eye‑popping: Shawn Wanta and Patrick Fenlon told council members their estimate tops $27,000, while Jerome Getz put his bill at roughly $13,000 and said shifting Pelham closer will make leaving his driveway difficult after more than five decades in his home. Property owners represented by attorney Jacob Steen argued that some parcels would lose street parking and questioned how the city calculated “special benefits” for their lots.
City and planners defend alignment and trees
Project staff told the council the recommended street alignment is designed to calm traffic, improve safety, and preserve as many mature trees as possible. Project manager Jary Lee said the roadway would shift roughly 14 feet to the west in portions south of I‑94, a move he described as intended to slow drivers and save trees, and staff estimated that about three‑quarters of the boulevard trees could be preserved under the current design, MyVillager reports. The city’s project materials note that tree removals, replacement planting, and replanting plans are a routine part of full‑reconstruction street work.
Assessments, appeals, and next steps
Money for the Pelham project will come from the voter‑approved 1% Common Cent sales tax and special assessments on properties with frontage along the corridor. The city has said it can recover up to 25% of a project’s cost through assessments and that only abutting properties will be billed, according to the City of Saint Paul. The January public hearing was part of that assessment process, and the Final Order adopted by the council authorizes staff to bid on the work and continue detailed design work. Property owners who disagree with their assessment calculations can use the city’s standard assessment and appeal procedures and may raise concerns during the administrative steps that follow the Final Order.
Design tradeoffs and outside critiques
Supporters say the off‑street trail will give cyclists a safer route and help complete the Grand Round network. At the same time, some planners and nearby residents have raised familiar tradeoff questions about how wide the trail really needs to be and how effectively the redesign will slow neighborhood traffic. Local analysis has flagged portions of the corridor where the off‑street bikeway could potentially be narrowed and has urged clearer traffic‑calming measures and options, as laid out in a community commentary on Streets.mn. The back‑and‑forth highlights a recurring tension in Saint Paul street projects over how to modernize roads for multiple modes of travel without swamping adjacent homeowners with costs or big changes to how they get in and out of their own driveways.
What to watch next
With construction penciled in for spring 2026, the next big milestones are the finalized assessment roll, the contractor bid process, and any design tweaks that emerge during permitting. Residents who spoke at the Jan. 28 hearing, along with those who could not attend, can watch the council’s debate and public testimony in the meeting recording available through the city’s online archives and meeting player. As the project moves toward bidding, both neighbors and city staff say they will be watching tree protection plans, driveway access, and the final assessment numbers very closely.
