Highland Park Ford Plant will undergo major redevelopment in the next few years

The city of St. Paul has debated for a while about how to use the vacant Ford Motor Company plant, located in the neighborhood of Highland Park, a few blocks away from St. Kate’s. The 122-acre area has probably gone largely unnoticed by St. Kate’s students since it was vacated by Ford, and in the past few years has remained nothing more than a vast, empty space in the middle of Highland Park.

On Tuesday, November 12th, St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter finally announced that a deal had been made with developer Ryan Companies to transform the lot into a retail and commercial space. 

“After more than a decade of work, we are poised to make our big vision for the Ford Site a reality,” said Mayor Carter. “The homes, jobs and public spaces we’ll build here together will shape our City for generations to come.”

All design photos courtesy of the Ryan Companies.

What will this mean for St. Kate’s students?
Well, in the near future, a lot of construction. Ryan Cos. cites that it will be around three years before the first residents move into housing in the space, and five years before infrastructure and public services are completely installed. In the meantime, students should expect a lot of construction activities going on whenever they venture into Highland Park, given that construction is planned to start this upcoming spring. 

Could it mean more housing options for students? Well, potentially. The plan will include 3,800 housing units, 20 percent of which will be income restricted housing. Many of the homes will be made with families in mind, not necessarily students. It also may mean more job opportunities in the Highland Park area. 

The Ford plant closed in 2011, when Ford ceased production on the Ford Ranger pickup truck. Since then, gone through a process of excavation and its destiny has been a hot issue for the city of St. Paul for the past few years. 

For more information on the redevelopment and what it will entail for St. Kate’s neighborhood, visit the city of St. Paul’s website. There will be a Neighborhood Update Meeting taking place on Thursday, November 21st from 7-8:30PM in the Jeanne d’Arc Auditorium of Whitby Hall for those interested in attending and learning more.