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Economic Development

Welcome to West St. Paul!

Located in close proximity to both downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis, West St. Paul provides unbeatable accessibility, thriving commercial and industrial districts, great residential neighborhoods, an outstanding park system and excellent schools making West St. Paul a great place to live, work and play.

Incentives
Location
Amenities
Education
Housing

Incentives

The City of West St. Paul is committed to helping developers and business owners secure grants and other financial incentives. The seven-member Economic Development Authority (EDA) of West St. Paul works in a variety of areas to assist, support, and encourage redevelopment including:

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
EDA Redevelopment Grants
Tax Abatement
Reduced Energy Costs - Xcel Energy Programs
Commercial Exterior Grants
The West St. Paul Economic Development Authority (EDA) is currently offering a matching grant for existing commercial property owners for exterior building improvements. Please click here to obtain the application / criteria.
MN Department of Trade & Economic Development Program
Metropolitan Council Programs
Small Business Assistance
The City of West St. Paul partners with Open to Business which provides assistance in such areas as start-up and expansion financing, business plan development, licensing, zoning and regulatory issues, and financial management. For more information please visit their website or call (612) 789-7337.

Location

West St. Paul is a first-ring suburb located just minutes from downtown St. Paul, Mall of America, Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Holman Field (downtown St. Paul Airport), Minnesota State Capitol, Science Museum of Minnesota, Ordway Theater for the Performing Arts, the Xcel Energy Center and much more!

West St. Paul is just a 20 minute drive from downtown Minneapolis, home of U.S. Bank Stadium, Target Field, Orpheum Theatre, Walker Art Museum and many more of Minnesota’s landmarks.

The extremely close proximity to St. Paul and Minneapolis ensures businesses a large workforce of highly skilled workers within reasonable driving distance as well as public transportation. There is a population of approximately 185,000 within a 10 minute drive from West St. Paul.

Amenities

West St. Paul is home to 14 public parks, a year-round indoor ice arena, a public pool and a public and private golf course. In 2015 the City of West St. Paul finished construction on the city’s oldest park. The new renovations at Harmon Park include a large splash pad, 5 baseball/softball fields, hockey rink, soccer/football field, playground, shaded picnic area and a new community building - Neighborhood Center.

West St. Paul is home to Minnesota’s largest inflatable sports dome that brings visitors in from all over the region.

The John V. Hoene Ice Arena also received much needed renovations, replacing the coolant system as well as aesthetic upgrades ensuring the rink will serve the community for many years. These renovations are an example of West St. Paul’s close knit community, partnering with neighboring city, Mendota Heights as well as Independent School District 197 to finance the improvements.

Education

West St. Paul is home to a number of traditional schools for all ages as well as other unique education opportunities.

Part of Independent School District 197 is Garlough Environmental Magnet School, a unique school that educates with an emphasis on science, technology, environment and math. Garlough E-STEM sits adjacent to West St. Paul’s Garlough Park which gives children the opportunity to learn about nature first hand. Garlough is also connected to Dodge Nature Center through an underground trail tunnel.

Dodge Nature Center has 460+ acres of prairies, hardwood forest, lakes, wetland, miles of open hiking trails, a working farm, orchard, bee apiary, and a variety of animals to discover. It is the mission of the nature center to provide exceptional experiences in nature through environmental education. Over 59,000 nature experiences are offered annually: day visits, events, programs for all ages, camps, onsite preschool, school outreach, field trips and more.

Housing

The median 2014 housing value in West St. Paul is $173,000 with the average value standing between $150,000 and $199,999 (see figure # below which details housing costs within West St. Paul). Rental prices remained relatively stable with just a two percent increase in rental prices; going from a median monthly rent of $805 to a median of $829, according to the 2010/2014 American Community Survey (ACS). Many new housing projects are currently underway in West St. Paul!

The Quality Housing Program was established in the fall of 2000, when the City Council and Economic Development Authority (EDA) adopted the Implementation Plan for Quality Housing. The plan outlined strategies to create and sustain quality housing in West St. Paul. These strategies were implemented to establish a housing stock that is aesthetically more attractive, has increased valuation, is healthier for residents, and improves the security and social fabric of the community at large.

The City of West St. Paul addresses property maintenance, rehabilitation, and redevelopment issues through the following programs:

Rental Licensing
Code Enforcement
Property Recognition Programs
Home Improvement Loans and Property Fix-Up
Housing Replacement Program

West St. Paul Economic Development Map