Members of St. Pascal Baylon in St. Paul have mixed reactions to forward movement on an affordable housing project proposed on parish-owned property opposite the church across White Bear Avenue.
Most recently, the St. Paul City Council passed an ordinance Dec. 11 allowing rezoning at the site, as part of proposed plans to build affordable housing. According to its website, the St. Paul nonprofit Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative has proposed building the Aragon — 53 “apartment homes” for individuals and families below certain income thresholds — along White Bear Avenue North in St. Paul’s east side. St. Pascal Baylon has sought to sell a portion of its property for the project.
Among those supporting the project is Father John Mitchell, pastor of St. Pascal Baylon. Father Mitchell said that he, along with parish trustees and members of the parish’s finance council and pastoral council, have been in favor of selling the plot of land, known as Ryan Field, so it can be developed into affordable housing. “We want to move in this direction and sell this land and see it used for this purpose,” he said.
The sale of the property was approved by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Mitchell said.
Beacon’s initial plans for the project indicate the development would be “a mixed-income and mixed-use building primarily with workforce housing units with a small proportion of supportive housing units.”
The building would contain a mix of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units. Units would be geared toward those with incomes below $49,000 annually for a two-person household and those with incomes below $75,000 annually for a four-person household, according to Beacon. Meanwhile, roughly 13 units would be geared toward “families or individuals with barriers to housing stability due to a disability or history of homelessness,” Beacon reported.
“Our vision is that all people have a home,” Heidi Goldman-Gray, vice president of advancement and communications for Beacon, said in an email. “Affordable housing is generally in short supply in the Twin Cities, including in St. Paul. In its 2040 comprehensive plan, the city indicated a need for at least 600 homes affordable at The Aragon’s upper guideline and another 800 homes affordable at its lowest.”
On-site services, according to Beacon, would include first-time homebuyer training, case management, parenting support, homework and academic help, and budgeting and financial literacy resources.
“Families who choose to live at The Aragon will enjoy the same community amenities that attract so many to the East Side, including the rich cultural heritage of East St. Paul, access to transit, retail, and dining, and strong and vibrant community schools,” Goldman-Gray said.
Support for ‘affordable, stable housing’
Father Mitchell said his interest in affordable housing development increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, “seeing how many homeless people in St. Paul were sleeping along Shepard Road” and other nearby locations in the city. It was at that point Father Mitchell said the parish started getting involved with Beacon, to “advocate for public funds to be used for affordable housing and things like that.”
As the conversation turned toward St. Pascal Baylon’s available land, Father Mitchell said, “It just turns out that they (Beacon) were the ones that made the best offer (in) buying the land and wanting to build something.”
Father Mitchell submitted his own letter of support to the city council — calling the proposed project “an excellent way to live our mission of service to the community” — and added his name to a support letter sent by six local clergy members of Catholic and other faiths.
“As faith leaders, we know the very real and personal pain our community members experience as they face housing instability,” clergy members wrote, in part, in their letter of support. “We often open our doors and share what resources we can with families who approach us in vulnerable moments such as eviction, foreclosure, job loss, or a tough choice between energy bills or rent. We know that the answer to homelessness is a home — and that it takes all of us working together to ensure that the homes being built in our communities are within reach of people with moderate and low incomes.”
Meanwhile, Inna Collier Paske, principal of St. Pascal Regional Catholic School, shared her support, seeing an enrollment boost as a positive potential result. “Our school will benefit from growing enrollment if we say ‘yes’ to affordable housing,” she wrote, in part, in her letter of support. “More families with children would be able to move in.”
Several parishioners expressed their support in writing to the city council, as part of opportunities to submit public comment.
One parishioner said she supported the proposed development having worked as a social worker with low-income families and those experiencing homelessness. “I have been involved with Saint Pascals both during the day and night on a regular basis and feel secure that I will be safe when Aragon is built and families are accepted because I know that I can trust the process that Beacon will use in choosing which families to take in,” she wrote, in part, in her letter of support.
As a retired educator, another St. Pascal parishioner voiced her support, writing in part: “I have seen the importance of stable housing on children and families. I feel that the Aragon property fulfills the need for not only affordable, stable housing but stable housing with some supportive services.”
Safety concerns in neighborhood
Others dissented, arguing the project produces safety concerns.
Two parishioners, who have family members attending the parish school, expressed in their letter of dissent to the city council concerns about the project leading to potentially increased traffic, “creating more risk for the kids.” The two shared that they were concerned about safety as new residents moved in, also writing that “Beacon has issues at its current facilities that are not good for any neighborhood.”
Similarly, another parishioner cited concerns the project “will bring homelessness, drugs, theft, and other problems” and shared concern about the proximity of the building to the nearby school in his letter of dissent. Referring to another Beacon-developed property — Kimball Court apartments, also in St. Paul — he added, “I personally have inspected the exterior of this property with SPPD (St. Paul police), and the owners can’t keep it clean, nor do they control the homeless, drugs or theft from the occupants.”
“Beacon is no stranger to community pushback when it comes to bringing new affordable homes into all kinds of communities,” Goldman-Gray said in an email. “We are tenacious in our belief that everyone deserves a home in a community that welcomes them. At the end of the day we hope that the residents of The Aragon are welcomed with open arms into the neighborhood which they will soon call home, so we work to answer community questions and concerns in open dialogue, we work to understand the current needs of the community in which The Aragon will be located, and we continue to build understanding and support for affordable housing to meet the vast unmet needs of our neighbors. … One question that we have shared in response to concerns is about how The Aragon might differ from other Beacon homes. It’s important to note that each property in Beacon’s portfolio has a different tenant selection plan and lease terms to which residents must adhere. These terms vary by building and at The Aragon the lease will support healthy community standards for families with children.”
City council and affordable housing advocacy
Led by councilmember Cheniqua Johnson, the St. Paul city council voted 6-0 in favor of the rezoning ordinance.
“I want more housing on the east side of St. Paul, and I want to be able to be an affordable housing advocate for my ward,” said Johnson, who represents Ward 7, which includes St. Paul east side neighborhoods.
Johnson suggested potential benefits of the building plan: “This rezone parcel is situated in a broader residential area and near the future of the Gold Line (transit). It’s surrounded by other residential properties, a restaurant, a church.”
Johnson also acknowledged the broad public opinion surrounding the project during the council’s Dec. 11 meeting. Thanking local residents who submitted hundreds of comments in the weeks leading up to the meeting during which the rezoning ordinance passed, Johnson said the ongoing dialogue with representatives of St. Pascal Baylon, Beacon and community members was “super necessary and vital.”
“What I heard from residents was that it was important for them to not only understand the changes that were happening in their neighborhood, but to also understand, and have an opportunity to ask questions, to vocalize concerns and actually be heard … that’s a really important part of this process,” Johnson said during the council meeting.
Johnson referenced community members’ concerns, one of which was potential spot zoning (or when special zoning laws are applied to a parcel of property that differs from the zoning laws surrounding the property). She said assessments conducted by city agencies were unable to find evidence of spot zoning and that the proposed use for the parcel of land is in keeping with the area’s current zoning code.
Another concern was a lack of opportunities for communication about the project. Johnson acknowledged this and pointed to the creation of a public engagement plan to allow residents to obtain information about the project and weigh in, via different forums and formats (virtual versus in-person).
Johnson said she viewed the vote to approve the rezoning ordinance as “the first step in a multi-year project and in many ways, I look forward to being able to work with my community because it’s very clear that there’s a lot of folks who feel otherwise — and that isn’t something to ignore or to act like we don’t see, but that is not a reason to not make sure that we are also welcoming, on the flip side, to having affordable housing opportunities in our neighborhood.”
Next steps
During an announcement at Mass Dec. 15, Father Mitchell highlighted the city council vote to approve rezoning, adding that once a purchase agreement has been approved, Beacon would begin initial fundraising for project costs. “(I)t might take a few years for them to get enough money to do it, but we’re happy that this step has been completed,” Father Mitchell said.
Father Mitchell said most of the money from the land sale would go toward paying down the parish’s mortgage.
The pastor said those who support the project are “happy about it,” in reference to the city council’s decision to approve the rezoning; “the next steps of this are going to kind of unfold in the months to come,” he said.
“The process to build new multifamily buildings is a lengthy one,” Goldman-Gray said in an email. “We have to assemble public financing to build the building, establish a partnership with a service provider who will best meet the needs of the people living at The Aragon, attract public investment for services and rental assistance, meet with community to ensure the design accurately reflects the hopes and needs of future residents and neighbors, and then once all of this is done, we start the construction process.”
ONGOING HOMELESSNESS
As plans for the St. Pascal Baylon-owned property move forward, the United States saw an increase of about 18% in homelessness in 2024, according to researchers.
Dec. 27, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report: Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates. This annual report highlights the numbers of those who are experiencing homelessness, as well as those visiting shelters and seeking temporary housing.
According to the report, roughly 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024; this marked an 18% increase from 2023 data. It is also the highest number observed since this annual reporting began in 2007, according to HUD. However, in a news release corresponding with the report’s release, HUD stated: “This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions.”
“While this data is nearly a year old, and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness,” HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman said in a statement.
The report cited such factors contributing to homelessness as a “worsening national affordable housing crisis, rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households, and the persisting effects of systemic racism” as well as “(a)dditional public health crises, natural disasters that displaced people from their homes, rising numbers of people immigrating to the U.S., and the end to homelessness prevention programs put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Increased homelessness is the tragic, yet predictable, consequence of underinvesting in the resources and protections that help people find and maintain safe, affordable housing,” Renee Willis, incoming interim CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said in a Dec. 27 statement about the HUD report. “As advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience have warned, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to increase as more people struggle to afford sky-high housing costs.”
