To develop and update the Minnesota Rules Chapter 2400, Capitol Area Zoning and Design rules for the Capitol Area in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The update to the Rules will build upon the 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the Minnesota State Capitol Area and the existing Rules to regulate and manage the Capitol Area environment and its physical form. The Minnesota Legislature provided the CAAPB with funds to update the Rules by June 30, 2025. The development of the Rules will require formal approval by CAAPB and will go through the formal Administrative Rulemaking process per the Permanent Rulemaking process (Minn. Stat. 12.05 to 14.28), following the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), Minnesota Administrative Rule, Minnesota Rules, chapter 1400 process (see the rulemaking manual hosted by the Minnesota Department of Health). The Capitol Area is approximately 333 acres encompassing 60 blocks. It is divided into five distinct subdistricts: 1) Capitol Campus – the Capitol building, the Mall, and surrounding area; 2) Capitol Rice District – the area to the west and northwest of the Capitol campus; 3) Capitol Heights – a well-established neighborhood to the north of the Capitol building; 4) Fitzgerald Park (Neighborhood) – five downtown blocks southeast from the Capitol campus; and 5) I-94 and I-35E Freeway Corridor. The goal of the Rules update is to make the rules more current, plain language, responsive to current needs, comprehensive, and flexible. Project resources will allow for a full review, revisions, and updates to the existing structure, but may not include time or funding for major rewrites, major new elements, or extensive research - nor related public engagement required for more in depth changes. Revisions will focus on attaining compliance with the Comprehensive Plan, achieving clarity, correcting errors, and potentially identifying elements that need to be added in the future. All elements will require review for compliance with laws of the State of Minnesota and the Constitution of the United States.
