The Northern Star Council of the Boy Scouts of America is leaving its St. Paul offices this summer, making way for residential development that could bring hundreds of people to a quiet corner of the city.
The Boy Scouts have a purchase agreement with St. Paul-based Exeter Group, which is proposing an apartment building with up to 175 market-rate units at the site. The spot at Marshall and Western avenues is kitty-corner from the Aberdeen condominiums and across the street from the Christ's Household of Faith complex.
Though density isn't foreign to the neighborhood, the project is raising red flags for residents concerned about the effect it'll have on the area and what they describe as a lack of community input in the process.
The property must be rezoned for the apartment project to move forward. The Summit-University Planning Council voted against rezoning in November, days before the city's Zoning Committee voted unanimously in favor of it.
Jens Werner, the Summit-University Planning Council's executive director, said the zoning committee vote was "pretty disappointing."
"A lot of people have a lot of outstanding questions and concerns about the proposed rezoning," she said. "There hasn't been time to talk about this."
The City Council will take up the issue Wednesday, but make a decision at a later date. Meanwhile, the Northern Star Council is preparing to make the move to Fort Snelling.
The Boy Scouts' new Northern Star Leadership Center will add to its existing Base Camp at Fort Snelling. A grand opening is scheduled for Sept. 15, said spokesman Sergio Meyer. The Northern Star Council's staff is expected to move into the new building in July.
