Photograph by Drone Bros. Taken on August 22, 2022
Highland Bridge
It’s been more than a decade since a Ford Ranger rolled off the assembly line at the automaker’s former plant along the river in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood.
Now, after years of demolition, cleanup, and city planning, the 100-plus acres across the Mississippi from Minnehaha Falls are almost unrecognizable. No longer the “Ford Site,” as it was called during its planning stages, the area officially named Highland Bridge is a living, breathing neighborhood conceived and built in the span of 10 years.
Starting from scratch in what was already a well-established, built-out, and buzzing part of the city, this new development has had the opportunity to tackle real-world issues from the ground up—such as sustainability, diversity in housing, and spaces for the community to come together.
Beyond eventually having a variety of housing options, the neighborhood already boasts four city parks, including one for dogs and one for skaters, plus walking and biking paths encircling a massive stormwater feature that filters runoff. Eventually, more shops, offices, and sport courts will fill in the area as well. Lace up your walking shoes and take a look around St. Paul’s newest hot spot.
122
Total acreage of the site.
10
Miles of walking and biking paths around.
$680,665
Starting price for 3-bed, 2.5-bath market-rate rowhouse (not counting the affordable housing units). Rental studio apartments start at $1,450 per month for 480 square feet.
3,800
Units of housing available once everything is completed. If construction keeps tracking as planned, the majority of housing buildings will open in spring 2023.
20
Percentage of housing that will be affordable and income-based. Some of this will be in buildings created by nonprofits CommonBond Communities and Project for Pridein Living, but the rowhouses and apartments will include affordable housing units as well.
100
Percentage of the electricity used in Highland Bridge that will be from carbon-free and renewable resources (including solar).
1
Percentage of St. Paul’s public works budgets that must be dedicated to public art, including the budget for Highland Bridge. “Which doesn’t sound like a lot,” Tolbert concedes, “until you consider these are million-dollar-plus projects. It adds up.” Some sculptures and public art features have already been added to the space, with more to come over the next year.
2013
Year the Ford plant demolition started. “Our first goal was to ensure Ford took their pollution with them,” says St. Paul City Council Member Chris Tolbert, who was instrumental in planning the development. “And they did—they demoed the site, cleaned it up, and remediated the soils to residential standards, all on their own dollars.”
