The nearly 125-acre Ford site has been home to an assembly plant operated by Ford Motor Co. for over 80 years. The Ford plant is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Highland Park neighborhood. A vibrant residential neighborhood and the bustling Highland Park business district have grown up around the plant. Unfortunately, Ford Motor Co. plans to close its assembly plant in 2011.

While the closure of the plant is a significant loss for the community, the city and the region, it provides an unprecedented redevelopment opportunity in the center of the Twin Cities region, in one of the most beautiful, stable and economically strong neighborhoods of Saint Paul.

The City of Saint Paul Planning Commission has appointed the Ford Site Planning Task Force to assist in identifying a plan that creates a positive legacy for the City and Ford Motor Company. The task force is co-chaired by William Klein and Planning Commissioner Tony Schertler. The charge to the Ford Planning Task Force is to prepare for consideration by the Planning Commission, City Council and Mayor a development framework for a mixed-use development that will represent a fitting legacy for both the Ford Motor Company and the City of Saint Paul.

A Ford Site Open Space Workgroup will be convened in June 2010 to support and refine the work of the Ford Site Planning Task Force in the area of open space planning.  More here. 

Under the direction of Mayor Chris Coleman and a grant provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the City of Saint Paul commissioned the Sustainable Stormwater Feasibility Report for the Ford Plant Site to investigate the feasibility of low-impact stormwater management at the Ford Plant site and identify general recommendations to achieve in the event of site redevelopment following closure or if the plant is retained and the site retrofitted to operate with enhanced environmental sensitivity over the long-term.