Drive-through and zoning study
Summary
After nearly two years, the drive-through zoning study returns February 18. The Planning Commission wants to ban new restaurant and coffee-shop drive-throughs, but council members are split — citing small businesses, parents, residents with disabilities, late-night food access, and ward-level safety realities.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 3
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Mar 4, 2026.
Impact analysis
A ban on new food drive-throughs could reshape which businesses invest in St. Paul, though only a couple of new drive-through applications come in per year.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and neighborhoods affected by queuing, noise, and non-pedestrian-friendly streetscapes.
Businesses that rely on drive-through service — including small operators and chains — plus customers such as parents and people with disabilities who depend on them.
Mentions & discussions (3)
City Council — March 4, 2026
After years of work, new rules ban new drive-throughs near high-frequency transit and downtown and restrict them in dense zones to large mixed-use buildings — with pedestrian access always required. Neighbors of problem sites like the Snelling Starbucks backed the change.
City Council — February 25, 2026
New rules will keep new drive-throughs farther — 660 feet instead of 300 — from high-frequency transit stops, aiming for denser, transit-friendly development. Final adoption is March 4.
Organizational Committee — January 21, 2026
After nearly two years, the drive-through zoning study returns February 18. The Planning Commission wants to ban new restaurant and coffee-shop drive-throughs, but council members are split — citing small businesses, parents, residents with disabilities, late-night food access, and ward-level safety realities.
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