The City of St. Paul has ordered the abandoned CVS on the corner of University Ave. and Snelling Ave. to be demolished within 15 days as of November 5th, ending more than three years of growing frustration, safety concerns and community advocacy. The Building at 4999 Snelling Ave, North, once a focal point for the community for groceries and the pharmacy, has sat vacant since March 2022.
In that time, it has become a center of illicit activities such as vandalism, destruction of property and open drug abuse, all of which have caused over 600+ police calls. Fencing was installed around the property as a preventive measure to stop trespassing, but it did little to stop the lot from deteriorating. This building, according to city records and neighborhood reports, generated over 100 complaints during its vacancy.
Residents have stated and said that the property has long symbolized the neglect in the Hamline-Midway area, creating a negative image of a community that is nothing like the reflection of the CVS or other neglected properties. The building has accumulated graffiti, trash and tons of discarded needles over the years.
In an email addressed for the city council meeting on Nov. 5 long standing community member and 6th generation Midway resident Nicole Brown spoke on this issue.
“I see the building’s presence in our place as a greedy placeholding, an act of contempt, entitlement and control to retain corporate investment in the property as a statement of ‘Midway ran us down, let them live with the ugliness and neglect as our defiance in letting Midway run us out,’” Brown said via email.
The building's neglect has become a symbol of frustration for residents, who may feel that corporate interests have overshadowed community well-being. The property’s deterioration reflects a lack of accountability, further deepening the divide between the community and those who lack responsibility for maintaining it.
“This corner in our busiest area in Midway can be the beginning of a reimagining of our place identity, our place belonging,” Brown said via email.
The Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC) spent years trying to address the growing concerns. Through petitions, meetings with city officials and direct outreach to agencies like the Department of Safety and Inspections, the organization called for meaningful actions from the property owners. The property owners were largely unresponsive.
“The biggest thing about this is dealing with it in the neighborhood. Waste of so much time and effort, this includes volunteer time and paid staff time, which costs the city money,” HMC’s Interim Executive Director Lisa Nelson said.
This consumption of all of the amalgamated efforts drains the spirits of community members and causes frustration within the community.
“That intersection is the first thing people see when they get off the Green Line,” junior and HMC Board Member Kaitlynn Fuller said. “We have all these great local businesses… and then this. It makes people see our neighborhood in a way that just isn't true.”
Residents have said the property's condition has worsened over the years. These have caused the Resident to complain to DSI, who are very limited in their control and actions they can take. When a mattress was left outside the CVS, it had gathered lots of needles, leading to safety concerns. The only action they can take is to fine the property owners for the cost of the issue and then hope for them to deal with it. This causes DSI not to be in a position for proactive measures to ensure the prevention of further deterioration.
Mike Reynolds, Chair of the English and Communication Studies, sent an email addressed for the city council meeting on Nov. 5.
“For the vacancy and neglect of the CVS site continues to negatively impact nearby owners and undercut commerce,” Reynolds said via email. “[This] impacting the Green Line station at University and moving North up Snelling has been made worse by the continued neglect of the building. The site's lack of reasonable development/investment is a different harm in that it reduces possible, necessary resources to the community.”
After much discussion and reflection on a multitude of code violations, complaints and failures from property owners, the city voted on Nov. 5 in favor of the destruction of the CVS. For many, this decision created relief and put residents in high spirits.
“[P]eople talk about potential… I think it would be great to have a community space there. And having a community space that would actually address our needs, ” senior Cece Chmelik Hamline senior and active member of the HMC’s environmental programs said.
Spirits are high for the possible development of the space and the potential for good, impactful change.
The potential for the open space after the demolition is limitless, but the resounding idea is that this space should be for the community. Community leaders say now is the time to ensure the next chapter for the corner should reflect the values of the neighborhood.
“HMC will continue organizing for accountability, safety, and dignity at this corner. [W]e ask the City to work more closely with the Hamline Midway Coalition, our partners at the Union Park District Council, the Midway Chamber of Commerce, and the many businesses, faith communities, universities, and stakeholders invested in this neighborhood… shaping the future of this space and the entire future of the Midway,” HMC said in an email to the city.
