Concord Exchange was South St. Paul’s original main street, developed during the early stockyards era. Most of the original buildings were demolished in the 1970s during an urban renewal project aimed at preparing the land for redevelopment. Initial redevelopment efforts did not meet community expectations.
In 2002, the City partnered with the consulting firm Dahlgren, Shardlow, and Uban Inc. to produce a redevelopment framework for the corridor. This resulted in the Concord/Grand Avenue Gateway Streetscape and Redevelopment Plan, adopted in 2003 as a small area plan. The plan outlines streetscaping goals and architectural design standards for new construction and reuse of existing structures.
The City implemented these design standards by creating the Concord Gateway Mixed Use (CGMU) zoning district, which now governs the entire Concord Exchange corridor. The area is split into CGMU-Subdistrict 1 and CGMU-Subdistrict 2, with the latter allowing a broader range of automotive-related uses.
Originally, CGMU zoning required all new construction to mimic the style of historic buildings from the late 1800s to early 1900s. This approach proved cost-prohibitive and hindered development. In 2022, the City revised the architectural standards to allow contemporary styles and materials while maintaining pedestrian-oriented design and core CGMU principles.
Additional streetscape updates were made prior to the 2024 reconstruction of Concord Exchange, reflecting updated priorities from the original 2003 plan.