The state’s Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board is seeking input on how to further develop the Minnesota State Capitol and the area surrounding it.

Last week, the state launched a website to provide information and gather public input on plans to preserve and develop the Capitol Mall, an area that covers the state Capitol’s campus, the Capitol/Rice Street light-rail station, the Capitol Heights neighborhood, the I-94 and 35E freeway corridor, and five blocks of Fitzgerald Park. This area includes all buildings related to the Minnesota State Legislature and other government functions, the Capitol’s grounds, outdoor landscapes, paths, city streets, and interstate bridges that connect these buildings.

Public input will be used to develop a “Capitol Mall design framework” led by the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, according to a Jan. 18 news release. The board will issue a series of surveys to gauge public opinion on various improvements in the area.

The first survey for public input on the project is open now and closes at midnight on Feb. 3. This survey asks participants: How have you used the Capitol Mall before and how would you like to use it in the future? What works well and what needs improvement? The second survey is estimated to run from March 16 to March 30 and will use input from the first survey to develop specific proposals, then ask participants their thoughts on these proposals. The last survey from May 4 to May 15 will review the drafted Capitol Mall Design Framework and allow survey participants to provide final comments before the plan is updated and published.

The framework will be developed to determine how to use $5 million in funding for immediate improvements to the area approved by the legislature last year in conjunction with a 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the Minnesota State Capitol Area published by the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board in 2021. The Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board was established in 1967, originally under the name Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Commission.

According to the 2040 plan, about 8,500 people work in the Capitol campus, but the survey is also looking for input from visitors and local community members. In addition to the surveys, the design team will conduct in-person community engagement, next appearing at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Family Day on February 3, at Saint Paul’s Landmark Center.