The city of St. Paul has condemned the downtown Capital City Plaza parking ramp by the troubled Alliance Bank Center, shuttering another Madison Equities property and its skyway connection.
A notice of immediate condemnation was posted following an inspection on April 2. The notice orders all drivers and vehicles to vacate the premises.
The mayor’s office publicly announced the condemnation and closure of the ramp at 50 Fourth St. in a statement on Monday, noting a lack of maintenance and long-term non-compliance with code enforcement “threaten the public health and safety of guests and neighboring properties.”
Among areas of concern, city inspectors found blocked exits, exposed electrical circuits, inoperable equipment and water leaks. The city also noted that Madison Equities failed to routinely test its fire suppression systems, the structural integrity of the ramp and the water backflow prevention system, which separates contaminated water from clean water. The lack of testing, according to the city, poses a risk to the shared potable water supply for all nearby properties.
The closure of the skyway connection will begin at Fourth Street and end at the Press House at Fifth Street, according to the statement from the mayor’s office. The intersecting skyway to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s office on Cedar Street also will be closed. There are no businesses or direct street access routes within the two connections and residents of nearby towers will not be impacted, it reads.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter noted in the statement that Madison Equities, previously considered downtown’s largest property owner, has lost or neglected a number of properties in recent months, and “their chronic neglect has caused serious harm that will impact our city for years.”
The Capital City Plaza ramp is located near the Alliance Bank Center, which Madison Equities continues to own but stopped maintaining last month. Without a property owner paying for maintenance, utilities and security, all tenants have relocated and the city has stepped in to cover essential services and keep its skyway open weekdays.
Angie Wiese, director of the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, said in the statement her department is working with “impacted community groups to ensure our community remains safe and welcoming.”
Madison Equities and its lender has also been ordered to get the parking ramp up to code, according to the city.
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