St. Paul sues Maplewood over rejected police training facility
St. Paul firing range (Supplied)
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of St. Paul filed a lawsuit against the City of Maplewood after Maplewood officials rejected plans for a police firing range.
St. Paul police firing range
The backstory:
In August, the Maplewood City Council rejected a permit application by the St. Paul Police Department to replace its training facility on Linwood Avenue.
The St. Paul Police Department has operated an outdoor firing range at 2621 Linwood Avenue East in Maplewood for more than 50 years.
According to the lawsuit, the existing range office can no longer be safely used because of mold, vermin, a damaged roof and non-working bathrooms.
St. Paul initially proposed a 3,196-square-foot training facility, which Maplewood approved in 2025. The project was later scaled back because of budget constraints to a 1,224-square-foot project.
St. Paul files lawsuit
What we know:
While the Maplewood Planning Commission recommended approving the new training facility, the city council ultimately rejected the project after additional environmental reviews. The review detected elevated lead levels and other metals in the property's drinking water.
In its lawsuit, the City of St. Paul argues the city's denial was "arbitrary and capricious." Attorneys also argue that St. Paul police may not even need a permit for the facility because it would only be used by police officers. The lawsuit also claims that the city failed to comply with state statute in its denial because law requires the police department to be allowed to make repairs to the shooting range.
What's next:
The Maplewood City Council held a closed session meeting to discuss the lawsuit ahead of its meeting on Monday. They filed an answer to the lawsuit on Tuesday morning that states the decision to deny the permit was based on "legitimate public-health, safety, welfare, environmental, and land-use concerns."
What we don't know:
A hearing has not yet been set for the case.