What Could Happen at the Allen S. King Plant Site in Oak Park Heights?

Oak Park Heights is actively planning for the future reuse of the Allen S. King power plant property, but as of October 2026 no specific mixed-use redevelopment project has been approved or constructed.

The plant is expected to close in December 2028, and the city has secured public funding to help plan property acquisition and infrastructure needed for future redevelopment.

What ultimately gets built, when it happens and how surrounding properties are affected remain open questions.

That distinction matters if you own a home nearby, are considering buying in Oak Park Heights, or are looking at land or investment property in this part of Washington County.

• The Allen S. King coal plant is expected to close in December 2028.
• Oak Park Heights is actively preparing for the site's future reuse.
• Regional reporting has identified commercial and mixed-use development as possible future uses, but no specific mixed-use project has been approved.
• Oak Park Heights previously reported securing $2.19 million for engineering, design, right-of-way acquisition and infrastructure planning associated with future redevelopment.
• Public funding for infrastructure planning is not the same thing as approval of a private development project.
• A 2026 Metropolitan Council report identifies a Stagecoach Trail Land Use Amendment involving Oak Park Heights, but that should not be interpreted as approval of a King site redevelopment plan.
• Nearby redevelopment planning does not automatically increase a home's value or change the zoning of neighboring property.
• Buyers should verify parcel-level zoning, comprehensive-plan designations and pending land-use applications before making assumptions about future development.

Oak Park Heights is a relatively small community, but its location along Highway 36, next to Stillwater and Bayport and near the St. Croix River, gives it an important position within Washington County and the St. Croix Valley.

The Allen S. King plant property represents a rare redevelopment opportunity because of the size and location of the site.

According to East Metro Strong, the coal-fired plant is expected to close in December 2028, and Oak Park Heights is already evaluating what the site might become afterward.

Potential uses discussed at the planning level have included commercial and mixed-use development.

Those possibilities are significant.

They are also possibilities.

I work throughout this part of Washington County, and this is where I think buyers and sellers need to be careful with the language.

A planning discussion is not an approved development.

A public funding appropriation is not a construction start.

A potential land use is not a guarantee about what will eventually be built.

Understanding those differences is much more useful than getting ahead of what the public record actually supports.

The current expected closure is December 2028.

That gives Oak Park Heights, Xcel Energy and other public partners time to work through issues that can accompany the reuse of a major industrial property.

Those issues can include:

• demolition
• environmental remediation
• public utilities
• roads
• stormwater systems
• sanitary sewer
• water infrastructure
• trails and sidewalks
• future land use
• access
• zoning
• shoreline considerations

That work can continue for years.

The closure of the plant does not mean a new neighborhood or commercial district appears immediately afterward.

For a redevelopment of this scale, the transition itself is part of the story.

The honest answer today is that no one should represent one specific future outcome as settled.

East Metro Strong has reported that Oak Park Heights is evaluating future opportunities including commercial and mixed-use development.

Earlier city planning work has also considered a broad range of potential concepts for eventual reuse of the site.

That does not mean all of those uses will be built.

It means the city has been considering how a major former industrial property might serve the community in the future.

A final redevelopment plan could look very different from early concepts.

The eventual outcome will depend on issues including:

• environmental conditions
• infrastructure costs
• zoning
• comprehensive-plan decisions
• market demand
• private investment
• public approvals
• transportation access
• utility availability

This is why I would not make a property decision today based on an assumption that a specific apartment building, retail area, trail network or commercial project is guaranteed to appear.

Oak Park Heights has previously reported securing $2.19 million to advance engineering, design, right-of-way acquisition and infrastructure work associated with redevelopment of the Allen S. King plant site.

The infrastructure needs described by the city include systems such as:

• water
• sanitary sewer
• stormwater
• roads
• trails
• sidewalks

That funding is meaningful.

It signals that preparing the property for future reuse is more than a casual discussion.

But it still needs to be understood correctly.

Public money for property acquisition and infrastructure planning does not mean a private mixed-use development has received final approval.

Infrastructure planning is what can make eventual redevelopment possible.

It is not the same as approving what ultimately gets built.

A 2026 report available through the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library lists a Stagecoach Trail Land Use Amendment involving Oak Park Heights.

Comprehensive-plan amendments are part of the formal process cities use when land-use policy needs to change.

The presence of an amendment tells us that land-use planning is active.

It should not be interpreted as proof that a specific mixed-use King site development has been approved.

This distinction is important because zoning, comprehensive planning and individual development approvals are related, but they are not interchangeable.

When I look at a property near a future development area, one of the first things I want to understand is what is actually permitted on the subject property and on the surrounding parcels.

Oak Park Heights makes several useful resources publicly available through its Planning and Zoning page, including:

• the city's comprehensive plan
• land-use maps
• zoning maps
• zoning ordinance
• development application materials

That is much more useful than assuming something can be built because a parcel appears vacant or because it is close to a redevelopment study area.

Different parcels can have very different:

• permitted uses
• setbacks
• parking requirements
• density limits
• conditional uses
• design requirements

A property two blocks away may have completely different development potential from the parcel next door.

The exact process depends on the project and parcel.

A significant mixed-use proposal could potentially involve some combination of:

• comprehensive-plan amendment
• rezoning
• conditional-use permit
• site-plan review
• environmental review
• public hearings
• infrastructure approvals
• other municipal, state or federal approvals

Not every project requires every step.

The larger point is that major redevelopment happens through a public process.

That gives buyers and property owners opportunities to follow what is actually happening rather than relying on rumors.

Potential redevelopment could eventually influence buyer perception, traffic, amenities, housing supply, commercial activity and surrounding land uses.

But there is currently no responsible way to assign a specific value increase or decrease to a nearby home simply because planning is underway.

The effect will depend on:

• what is ultimately approved
• the scale of development
• its design
• road access
• traffic impacts
• public amenities
• commercial uses
• residential density
• infrastructure
• timing
• the property's exact relationship to the site

Some future improvements could be attractive to certain buyers.

Other changes could create additional traffic or density that another buyer views differently.

When I evaluate a specific property, I would rather look at what exists today and then separately discuss what is actually approved for the future.

That keeps the valuation grounded in facts.

Recent local market data provides additional context.

As of October 2026, recent figures used for this article show:

• Median sale price: $475,000
• Median days on market: 50
• New listings in the past 30 days: 8
• Homes closed during the trailing 90-day period: 15

Oak Park Heights is a relatively small market.

With fewer transactions, individual properties can influence median figures more than they might in a larger city.

That makes property-specific analysis especially important.

For context, recent area-level data shows:

These are broad area-level figures.

They are not estimates of an individual property's value.

A specific Oak Park Heights home's value depends on condition, location, street, lot, age, updates, property type, competition and timing.

If I were helping a buyer evaluate a home or parcel near a potential redevelopment corridor, I would want to understand much more than the headline about the King site.

I would look at:

What is the zoning district of the property you are considering?

What could legally be built next door or across the street today?

What does the city's long-range plan currently envision for the area?

Are there comprehensive-plan or zoning changes already moving through public review?

What uses are allowed automatically, and which require additional approvals?

Where could future roads or entrances be located?

What infrastructure is available or planned?

Are there actual applications before the planning commission or city council?

Is environmental review or remediation relevant?

Could future development affect nearby roads or intersections?

The City of Oak Park Heights Planning and Zoning page is a good starting point.

For a serious property decision, I would also verify current information directly with the city because planning documents and applications can change.

If you own a property near an area being studied for redevelopment, there may eventually be a legitimate marketing story around future investment or infrastructure.

But accuracy matters.

I would not advertise:

• guaranteed appreciation
• an approved development that is not approved
• future stores or amenities that do not exist
• zoning changes that have not happened

Instead, I would distinguish clearly between:

• What exists today
• What has officially been approved
• What is currently being planned
• What remains only a possibility

Buyers researching Oak Park Heights can access much of the same public information.

Overstating future development does not improve credibility.

Accurately explaining the context does.

Oak Park Heights does not exist in isolation.

It sits immediately next to Stillwater and near Bayport, Lake Elmo and the broader St. Croix Valley.

Large land-use changes can eventually influence traffic, housing demand, employment, amenities and how buyers think about an area.

The National Association of REALTORS® publishes broader housing and development research that can provide context for how development patterns influence real-estate markets.

But national research should not be used to predict a specific outcome around the King property.

Local approvals and the eventual project matter much more.

For additional current East Metro buyer context, my article about fall listings in Lake Elmo looks at how inventory and market time are affecting buyers in another nearby Washington County community.

The best way to understand the King site's future is to follow official planning activity rather than wait for headlines.

Useful sources include:

• Oak Park Heights Planning and Zoning
• Planning Commission agendas and minutes
• City Council agendas and minutes
• Comprehensive-plan amendments
• Zoning changes
• Actual development applications
• Xcel Energy announcements
• Regional planning reports

The project could evolve substantially between now and the plant's expected closure.

That is exactly why today's facts should be separated from tomorrow's possibilities.

You can also follow regional economic-development coverage through East Metro Strong.

The Allen S. King plant site is one of the more interesting long-term redevelopment opportunities in this part of Washington County.

The plant is expected to close in December 2028.

Oak Park Heights has already been planning for the site's future and has secured public funding to help address property acquisition and infrastructure needs.

Those are meaningful developments.

But they are not the same thing as an approved mixed-use project.

If you own or are considering property nearby, I would base today's decision on today's market, zoning and property characteristics while continuing to monitor the city's planning process.

That is a much more defensible approach than trying to predict exactly what the site will become.

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