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In this Issue
For more than a
decade, Saint Paul community members and leaders have been exploring the future
of the Ford site. It’s a dramatic opportunity. Rarely do 140 acres of land
appear in thriving metro areas like ours, close to existing transit,
neighborhood services and striking natural resources. Over the last ten years,
the City of Saint Paul has led a deliberative process to build a plan for the
site that capitalizes on that opportunity. They have held more than 40 meetings
to engage community members and neighbors, leading to a draft zoning plan for
the site that reflects a vision for the future. Initial zoning plans embrace a
complete mix of housing that includes low, medium, and high density as well as
homes for seniors in our community who wish to stay in Saint Paul, but are
ready to move on from single family homes. The plan envisions commercial
districts along Ford Parkway and community spaces throughout the site.
Throughout all elements of the site, open space is planned to include parks,
playgrounds, trails, and bike and pedestrian paths. Although there are more
steps to come in the City’s process to redevelop the site, I believe the draft
zoning plan is an excellent and important milestone.
The Metropolitan
Council will eventually be tasked with reviewing changes to the Saint Paul
comprehensive plan to support the specific redevelopment plans of the Ford
site. The Council will review those changes for consistency with regional
plans. To date, I have been impressed by the depth and breadth of the City’s
community process underway since 2007, and I believe initial plans are aligned with the Metropolitan
Council’s goals. Much of what is being discussed in the way of open space,
transit-oriented development and congestion management mirrors regional policies
for productive, sustainable development. I look forward to continuing to work
with Saint Paul leaders and staff to realize the potential of the Ford site.
Saint Paul is
growing. We are now poised to surpass our previous peak population of the late
1950s. The region is also growing: the Metropolitan Council forecasts more than
800,000 additional residents by 2040, and more than 500,000 new jobs in the
region, including tens of thousands in our city.
With this growing
vitality, we will need more green space, more recreational areas, more homes
and housing choices. We’ll need strengthened transit, places for jobs, and
access to the iconic Mississippi River. I’d like to thank all of the community
members and leaders who have deliberated for 10 years to develop a plan that
meets each of these needs. And I look forward to supporting the dramatic
opportunity of the Ford site to make Saint Paul and the region even better.
The Metropolitan
Council is seeking public input on a proposal to raise transit fares in the
Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Proposed fare increases would affect all
regional transit services, including those operated by Metro Transit, Metro
Mobility, the Metropolitan Council, (including Transit Link and suburban
service), and suburban transit providers (Maple Grove Transit, Minnesota Valley
Transit Authority, Plymouth MetroLink, and SouthWest Transit). Transit fares,
under state law and regional policy must be set on a regional basis and be
consistent across providers.
Upcoming Public Hearing in District 14:
Wednesday,
June 14: 6 p.m.
Public hearing - testimony will be taken
Metropolitan
Council Chambers
390 North Robert St., St. Paul
Served by many regional transit routes
Learn more about the proposal and weigh in.
The Metropolitan
Council is accepting applications for a pilot grant program that will fund
integrated solutions to water-related problems in the Twin Cities metro area.
Problems related to water quality,
quantity, and wastewater infrastructure are often addressed as separate
concerns and are not tied to other urban planning issues associated with land
use, transit development, water infrastructure, and parks and green space,
explained Sandy Rummel, chair of the Council’s Environment Committee.
The key problems the Council seeks to address with the new Green Infrastructure Pilot Grant Program include:
-
Water quantity
- Too much – Increased frequency and intensity
of floods due to extreme weather and inadequate infrastructure
- Too little – limited water supply in aquifers
- Water quality – Higher
levels of pollutants causing waterways and aquifers to be impaired for
uses such as fishing, recreation and drinking water
- Aging and inadequate
infrastructure for wastewater, drinking water and stormwater that can
cause water quality and economic issues for the region
Council makes $1
million available
The Council allotted $1 million for the pilot project. The Council may issue one large grant or
several smaller grants.
Grantees must be able to:
- Provide a 100% match to the
dollars requested
- Enter into an agreement with
the Council using standard Council contract terms
- Identify and quantify at a
watershed level the water impacts and outcomes expected from the project.
Deadline for
applications is July 17
Learn more here.
On May 30, Governor Dayton signed the transportation bill into law. Read his letter to legislative leaders about this signature (pdf). As Governor Dayton writes, he signed the bill despite the fact that it "falls short of funding the needed investments in metro area transit."
The two-year transportation bill includes additional one-time funding, which closes the projected deficit for 2018-2019, allowing the Council to maintain current levels of transit service for the time being. It also clears the path forward on funding for the Southwest Light Rail project. The bill does not, however, address the long-term funding needed to keep up with inflation and growing demand.
For more information, visit the Council’s Transit at the Capitol page.
https://metrocouncil.org/News-Events/Transportation/Newsletters/Transit-at-the-Capitol.aspx
In the News
Riverview
Corridor PAC Meeting - On
Thursday, May 11, I attended the Riverview Corridor Policy Advisory Committee
(PAC) meeting as the Council representative. The PAC received updates on the
various community outreach events conducted recently and reviewed preliminary ridership and cost estimates for each proposed mode. These
committee meetings are open to the public and I encourage you to attend if you
would like to learn more about the study and possible future transit along the
corridor. The next meeting will be held on July 13 at Union Depot in St.
Paul. |
