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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 05/07/2013 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher Wickstrom, Kathy Nelson, and Ron Case CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters PLANNING COMMISSION: Mary Egan, Steven Frank, Ann Higgins, Catherine Lechelt, Jake Lee (Vice Chair), John Kirk, Jon Stoltz (Chair), Travis Wuttke GUESTS: Mark Furhrmann, Metro Transit; Mark Koegler, HKGI; Jim Alexander, Southwest Project Office Workshop - Heritage Room H I. SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT UPDATE A. Project Overview and Timeline—Mark Fuhrmann, Metro Transit Furhmann provided an overview of the Southwest LRT project, which will consist of 15 miles of double track running from downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie with an expected ridership of 30,000 per week by 2030. He also reviewed the general project timeline that calls for project development in 2013-2014, environmental documentation in 2014, engineering in 2014-2015, funding agreements in 2015, construction from 2015-2017 and passenger operations beginning in 2018. B. Station Area Planning Update - Mark Koegler, HKGI Koegler provided a station area planning update. He said collaborative work on the transition station area actions plans (TSAAP) is underway. The TSAAP process addresses station platform locations, park and ride sites, future development potential, access and circulation planning, infrastructure planning and stormwater management solutions. Koegler presented charrette results for the proposed stations, and explained that the exact locations will depend on the final alignment as well as other factors. Koegler said the public meetings are being held in April and May to obtain feedback on the initial designs. Station area planning will continue this summer, and additional public meetings will be held in July and August. Refined station area planning is expected to be completed by September, and municipal consent will be sought in October. City Council Workshop Minutes September 18, 2012 Page 2 Koegler explained the SWLRT advisory committee process. He said another major component of the project will be location of the operations and maintenance facility (OMF), which will serve as the main location for cleaning, maintenance and storage of the rail cars. He showed examples of Hiawatha and Central Corridor OMFs, and reviewed some of the criteria that will be considered when determining the location of the SWLRT OMF. Koegler said a TSAAP/OMF workshop is scheduled for Monday, May 13, at 5:00 p.m. at City Center. Results for the five Eden Prairie stations will be presented. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting to receive detailed information about the project and provide input. C. Technical Issues Overview—Jim Alexander, Southwest Project Office Alexander reviewed the list of identified technical issues, including several that are specific to Eden Prairie, including: • Eden Prairie Alignment • Nine Mile Creek Crossing • Golden Triangle Station • Shady Oak Road Crossing • City West Station and TH 212/TH 62 Flyover Bridges Alexander provided 1 lx17 drawings of each of technical issues areas and discussed some of the issues that must be worked through. Economic Development Manager David Lindahl stated that UHG has indicated they would prefer a tunnel rather than a bridge at the UHG station. Public Works Director Robert Ellis pointed out that Shady Oak Road is currently undergoing major reconstruction, and construction of a tunnel at that location would require tearing up the newly constructed road. He said associated costs would have to be absorbed by the City. Lindahl said ShopNBC has also indicated a preference for a tunnel. They are concerned about the amount of noise that would be generated during construction of a bridge, and how that might impact their operations. Planning Commissioner Katie Lechelt asked if there are any vibration issues anticipated. Alexander said that would depend on proximity to businesses. One of the proposed sites under consideration for the OMF is near Shady Oak and TH 212. Lindahl said the City has concerns about this site since it is considered a gateway to the area. Another possible OMF site involves property owned by Liberty Property Trust. Lindahl said they would likely be more amendable to having lots C and D used for an OMF. Mayor Tyra-Lukens said she is concerned because it does not seem as if parking, or lack of parking, is being addressed at the Singletree Station. Aho said he agreed. Jake Lee said there seem to be a lot of stations planned for Eden Prairie, and some of the proposed alignments would add time to trips that riders may not find acceptable. Aho City Council Workshop Minutes September 18, 2012 Page 3 and Butcher Wickstrom also voiced concerns about parking at the station near Brunswick. Aho asked if consideration has been given to terminating the line at Southwest Station. Alexander said they are looking at how that scenario would affect costs, ridership and run times. Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah noted that half of Eden Prairie's population lives west of Mitchell Road, and that should be taken into consideration in relation to where the line terminates. Council Member Butcher Wickstrom asked how the LRT would affect SouthWest Transit's service. Mayor Tyra-Lukens said as a member of the SouthWest Transit Board, she knows they are interested in continuing to operate express bus service to downtown. SouthWest Transit has asked for Met Council's support for construction of a new park and ride facility at 169 and Pioneer Trail;however, that support has not been forthcoming so far. Council Member Aho, also a SouthWest Transit Board member, said it is his understanding that SouthWest Transit would not be allowed to offer express bus service to downtown since it would be in direct competition with the LRT. Tyra-Lukens said SouthWest Transit's concerns have been forwarded to the Met Council. Open Podium - Council Chamber II. OPEN PODIUM A. Dan Kittrell—Aquatic Project Kitrell said he lives on Summit Drive in Eden Prairie. He noted he has e-mailed the City Council and written a newspaper commentary about his position on the proposed aquatic improvements at the Community Center. He questioned why the City needed to go to referendum in 2005,but not now. He also questioned the wisdom of the City building something that would be in direct competition with the private sector. III. ADJOURNMENT