HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-09-07 Item 7D, I-35W Corridor Coalition Membership Status
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Request for Council Action
Prepared By:
Dept.:
Council Mtg. Date:
Final Action Needed By:
MW
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uApril 9, 2007 ,
Agenda Item:._
70
~6,000
$5,933
Budgeted Amount
Actual Amount:
Funding Source: _ _._.._._._~_____
Approve a motion to direct staff to either proceed or not proceed with payment of 2007 dues ($5,933) for membership in the
Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition,
OPTION I: Motion to direct staff to proceed with payment of 2007 dues ($5,933) for membership in the North Metro I-35W
Coalition,
,If Option I is approved, Council should designate two officials to serve on the Board of Directors and one to serve as an
idirector.
OPTION 2: Motion to direct staff not to proceed with payment of 2007 dues to the North Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition,
therefore discontinue our membership in the organization.
a motion to direct staff to
I-35W Corridor Coalition,
or not
with payment of 2007 dues
in the
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X Memo/Letter: Memo dated April 9, 2007 from City Administrator Michelle Wolfe
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Resolution No.:
" I,,?_rd,inance No.:
mflg Recommendation:
Recommendation:
." 10ther:
X Copy of agenda materials from 2/20/07 Work Session; excerpt of 2/20/07 minutes
DATE:
April 9, 2007
AGENDA ITEM 7D
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MEMORANDUM
TO:
Mayor and City Council ~
Michelle Wolfe, City Administrator ~~~!; "
I-35W Corridor Coalition
FROM:
SUBJECT:
BACKGROUND
The City of Arden Hills has not yet paid 2007 dues to the I-35W Corridor Coalition. A
discussion regarding membership took place at the February Work Session. Attached is the staff
report that was prepared for that meeting, as well as a copy of the minutes from the work session
discussion,
RECOMMENDATION
The requested action is to approve a motion to direct staff to either proceed or not proceed with
payment of2007 dues ($5,933) for membership in the North Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition.
OPTION 1: Motion to direct staff to proceed with payment of 2007 dues ($5,933) for
membership in the North Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition,
If Option 1 is approved, Council should designate two officials to serve on the Board of
Directors and one to serve as an alternate director. The Joint Powers Agreement indicates that
unless otherwise specified by resolution of the governing body, the directors of a city member
shall be the Mayor and the Chief Administrative Officer of the City. The alternate director shall
be an elected official of the member city,
OPTION 2: Motion to direct staff not to proceed with payment of 2007 dues to the North Metro
I-35W Corridor Coalition, and therefore discontinue our membership in the organization.
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ORIGINAL
MEMORANDUM
DATE:
February 20, 2007
AGENDA ITEM 2C
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council ~)0 ,1
Michelle Wolfe, City Administrator ~~
I-35W Corridor Coalition
TO:
FROM:
BACKGROUND
The City of Arden Hills had been a member of the I-35W Corridor Coalition since its inception,
In 2004 the City chose to withdraw from the organization, until 2006 when the City decided to
re-Jom,
The Coalition spent 2005 redefining its purpose and scope of work. A result of that effort was
reduced dues. The cost for Arden Hills to join the Coalition in 2006 was $5,340, In comparison,
our 2004 membership fees would have been $11,594 if we had joined, (This included the fees for
GIS and Housing Resource Center membership, both of which are no longer elements of the
Coalition,) Our membership fee for 2007 is $5,933.
The Coalition Board developed Amendment No, 2 to the Joint Powers Agreement (also attached)
which narrowed the focus of the organization. The stated goal is as follows:
"To work cooperatively with Mn/DOT, the Metropolitan Council, Ramsey and Anoka Counties, and other
agencies in planning for transportation improvement, transit needs, and other infrastructure improvements
in the 1-35W Corridor."
DISCUSSION
To help with your discussion, some questions were developed that may help you in your
consideration of this item. Some I've prepared answers to, some I've asked the Coalition to
respond to, some are a combination. They are outlined below,
#1: How can we reach consensus on I-35W issues with our neighbors?
Arden Hills is situated in an area where we face multiple transportation issues beyond our local
road system, including County roads and Interstate Highways. Therefore it will be a challenge to
examine our priorities for all ofthese from both the local and regional perspective, and to
balance how each transportation corridor affects the other. MnDOT is in the process of
designing improvements to 1-694 through parts of Arden Hills. The redevelopment of the
TCAAP property will have transportation impacts which will drive discussion about I-35W,
Highway 10, County Road H, County Road I, and Highway 96, among others, The I-35W
Corridor Coalition is focused on I-35W and how to achieve improvements in the corridor area.
In each of these areas, different "neighbors" may be involved, So we will likely need multiple
venues for working with our neighbors to reach consensus, and one of those venues can be the
Coalition.
Staff is in the process of meeting with our neighboring cities to initiate discussion as it relates
specifically to TCAAP. We know that we will need to involve them in discussions and decision
making as our Master Planning process proceeds, therefore, we want to make sure they are
informed about the project and its progress. We have plans to form "working groups" including
representatives from each city, the County, MnlDOT, consultants, and City staffto have an on-
going dialogue as we progress. The Coalition obviously looks at a larger portion ofI35W than
that near TCAAP, but the corridor is impacted by TCAAP and the Coalition could serve as
another venue for sharing and providing information and building consensus. I don't believe the
Coalition will serve as a vehicle for the TCAAP-related discussions with our neighbors, but it
can provide additional input and resources,
Coalition response: Through face to face dialogue over the best set of information available to
understand the alternatives available, The Coalition has been operating toward that purpose since
we formalized the process in 1996. Prior to that, several of the Mayors met together periodically
to compare notes, involving the city managers/administrators as well. Early on, transportation
was a focal point. The Coalition Board now provides scheduled forum time as well as the
opportunity to establish relationships that foster more frequent conversations.
#2: How can Arden Hills balance the interaction of all of your major intersections that
require creative design and good project communication as to costs/benefits?
I spoke with SEH about this topic. They are working with MnDOT on the 1-694 project. They
also have done studies on the 1-35 Corridor for MnIDOT, and worked on the County Road J
Interchange improvements as part of the Medtronic project. In addition, they have been hired by
CRR to do the transportation planning for the TCAAP Master Plan. Therefore, I thought they
would have a good regional perspective and a lot of background to offer on this topic. They
indicated that in their recent discussions with City staff and with residents at the Town Hall
Meeting, the transportation questions extend beyond TCAAP and its impact on the transportation
system. In order to comprehensively get at these broader questions, they suggested that now
would be a great time to start the city transportation plan update process. They have had a few
initial discussions with Community Development Director Barton about this, as it would be part
of the City's Comprehensive Plan Update, We think we can cost effectively build offthe work
SEH is doing for TCAAP and extend it to cover the entire City as part of the Comprehensive
Plan Update, The Coalition can, as stated earlier, provide additional input and resources to these
discussions as they progress, It should also be noted that the Comprehensive Plan Update
process includes reviews by our neighboring communities, which leads back to question number
one above.
Coalition response: As we learned early on, there are conflicts between MnlDOT's desires to
maximize flow on I-35W, TH 10 and 1-694 and the need to provide local mobility and access to
the regional system, That led to MnlDOT's position that there are too many interchanges on 1-
35W and perhaps the County Road I ramps should be removed, Freeway interchange spacing is
crucial from a traffic flow perspective and the Federal Highway Administration will playa role.
How access is provided at Trunk Highway 10 and County Road 96 affects how access is
provided at County Road 10 into and out of Mounds View as well as the design of the County
Road H interchange proposed as the 'front door' to TCAAP redevelopment.
Transportation access will forever be a challenge in redeveloping our cities. Accomplishment of
TCAAP redevelopment will likely be hampered from a marketing perspective until the major
system design and access issues are resolved and there is hope for funding of interim as well as
long term fixes, Completing the design homework is made extremely difficult by the severe
shortage of both construction funds as well as design development funds at the County and State
level.
#3: What are the strategies and objectives of the 1-35W Coalition? Are they open to
change and modification or have they been set in stone?
Coalition response: The primary objective ofthe Coalition is to generate the resources necessary
to conduct the technical studies needed to provide the information upon which the competing
interests addressed in Question #2 can be resolved, The attached document ("Coalition Purpose")
provides a more detailed description. Our strategies and objectives are determined annually by
the Board based on advice from Mr. Bob Benke, other agency staff, and City and County staff.
They can be changed whenever the Board decides. Most recently, the Coalition completed build-
out studies that identified ultimate growth/capacity needs that will be used in the next stage of
design. At that time, the objectives changed from a planning perspective to specifically focusing
on design of the solutions to the problems we identified,
#4. What are the most recent 'successes'?
Coalition response: As noted in the attached document, we have two major tasks at hand. First,
on a longer term basis, we need to get I-35W improvements into the MnlDOT and Metropolitan
Council plans and program so that we don't continue to face the chicken and egg problem of
ineligibility because improvements are not of high enough priority. Toward that end, our recent
meetings with MnlDOT Metro District staffhave convinced them that I-35W needs to have a
higher priority. We have also been in touch with our Metropolitan Council members to drive
home the same point and will continue on this task as they update the regional system plans in
2008.
We have also been encouraging the MnlDOT metro division to assign internal staff to the design
task rather than using consultants given that they have not had funds for consultant services in
their budget, especially since expansion ofI-35W is not in the 2030 plan horizon. The only other
alternative has been for Coalition members to come up with the funds, estimated at $250,000 for
the first design tasks if done by consultants. They recently assigned a staff planner to the project
and we are waiting for the formal announcement (expected soon). We will still need to find
funds for additional analysis but this is a significant step forward.
At a recent Board meeting, we got a report from our advocates, aka lobbyists in Washington,
D.C, working on obtaining earmarks in the federal transportation appropriations bill, It is
essential that all affected communities be 'on board' with this task to get our multiple
representatives to support the project.
Weare also working on funding with the Legislature. Senator Betzold and Representative
Tillberry have introduced legislation that would 'capture' the funds owed to MnlDOT for the
Medtronic land purchase and designate those funds for noise walls in Mounds View and for the
design work that we are seeking. Again unity via the Coalition is crucial to our success.
An additional 'success' is the fact that MnIDOT will also now look at interim fixes that can
reduce congestion at low cost, relatively speaking, such as short lane additions, shoulder use
during peak hours, and other options.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff requests that Council discuss maintaining our membership in the I-35W Corridor Coalition,
Staffwill place an item on the February 26,2007 City Council meeting agenda for action.
The requested action at the February 26 meeting will be to approve a motion to direct staff to
either proceed or not proceed with payment of 2007 dues ($5,933) for membership in the North
Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition,
\\metro~inet\ardenhil1s\admin\City Administrator\Memo\2007\2-20-07 Memo RE I-35W Corridor Coalition.doc
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NORTH METRO I-35W CORRIDOR COALITION
1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252 SI. Paul, MN 55114 Phone: 651-203-7259
COALITION PURPOSE: ACCELERATE DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLUTIONS TO I-35W DEFICIENCIES
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS NEEDED:
1. Resources are needed to develop and evaluate alternative design concepts for the reconstruction
ofI-35W between 1-694 in New Brighton and Lexington Avenue in Blaine,
2. Expansion of capacity on 1-35W north of 1-694 must be included in Mn/DOT and Metropolitan
Council Plans and Programs,
BACKGROUND: 1-35W Corridor Communities and Counties have been working with the
Metropolitan Council and Mn/DOT to identify transportation system investments needed to
accommodate growth and redevelopment projects in northern Ramsey and southern Anoka counties,
Work to date has identified inadequacies in the regional transportation network that must be addressed to
balance area mobility with needs for local access, Additional work is needed to identify the appropriate
solutions to the existing congestion and safety problems, New developments already underway and
planned will increase the need for remedial action. Resources are needed to identify feasible transit and
roadway design options, evaluate the operational characteristics of selected alternatives and to provide
for community involvement in the planning process, These resources are not now available due to the
severe shortage of transportation program funds.
CURRENT STATUS: 1-694 is part of the metro area 'beltway' that is in Mn/DOT's priority plan for
expansion to at least 6 lanes, Reconstruction of the Snelling Avenue Interchange at the southerly limits
of this project area has been delayed to after 2014 due to the lack of funding. Reconstruction of the 1-
694/1-35W interchange, the second busiest in the metro area, is not scheduled until after the Snelling
project. These schedule dates may accelerate if the Legislature provides new transportation funding and
the proposed MVST Constitutional Amendment passes, Mn/DOT is working on the design of these
projects, including a limited portion of 1-35W, Due to the length of time needed to bring plans to the
construction stage, design work on 1-35W north ofI-694 must begin now,
Both 1-35W and TH 10 are Inter Regional Corridor routes that merge together in the proposed study area
that includes four major redevelopment projects, In addition to the rapidly growing residential area in
Blaine and outer ring suburbs, Arden Hills, Mounds View, New Brighton and Blaine are advancing
projects that will return contaminated lands to the tax rolls, provide new homes and jobs and create
added economic vitality to the area in the process, These projects include:
ARDEN HILLS: Redevelopment of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) , Where
currently there are worn out munitions manufacturing facilities and contaminated lands, the City
envisions over the next 10 years:
. 2200 new homes housing 5000 plus new residents
. 3.2 Million Square Feet of commercial, retail and office space
. 9,000 new jobs
. $875 Million in tax base compared to current taxable value of $0,
MOUNDS VIEW: New Corporate Campus for Medtronic. Work is already under way on the initial two
phases on an accelerated schedule, When finished, the results will include:
. 3,000 jobs initial phases, ultimate 6,000 at build out
,
. 1.5 Million Square Feet of medical technology research and manufacturing
. $120 Million + in tax base@phase I alone
NEW BRIGHTON: Northwest Quadrant Development. Where there were old, worn out industrial
buildings and contaminated lands, environmental cleanup, land preparation and utility infrastructure
work is underway to provide for:
. 1000 new homes for 2500 new residents
. 2000 new jobs
. 750,000 + Square Feet of commercial, office and retail space
. $300 Million in tax base compared to current taxable value of $13 million,
BLAINE: In addition to the 1000's of new homes already planned for northern Blaine, Blaine officials
are considering several Master Plan options for development of almost 400 acres at the intersection of
Lexington Avenue with 1-35W known as the Pheasant Ridge Development. Ultimate growth could
include:
. 100 or more new homes
. 10,000 to 20,000 new jobs
. $1 Billion plus in new investments
COMBINED: These projects will add over 3300 new homes, 28,000 to 38,000 new jobs and over $2,5
Billion in new property value in the area,
DILEMMA TO BE SOLVED:
Providing local access will be a major problem when 1-35W is rebuilt due to proximity of existing
interchanges and the interdependency of access needs in the adjacent cities, Trade offs in local access
options and service to the development areas cannot be resolved without knowing what the regional
freeway design will be and what interim measures will be needed, Significant lead time is needed to
resolve access, environmental and cost issues,
Despite being an Inter Regional Corridor route and including a segment of another on TH 10 plus
connecting to the metro beltway, 1-35W is not included in the Metropolitan Council's 2030
Transportation Policy Plan or Mn/DOT's Transportation System Plan, Due to financial constraints,
critically needed capacity expansions on 1-35W are not programmed in the foreseeable future,
In order for Mn/DOT and the affected communities to proceed with design and construction of
individual interchanges needed to meet local access requirements and to mitigate already severe
congestion problems, a plan for the ultimate reconstruction of 1-35W is needed. "THE PLAN" will
facilitate interim investment decisions and ensure that all of the subsequent pieces fit and taxpayer's
funds are spent wisely,
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: The following cities and counties support this effort:
Resolution Avvrovals
City of New Brighton (2/8/05)
City of Mounds View (2/14/05)
Ramsey County Board (2/22/05)
City of Circle Pines (2/22/05)
City of Arden Hills (2/28/05)
City of Blaine (3/3/05)
City of Lexington (3/3/05)
City of Shoreview (3/7/05)
City of Lino Lakes (3/23/05)
Anoka County Board (3/22/05)
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - February 20, 2007
3. CIP and PMP Discussion
The following topics will be discussed at the May work session meeting:
1, PTRC Financing Strategies
2, TCAAP Integration with the Parks System
3, Intersection Safety Study
4, Warming House Discussion-Valentine Park
The proposed work session meeting schedule will be placed on a future City Council meeting
agenda for further discussion.
1-35W Corridor Coalition Membership-
Mayor Stan Harpstead asked for the City Council's input regarding the City's future membership
with the I-35W Corridor Coalition, At this time, it appears that the I-35W Corridor Coalition has
narrowed the scope of its future goals and objectives. He requested City Council input regarding
whether or not the City should join the I-35W Coalition or approach the I-35W issue on its own,
Councihnember Holmes asked who typically attends the I-35W Corridor Coalition meetings.
Councilmember Holden said that typically City Councihnembers, City Managers, and City
Administrators attended the coalition meetings,
Councihnember Holden stated she is against the City joining the I-35W Corridor Coalition. She
is concerned that the interests of other communities will take precedent over the City of Arden
Hills, Also, she recommends that the City hire a lobbyist firm to help with securing future state
and federal transportation funding dollars.
Councihnember David Grant said that he is not a proponent of the I-35W Corridor Coalition.
Since TCAAP is such a large project, he would prefer that the City represent its own interests
regarding transportation.
Councilmember Dave McClung said that it is important for the City Council to represent the
needs of Arden Hills. He is concerned that the City may lose its individual voice if it is part of
the coalition,
Councilmember Holden said that she is concerned that the I-35W Corridor Coalition needs
exceed the needs of the City.
Mayor Stan Harpstead said that he will be meeting the US House Representatives for Arden Hills
in the near future to discuss potential transportation funding for this area, Mayor Harpstead said
that he will also discuss the possibility of seeking funding for a TCAAP transportation study,
Councilmember Grant noted that the I-35W Corridor Coalition has had minimal success over the
last twelve years acquiring state or federal funding for the transportation needs of this area.
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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - February 20, 2007
Mayor Harpstead recommended that members of the City Council meet with their elected
officials to discuss the transportation needs for Arden Hills. The City Conncil will discuss the
City's membership in the I-35W Corridor Coalition at the last meeting in March,
Process and Procedures for Sale of City-Owned Property-
Mayor Stan Harpstead noted that the purpose of this discussion to set processes and procedures
for disposing for City owned property.
Community Development Director Karen Barton noted that in an effort to establish formal
guidelines for the sale of city-owned property, staff is presenting several options for City Council
consideration.
OPTION ONE: Formal ReQnest for Proposal (RFP) process without development
specifications (Please see attachment A for examvle)
The City may wish to issue an RFP to gamer proposals from qualified developers relating to
development/redevelopment of the property simply relying on zoning requirements to guide the
plans.
PROS: This option allows for maximum flexibility and creativity, within zoning guidelines, on
the part of the developer.
CONS: The City foregoes a certain amount of control in the development of the property,
relying solely on zoning to guide the plans,
OPTION TWO: Formal RFP process with development specifications (Please see
Attachment B for examvle)
In this option, the City would prepare development guidelines for the redevelopment of the
property. These guidelines can range from somewhat general (i.e., simply specifying the building
types and densities) to very detailed (i,e" specifYing design guidelines including finishes,
signage, amenities, in addition to building types and densities).
PROS: The City has the opportunity to create development guidelines for the property that are
compatible with and desirable to the surrounding neighborhoods, taking into consideration such
things as traffic generation, noise, visual impacts, etc,
CONS: Development guidelines set by the City may be deemed too restrictive to attract
economically feasible development proposals.
OPTION THREE: Market and sell land throueh real estate broker
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