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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-20-07 Item 2C, I-35W Corridor Coalition Membership ., 1 ~ ~~HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: February 20, 2007 AGENDA ITEM 2C TO: Mayor and City Council '. (I ^ r o~ .11j! Michelle Wolfe, City Administrator '(l\ [Uk}, \; I-35W Corridor Coalition FROM: SUBJECT: . 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 ~'-c' designing improvements to 1-694 through parts of Arden Hills. The redevelopment ofthe 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 ofthese 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 staff to 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. 1 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 ofthe 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 commnnication 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 MnlDOT, and worked on the County Road J Interchange improvements as part ofthe 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. '0 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 I-35W Coalition? Are they open to change and modification or have they been set in stone? Coalition response: The primary objective of the 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 ofthe 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 1-35W 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 staff have 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 staffto 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 Mn/DOT 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 Mn/DOT 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 1-35W Corridor Coalition. Staff will 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 1-35W Corridor Coalition. \\metro-inet\ardenhills\admin\City Admlnistrator\Memo\2007\2-20-07 Memo RE 1-35W Corridor Coalition.doc ~ !~ I I, NORTH METRO I-35W CORRIDOR COALITION 1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252 St. Paul, MN 55114 Phone: 651-203-7259 f 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 I-35W north of 1-694 must be included in MnlDOT and Metropolitan Council Plans and Programs. BACKGROUND: I-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 A venue 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/I-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 l-35W. Due to the length of time needed to bring plans to the construction stage, design work on I-35W north ofI-694 must begin now. Both I-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 Fcet 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 I-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 I-35W is rebuilt due to proximity of existing interchanges and the intcrdependency 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, I-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 I-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 congcstion problems, a plan for the ultimate reconstruction of I-35W is needed, "THE PLAN" will facilitate interim investment decisions and ensure that all of the subsequent pieces fil and taxpayer's funds are spent wisely. COMMUNITY SUPPORT: The following cities and counties support this effort: Resolution Auurovals City of New Brighton (2/8/05) City of Mounds View (2114105) Ramsey County Board (2/22/05) City of Circle Pines (2/22/05) City of Arden Hills (2/28/05) City of Blaine (3/3105) City of Lexington (3/3105) City of Shoreview (3/7/05) City of Lino Lakes (3/23/05) Anoka County Board (3/22/05)