08-23-2000 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Smart Growth Twin Cities Ries Street Crossings P 4evefnpment Briefltj 'Describe theProjeet... Concept. The Rice Street Crossings Redevelopment project is located at the interchange of Interstate 694 and Rice Street in Ramsey County and is the confluence of three communities: Little Canada, Shoreview and Vadnais Heights. Attachment A identifies the location of this area in Ramsey County. The development pattern surrounding the interchange is typical for the Metropolitan Area. The land uses are business and highway- oriented commercial, with the exception of the Ramsey County Public Works maintenance facility, an industrial land use. The residential neighborhoods near this site are somewhat segregated from the uses along Rice Street by the existing road network, rail lines and natural features. Planning efforts for this area have not been coordinated among the local communities and Ramsey County. The resulting development pattern is disjointed, and the congested roadway system creates barriers rather than promotes mobility. This lack of integration between land use and the transportation system has resulted in a general decline in the quality of life. Within the next five to six years, changes to land uses and the regional transportation system will occur in the project area. These changes include: • Improvements to the State, County and local roadway system. • Relocation of the Ramsey County Public Works facility. • Release of vacant County -owned land adjacent to Rice Street. • Planned construction of a new transit hub and park- and -ride facility owned and operated • by MetroTransit. • Possible reuse of an existing rail line in the vicinity for commuter rail. The Smart Growth Twin Cities program provides the jurisdictions involved or affected by these changes to build upon these improvements and encourage the redevelopment of this area using smart growth principles. Working as partners in the planning process, the Metropolitan Council, Ramsey County, and the local governments can integrate land use with the regional multi -modal transportation network. Project Goals and Scope. Funding through this program will provide an opportunity to proactively plan for this area by developing a master plan that establishes a framework for new development and redevelopment. The goals for the master plan include: • Build a stronger relationship between land use and transportation through better use of the land and services. • Create a land use pattern that supports planned changes to the transportation network, including transit and rail. • Overcome existing barriers created by the transportation network and disjointed land use patterns. • Identify opportunities for mixed -use development including office, commercial, medium - and high - density residential. Page 94