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Planning & Zoning Board <br />March 11, 2009 <br />Page 2 <br />APPROVED MINUTES <br />There was no one present for Open Mike. <br /> <br />Mr. Laden made a MOTION to close Open Mike at 6:41 p.m. Motion was supported by <br />Mr. Pogalz. Motion carried 4 - 0. <br /> <br />VII. ACTION ITEMS <br /> <br />A. None <br /> <br />VIII. DISCUSSION ITEMS <br /> <br />A. Birch Street Corridor Study – SRF Consulting Group <br /> <br />Community Development Director Michael Grochala pro vided a summary of the CSAH <br />34 (Birch St.) Corridor Study as described in the s taff report. Mr. Grochala introduced <br />representatives of SRF Consulting Group and Anoka C ounty Highway Department to <br />provide an update of the study. <br /> <br />Brian Shorten, SRF Consulting Group, explained the main objectives of the study. He <br />shared input received to date from the focus group and the open house. <br /> <br />Meetings occurred with several focus groups consist ing of Spirit Hills Mall Business <br />Owners, Local Property Owners, Police and Emergency Responders, Schools, and <br />Environmental Agencies. <br /> <br />Five high crash locations have been identified and are noted in the report. Areas of Birch <br />Street are over capacity. SRF examined the operati on of intersections due to feedback <br />that it can be very difficult to merge onto Birch S treet at certain times of the day. <br /> <br />Potential bicycle and pedestrian improvements, incl uding trails along Birch Street, have <br />been identified as important because crossing Birch St. has become increasingly difficult. <br /> <br />Environmental resources and wildlife corridors will be avoided. Federal Funding can <br />assist in avoiding impact to parks. <br /> <br />Birch Street is currently classified as a minor art erial, however it acts more like a minor <br />collector because of the number of accesses. An ac cess inventory identified a substantial <br />amount of accesses that exceed the existing guideli nes. The more accesses per mile, the <br />higher the crash rate. <br /> <br />A good access management plan is necessary for the eastern end of Birch Street in order <br />to handle future development. Access reduction may be identified on the west side of <br />Birch. <br /> <br />Future conditions will be based on the city’s curre nt land use plan and the county’s traffic <br />model. SRF provided an analysis of what the corrid or may look like in 2030 if no <br />changes occur. They have identified a need for cap acity improvement. <br />