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Planning & Zoning Board <br />March 11, 2009 <br />Page 2 <br />There was no one present for Open Mike. <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 />VII. ACTION ITEMS <br />A. None <br />VIII. DISCUSSION ITEMS <br />A. Birch Street Corridor Study — SRF Consulting G <br />Community Development Director Michael Grochala`vided amary of the CSAH <br />34 (Birch St) Corridor Study as described in the staffreport. Mr. `Grochala introduced <br />representatives of SRF Consulting Group and Anoka County Highwa artment to <br />provide an update of the study. <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 />Meetings occurred with several focus gt s consisting of Spirit Hills Mall Business <br />Owners, Local Property Owners, Pie " " "andEmergency Responders, Schools, and <br />Environmental Agencies. <br />y <br />Five high crash locations have been ide ied and are noted in the report. Areas of Birch <br />Street are overcapacity. SRF examined the of intersections due to feedback <br />that it can be very difficult to merge onto Birch Street at certain times of the day. <br />Potential :F <br />been identi: <br />cle an d pedestrian improvements, including trails along Birch Street, have <br />important because crossing Birch St. has become increasingly difficult. <br />ironmental resources and wildlife corridors will be avoided. Federal Funding can <br />assist in avoiding impact to parks. <br />Birch Street is currently classified as a minor arterial, however it acts more like a minor <br />collector because of the number of accesses. An access inventory identified a substantial <br />amount of access that exceed the existing guidelines. The more accesses per mile, the <br />higher the crasri ate. <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 />Future conditions will be based on the city's current land use plan and the county's traffic <br />model. SRF provided an analysis of what the corridor may look like in 2030 if no <br />changes occur. They have identified a need for capacity improvement. <br />DRAFT MINUTES <br />