HomeMy WebLinkAboutA RESOLUTION TRANSMITTING THE CITY OF LAKE ELMO (2)
CITY OF LAKE ELMO
WASHINGTON COUNTY
STATE OF MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 2016-02
A RESOLUTION TRANSMITTING THE CITY OF LAKE ELMO’S SUPPORT FOR THE LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
SEGMENT E ALIGNMENT REFINEMENT IN LAKE ELMO AND WOODBURY TO THE GATEWAY CORRIDOR
COMMISSION, WCRRA AND METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is a proposed project that will provide for transit infrastructure improvements in
the eastern portion of the Twin Cities, and;
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is located in Ramsey and Washington Counties, Minnesota, extending
approximately 12 miles, and connecting downtown Saint Paul with its East Side neighborhoods and the suburbs of
Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, and Woodbury, and;
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor Project received the important Presidential designation as a Federal
Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard Project, and;
WHEREAS, resolutions of support for BRT Alternative A-B-C-D2-E2 were provided by the PAC, GCC, each of the
Gateway Corridor cities, and Ramsey and Washington County Regional Railroad Authorities in 2014, and;
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor (Gold Line) was officially included in the Metropolitan Council’s 2040
Transportation Policy Plan, and;
WHEREAS, the LPA alignment from Lake Elmo Avenue/Settlers Ridge Parkway to Manning Avenue required further
refinement to determine the crossing location of I-94, and;
WHEREAS, several alignment and station location configurations were prepared and assessed from Lake Elmo
Avenue to Manning Avenue, and;
WHEREAS, the TAC, in a technical advisory role to the PAC, provided the following input on the LPA Alignment
refinement between Lake Elmo Avenue/Settlers Ridge Parkway and Manning Avenue:
BRT Alignment A-B-C- D2-E2, which on the east end begins and ends at the Manning Avenue park and ride
in Lake Elmo, travels on Manning Avenue to Hudson Road, proceeding on Hudson Road to Settlers Ridge
Parkway, with a station in the vicinity of Settlers Ridge, then proceeding north on Settlers Ridge to Hudson
Boulevard in Lake Elmo. The LPA alignment from this point west remains unchanged.
WHEREAS, a public hearing was held on September 10, 2015 in Woodbury on the preliminary LPA alignment
refinement, at which time four comments were received, and;
WHEREAS, the comment period on the LPA refinement remained open through September 24, 2015, during which
time 26 comments were received
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Lake Elmo has taken into consideration the technical
information on each of the alignment options for the segment of the LPA between Lake Elmo Avenue/Settlers
Ridge and Manning Avenue, along with the TAC and public input and identifies BRT Alternative A-B-C-D2-E2 ( see
map on page 3) which on the east end begins and ends at the proposed Manning Avenue park and ride in Lake
Elmo, travels on Manning Avenue to Hudson Road, proceeding on Hudson Road or in the vicinity of Hudson Road
to Settlers Ridge Parkway, with a station in the vicinity of Settlers Ridge, then proceeding north on Settlers Ridge to
Hudson Boulevard in Lake Elmo as the refined LPA alignment in Lake Elmo and Woodbury. The LPA alignment
from this point west remains unchanged, and;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Lake Elmo commits to working with the Washington County
Regional Railroad Authority (WCRRA), on behalf of the Gateway Corridor Commission, and the Metropolitan
Council to address the comments submitted by agencies, adjacent communities, the business sector, and the
following areas of particular importance to the City of Lake Elmo
1. . The ownership and maintenance responsibilities of Hudson Boulevard were recently turned back to the
City of Lake Elmo from MnDOT. If Hudson Boulevard is expanded to accommodate a BRT guideway or
additional travel lanes for the exclusive use of buses it may increase the demands on the City to properly
maintain the roadway. The City of Lake Elmo requests analysis of appropriate jurisdictional control
over Hudson Boulevard and robust consideration of a possible turn back to Washington County.
2. Maintaining access for current land owners along Hudson Boulevard and planning for access for future
development needs to be part of a functional ingress - egress policy. The City of Lake Elmo requests the
development of an access management plan for Hudson Blvd. that is supported by property owners,
the City of Lake Elmo and Washington County.
3. The City of Lake Elmo supports an easterly station in the proximity of the NW comer of Manning Avenue
and I-94 to support economic development, including job creation, tax value, and traffic efficiency
associated with the creation of a business park as guided by the City's Comprehensive Plan. Incorporating
a Gateway station in Lake Elmo will require station area planning resources to ensure that Lake Elmo is
maximizing economic development potential and ridership. The City Lake Elmo requests thorough
analysis of economic development potential to assist in guiding the placement of Gateway stations in
the corridor segment from Keats Avenue to Manning Avenue as well as planning resources from the
Gateway Corridor Commission and Washington County to assist with transit oriented
development/station area planning.
4. Lake Elmo Avenue serves as an important access point to downtown Lake Elmo. Due to the proximity of
the road to both the Lake and developed neighborhoods, future expansion is constrained through the
downtown area and the roadway cannot functionally handle additional growth in the regional movement
of traffic beyond what is currently forecasted. The City of Lake Elmo recognizes that while the Gateway
Corridor project will likely not preclude an interchange in this location, it would like to take this
opportunity to state to Washington County, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the
Federal Highways Administration that an interchange is NOT desired in this location.
5. Safety and security at BRT stations for transit patrons and surrounding businesses and neighborhoods is
very important to Lake Elmo. BRT Stations should be designed to be safe and secure environments that
incorporate design elements to deter crime such as good lighting, visibility, security monitoring. The City
of Lake Elmo requests a safety and security plan to ensure that adequate resources are provided at
a regional and local level to effectively address safety and security concerns at Gateway Corridor
facilities.
NOTE: THE PLACEHOLDER FOR CITY OF LAKE ELMO TO IDENTIFY PARTICULAR AREAS OF IMPORTANCE IN
RESOLUTION IS OPTIONAL. CITY SPECIFIC ITEMS COULD ALSO BE ADDRESSED THROUGH SEPARATE
TRANSMITTAL.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution adopted by the City of Lake Elmo be forwarded to the Gateway
Corridor Commission, WCRRA and the Metropolitan Council for their consideration.
Date:
Attest City
Clerk
Date:____________________________
Mayor __________________________
Refined Locally Preferred Alternative with E-2 end point