Agenda Packets - 1999/09/20 - Laserfiche WebLink

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What are the five study areas? The five study areas outlined under the Subregional Urban Design and Planning Frame- work will allow qualified consultants to gather information and data that can be inte- grated into the Coalition's new GIS data base. Outcomes from these studies should: • position the Coalition to begin the initial design of joint implementation programs; • encourage the development of new methods and tools that will give the Coalition better and more current information; and • enable the Coalition to develop creative and viable models and strategies that achieve livable community goals and implement the Regional Blueprint. © Transportation, Transit, and Land Use Study Initial transportation research conducted within the Coalition indicates that there are ,� 1�- a number of common concerns regarding transportation issues. These include: � `'�'" /��4 • capacity and access on I-35W and '---" on bridges and ramps near major `°>>,- O ► ' kA arterials for businesses and residents; • potential limits to economic development and redevelopment Loi opportunities due to the regional / % network's limited capacity for increased traffic volumes; • reduction of through traffic to enhance quality of life for resi- Improve and Diversify Transportation Networks dents; • inadequate transit service to job centers and for intra-Coalition travel; • needs and opportunities for reverse commuting; and • the inherent difficulties of achieving livable community goals, as set forth by the Minnesota State Legislature, without adequate transportation access to jobs and affordable housing. Conventional transportation planning approaches do little to resolve these issues in manners which are conducive to livable communities. The Coalition believes that pre- serving and enhancing the complex system of roads traversing the subregion is funda- mental to sustaining its existing strengths—its location within the region, its freeway access, and its large areas of rural and lake-cottage quality land. To do this,the Coali- tion has chosen to pursue new methods of transportation planning that are outcome- based,work on a subregional scale,leverage local resources,emphasize quality-of-life criteria, and integrate land use with socioeconomic data to produce forecasting mea- sures. Therefore,as part of the next stage of work the Coalition has recommended a transpor- tation study with two objectives: • Quantify and qualify short-term transportation needs within the corridor. • Develop and test methods and tools for completion of a long-term transporta- tion,transit, and land use study. 18 1-35W Coalition Corridor Briefing Book