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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMISC INFO 2017-03-274 1 METROPOLITAN C O U N C I L mail IIIJ1/! Sewer Availability Charge ensures generational equity Chair Duininck explains how SAC keeps your monthly sewer bill lower TAB selects projects for federal transportation funding $208 million in federal funds will leverage $205 million local match. Families move to areas of high opportunity Metro HRA provides counseling, support to ensure success. Water Supply Now and for the Future 2040 More Use: 2015 Million Gallons Water Use: O per Day If we continue our present water use, this region can expect to need 450 million gallons of water per day by 2040 - 100 million gallons more than used in 2015. And we face risks: • Much of the region's future growth is expected to occur in areas that could have groundwater shortages. • Drought, extreme weather or contamination can threaten our water supplies. "'""'"'" ****" ***AUTO**ALL FOR AADC 550 PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIR CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE 12800 RAVINE PKWY COTTAGE GROVE MN 55016-3195 sal T1 PI We do not have to choose between wise water use and economic growth. We can easily be more efficient to meet future demand. Today our average municipal water use is 125 gallons/person/day. If we reduce that to a realistic 90 gallons, our region could grow by almost 800,000 people without increasing water use above today's total. Some cities have had success substantially reducing summer water use, like lawn irrigation. Some industries have changed their operations to realize significant water savings. Learn more about how the Metropolitan Area Water Supply Advisory Committee and the Metropolitan Council are helping communities and the region take steps toward sustainable water supplies. Visit www.metrocouncil.org to read a new report, Water Supply Now and for the Future. Average o Water Use (%) 1�0An average home can collect over 2 �_ c� 600 , '►,' ,' , 0 0 GALLONS 76%co w LO co OF WATER Public 0 A M during moderate rain water systems: Metro Mobility ridership up 6%. Demand for Metro Mobility transit service in the Twin Cities metro area grew nearly 6% to 2.23 million rides in 2016. That continues an annual growth trend of 5% to 8% that is expected to continue well into the future as the Baby Boom generation ages. Metro Mobility serves certified riders with disabilities. METRO Green Line (light rail) ridership grew 2.5% to 12.7 million in 2016. A Line rapid bus boards one -millionth rider. Just eight months after opening, A Line rapid bus service between Rosedale Center and the 46th Street Station on the METRO Blue Line surpassed one million riders. Average weekday ridership in the Snelling Avenue -Ford Parkway -46th St. corridor, including local Route 84, has jumped one-third since June 2016. A Line buses run every 10 minutes most of the day. The limited -stop service features off -board ticketing, real-time displays and free wi-fi on buses. Brownfield clean-up grants for redevelopment. In January, the Council approved nearly $2.9 million in Livable Communities grants. The funds will help clean up polluted land for redevelopment. Recipient communities include Apple Valley, Edina, Fridley, Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The 16 projects are expected to create and retain 1,900 jobs, add more than 600 units of affordable and market -rate housing, increase the region's net tax capacity by $2.5 million, and leverage $300 million in private and other public investment in the region. Metropolitan Council Chair: Adam Duininck. Members: Katie Rodriguez (District 1); Lona Schreiber (2); Jennifer Munt (3); Deb Barber (4); Steve Elkins (5); Gail Dorfman (6); Gary L. Cunningham (7); Cara Letofsky (8); Edward Reynoso (9); Marie McCarthy (10); Sandy Rummel (11); Harry Melander (12); Richard Kramer (13); Jon Commers (14); Steven T Chavez (15); Wendy Wulff (16). Regional Administrator: Wes Kooistra Editor: Jeanne Landkamer General Off ices: 651-602-1000 1 (651-291-0904 TTY) 390 N. Robert St. I St. Paul, MN 55101 e-mail: public.infoometc.state.mn.us Web site: metrocouncil.org This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Printed on paper containing 100 percent post -consumer and alternative fibers. �:�% PRINTED WITH �SOY INK New development along LRT lines: $6.8 billion Nearly $6.8 billion in investment has been tallied along the existing METRO Green Line and Blue Line and the proposed Southwest and Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit (LRT) projects. These investments include new construction such as the Optum headquarters in Eden Prairie, as well as redevelopment or rehabilitation of existing buildings, such as Custom House Apartments in downtown Saint Paul. The total development likely exceeds the $6.8 billion as many developments along the routes have not publicly disclosed their project value. In addition, the figure does not include any of the stadium developments on the lines. "Businesses continue making strategic investments along existing and planned LRT lines, demonstrating their conviction that light rail is a valuable asset to local communities along these routes," Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck said. Kelly Doran, principal and founder of Doran Companies, says proximity to the Southwest Green Line Extension is a major selling point in attracting tenants. "Clearly, the decision to construct the Southwest Light Rail line is a significant boost to the marketing of The Moline, our multi -family apartment project opening in Hopkins this fall—but even more, to future development in the southwest metro," Doran said. There are already 64,300 jobs within one-half mile of the 15 planned Southwest LRT stations and another 16,600 jobs are expected to be added by 2035. Once completed, Southwest LRT will connect workers to several major job centers. Southwest Light Rail has the support of the business community, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Associated General Contractors of Minnesota and Minnesota Business Partnership. The Blue Line Extension has 16,200 jobs within one-half mile of its 11 planned new stations and is expected to grow to 20,800 jobs along the route. Sewer charge ensures generational equity The Council's regional wastewater collection and treatment system is efficient, cost-effective, and protects both public health and the environment. Retail customers in the seven - county metro pay, on average, �(!+ about 40% less for their monthly sewer bill than our peer metro areas. Our system is paid for Adam Duininck entirely by users - no tax dollars FROM THE CHAIR contribute to our operations. One reason your monthly rate is low is because, under state law, we structure our revenue in a way that ensures current users don't subsidize new development. Put another way, one generation doesn't pay for the next. We do that through a mechanism called the Sewer Availability Charge, or SAC. SAC is a one-time wholesale fee the Council charges to local governments when: • New development connects to the regional wastewater system for the first time. • A property changes use in a way that increases the potential wastewater flow, for example, a former bookstore property is remodeled into a restaurant. SAC allows us to build pipes and plants big enough to meet future demand, but spread the cost over time and charge the future consumers of future capacity. So in 1982, a pipe was built to support growth through 2042. But through SAC, users in 1982 paid only for their portion of the pipe. Likewise, as growth occurred in 2012, the new users paid only for their portion. SAC is based on the maximum potential wastewater flow from a property. It's simple for a new home. One home or apartment is charged one SAC unit, currently priced at $2,485. For other properties, the Council must determine the number of SAC units charged based on the maximum potential flow of those uses—on their busiest day. For example, think of halftime at a Gophers -Badgers game at TCF Bank Stadium. Our pipes must be big enough to handle that flow without the pipes filling up and backing up. Hence, the stadium paid 526 SAC units. The Council is very sensitive to the fact that SAC can be a significant charge for a developing small business. Especially when local communities add anywhere from a one-time $75 processing fee to $7,500 in local fees per SAC unit. We offer a deferral program to spread the cost of SAC for small businesses for up to 10 years at our low AAA -rated debt rate, with no penalties or fees. We also know that small business owners too often don't learn about the SAC charge until they go to their city for a building permit. We are increasing our public education efforts and outreach to small business organizations. We also put a SAC estimation tool on our website to help businesses anticipate their SAC charge when seeking a loan from their local bank. Overtime, we have worked with communities and customers to optimize the policies and tradeoffs in the SAC system. We are currently convening a task force with diverse expertise from across the region. One issue they are looking at is how to simplify SAC determinations. We expect their report later this year. New effort aims to connect people with parks The Metropolitan Council's new Regional Parks Ambassador program will serve as a bridge between communities that don't use the regional parks and the Regional Parks System. Senior Outreach Coordinator Celina Martina began at the Council in January. Martina said she is looking forward to building authentic relationships with key community influencers and working as partners with them and the 10 regional park agencies. A key goal is to help communities that today don't visit regional parks become familiar with and secure in using the parks. "We will introduce these communities to the amazing opportunities provided by our parks partners," Martina said. "The interests of each community will be the driver of when and how we connect with regional parks." Council staff led groundbreaking research in 2014 to determine why people of color do not visit the regional parks proportionate to their numbers in the population. One of the three most common barriers identified was lack of awareness. Many participants in the study expressed the desire to have a trusted relationship with someone who could introduce them to the parks: the rules, the norms, and what kinds of experiences they might have in the parks. As a result, the Council made a commitment in the 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan to create and fund a parks ambassador program. While new immigrant groups will be a primary focus in 2017, Council staff will comb the results of the 2016 Regional Parks System Visitor Study to deter- mine where the biggest gaps are in park visitation in terms of the regional population. TAB selects projects for federal funding In January, the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) selected 58 transportation projects to received $208 million in federal funding. The project proposals—submitted by cities, counties, park agencies and other entities—will leverage an additional $205 million in local matching funds for a total investment of $413 million. The selected projects include local highway, bridge, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects in all seven counties of the region and in 45 different cities and townships. Construction and procurement of the projects is slated for 2020-21. "The process of allocating these federal dollars to metro area transportation projects is rigorous and requires the dedication of many partners," said Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck. "This collective commitment to reviewing and approving projects that benefit the region is remarkable." Duininck says these federal dollars play an important role in needed transportation investment in the region. "TAB approved many good projects, but the fact is, we received applications for 150 projects through the 2016 Regional Solicitation and are only able to fund about one-third of the requests," said Nick Thompson, Director of the Council's Metropolitan Transportation Services Division. "We'll look to lawmakers at the federal and state levels to help us maintain and improve our transportation services and infrastructure." The selected projects will be included in the Draft 2018-2021 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which is a federally required short-range investment program for the region. The TIP will be available for public review during summer 2017. HRA families move to high -opportunity areas Shaneka Greer feels blessed. Thanks to the Metropolitan Council's Community Choice program, she is living in a well-maintained apartment in a safe neighborhood with a good school for her daughter. Community Choice assists families with Housing Choice Vouchers—portable federal housing assistance—to find housing in areas of opportunity: neighborhoods with high -performing schools and low poverty. Families receive individual counseling to locate, secure and be successful in the opportunity -rich neighborhood of their choice. "I didn't have the best background to start off with for renting," said Greer, who has a full-time job and volunteers. "[Community Choice] has taught me to be a better renter and a better person. The program has encouraged me to ... build relationships in the community. Now I'm living in Maple Grove and I want to build that here." The program focuses on families with children ages 10 or younger. Research has established that when children move into areas of high opportunity at a young age, they have better long-term outcomes for education, employment and income. "When families are living in a safe neighborhood they are able to focus on other goals and aspirations," explained Terry Hardin, Community Choice Outreach Coordinator. "Children see that their parents are achieving more, and that helps the child to be more successful." Families eligible for Community Choice are chosen at random from Metro HFWs housing choice voucher waiting list. Families that choose to participate are required to take classes in financial literacy and tenant education. When they complete the classes, each family meets one-on-one with a coordinator to establish goals and an action plan. They must be committed to job training, furthering their education if needed, and securing employment. Community Choice also recruits landlords to accept Housing Choice vouchers.