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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMISC INFO 2018-03-26P R I N T D I G E S T O F O N L I N E N E W S MARCH - APRIL 2018 TCHOURUMOFF URGES REGION TO CHOOSE INNOVATION Metropolitan Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff, Governor Mark Dayton, and more than 200 local officials and former Council members gathered in late January to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council. In her remarks, the Chair focused on how regional partnerships and long-term planning have helped create a high quality of life in the seven -county metro area. She cautioned that our region could fall behind our peer regions if leaders do not continue to make long-term investments in vital infrastructure like affordable housing and transportation. Former Council Chairs Sue Haigh, Ted Mondale and Curt Johnson reflected on their service, the unique role of the q I Council in the region, and the regional challenges of the future. Visit metrocouncil.org to watch video of the event and read stories about Council partnerships and their impact over 50 years. STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 1610 << r- JW4f JL . - 1 1 C Line construction contract awarded. Construction will begin in March on the C Line, the region's second arterial BRT. The C Line will provide service through Minneapolis' North Side and Brooklyn Center. It is part of a planned 11 -line system, which would link nearly 500,000 jobs and residents to improved transit. In February, the Council awarded a construction contract to Thomas and Sons Construction Inc., that came in under budget at $13 million. The contract also includes work to reconstruct significant portions of Penn Avenue. Grants fund Brownfield cleanup, job creation and housing. In January the Council approved more than $10 million in Livable Communities grants to metro area communities for brownfield cleanup and mixed-use and innovative development that connects Minnesotans with jobs, school, transit, and other services and destinations. The grants are expected to create 2,100 jobs and support development of more than 1,500 units of housing, leveraging an estimated $635 million in other investment from the public and private sectors. Affordable housing production gets boost. In a second round of 2018 Livable Communities grants, the Council in February awarded four communities with a total of $5.2 million to support development of more than 560 new units of housing, including 350 units of housing affordable to moderate- and low-income households. The grants will leverage more than $146 million in private investment. Metropolitan Council Chair: Alene Tchourumoff 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 Offices: 651-602-1000 j (651-291-0904 TTI) 390 N. Robert St. I St. Paul, MN 55101 e-mail: public.info®metc.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 �n� `,�J SOYINK Investment grows along light rail lines Developers are increasingly choosing to invest along light rail transit (LRT), as witnessed by the $8.4 billion in reported new investments along existing and future LRT lines in the Twin Cities metro region. That's an increase of $1.6 billion in just a year. The Metropolitan Council tracks developments proposed, under construction or completed along the METRO Green and Blue Lines, as well as the proposed Green and Blue Line Extension LRT projects (Southwest LRT and Bottineau LRT). Timberland Partners is among the new developers, adding 599 housing units immediately adjacent to light rail in a trio of projects at both ends and in the middle of the Green Line/Green Line Extension. And you can be sure the company will tout proximity to light rail in its marketing materials, said Ryan Sailer, Timberland Partners vice president of development. efficiency, housing affordability and creating cohesive development," Sailer said. Light rail has an undeniable economic impact, agreed David Wellington, director of acquisitions and development for Wellington Management, which has projects along the Green and Blue lines. "We developed mixed-use properties along these lines, and it has turned into a place where people can live and have access to employment. I can say we would not have built our Lake Street Station building if the light rail line was not there," Wellington said. "The Blue Line Extension will give Brooklyn Park a competitive advantage in attracting young talent," said Kim Berggren, Brooklyn Park's community development director. "Design Ready Controls and Takeda Pharmaceuticals are two of our businesses who cite the Blue Line Extension as a reason for locating in Brooklyn Park." Time to focus: housing, transit and equity As the 2018 Minnesota Legislature gets under way, I think it's important to refocus our attention on the three biggest challenges facing our region today. How we address these issues now - for better or worse - will impact our region for generations to come. — Affordable housing. Having quality, Alene Tchourumoff affordable housing is critical for a FROM THE CHAIR stronger, more prosperous region. In the last decade, this region has created less than 25% of the 52,000 affordable housing units we need just to keep up with household growth. Since 2000, the number of households that spend more than half of their incomes to pay for housing has gone up by 77%. This is unsustainable. It affects everyone: growing families, aging people looking to downsize, young workers who want to relocate here, and businesses trying to recruit talent. A modern transit system. Transit in our region provides almost 100 million rides a year. Most of those riders are people going to work or school. The need for innovation and investment in our transit system is growing. By 2040 our region will add another 700,000 people. We expect to see the demand for transit increase by 80%. In addition to new light rail transit lines, our region will need 17 new rapid bus routes, 46 new local bus lines and significant upgrades to 76 existing local bus routes just to meet the basic needs of the increased ridership we expect. We have a plan to build out the system. But we don't have the funding to implement the plan. A place of opportunity for all. Finally, we must continue addressing the problem of equity in our region. By 2040, 40% of our population will be people of color. We can't hope to remain competitive in the global marketplace if we have a society that leaves four out of ten people behind. We owe it to future generations to build a region where everyone has access to opportunity. I wish there were a magic piece of legislation that could fix these problems in one fell swoop, but it won't be that easy. We're going to have to continue building partnerships and innovating solutions for long-term change that benefits our region for generations to come. New policies for wastewater reuse proposed The Metropolitan Council is considering new policies related to wastewater reuse, as an outgrowth of a community-based customer task force. Treating and reusing wastewater is a potential strategy to benefit the regional wastewater system, sustain the region's groundwater supplies and support economic growth in the seven -county region. The Council's regional vision, Thrive MSP 2040, encourages wastewater reuse where economically feasible to promote sustainable water resources. In January, the Council authorized a public hearing to receive comments on three proposed policy alternatives, one of which could become an amendment to the 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan. "Additional policies would help us respond to opportunities to reuse wastewater that would sustain our water resources and support economic growth," said Council Member Sandy Rummel, who chaired the Wastewater Reuse Policy Task Force. "We are committed to working with communities on wastewater reuse, not competing with them as water suppliers. Solutions that include wastewater and stormwater reuse, water conservation, and low -impact development practices will help achieve our shared goal of sustaining this region's water resources for generations to come." The Council held two informational workshops about the proposed policies in February and March. The public hearing is set for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, at the Council offices, 390 Robert St. N., Saint Paul. All three policy alternatives share several features. For example, the Council would charge each wastewater reuse project based on the cost of the service provided, rather than assigning a fixed rate for all projects. Cooperation and partnership with local communities would also be essential. Two alternatives include a regional cost share—using a small portion of the municipal wastewater charge to cover part of the cost of Council infrastructure to support a wastewater reuse project. Any cost-sharing would apply only to the Council -owned portion of infrastructure related to a wastewater reuse project. Visit metrocouncil.org for more details about the policy alternatives. Gold Line BRT earns key federal approval The Federal Transit Administration has awarded the Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project entry into the project development phase of the federal New Starts program, which funds major transit projects across the country. The designation means local spending will now be eligible for potential matching federal funds in the future. "This announcement is great news for the East Metro region and for our 35P S r. P -aa.= OUnion Depot METRO Gold Line (Bus Rapid Transit) Enhanced Station Stops O Shared Station nQu METRO Green Line (Light Rail) state," said Governor Mark Dayton. and maintaining the line following more "The Gold Line will connect workers than eight years of work by a coalition with good jobs, encourage made up of Washington and Ramsey business expansions, and reduce County officials, business leaders and commuter congestion." representatives of local cities. The nine -mile Gold Line will be Minnesota's first BRT operating primarily in a dedicated busway. For much of the route, the line will run near 1-94, one of the region's most congested stretches of highway. The Metropolitan Council now assumes responsibility for building 52 "A regional transit system that connects people across the region with jobs, school, and opportunities takes time to build out; but as we start to realize more of that system, the bigger vision of how transit supports a prosperous and growing region comes into focus," said Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff. a a' 0 jai n E atP oma I P 0e � as �a� `,fie f�ia �e eQ I,6� gq� OAKDALE - - - > MAPLEWOOD Q s -- m v m Y v— t s Helmo Ave Tamarack —Tamarack Rd Woodbury WOODBURY Theatre Valley Creek Rd m a v G m First female Council member was Rondo leader Looking at a photograph of the first group of Metropolitan Council members— appointed by Governor Harold LeVander in 1967—it's impossible to miss the sole woman in the group. She's about five feet tall, African American, and the only person of color amid 14 white men. Janabelle Murphy Taylor (1920-2009) was a prominent leader in Saint Paul's Rondo neighborhood, a large and thriving African American community that was devastated by the construction of 1-94 in the early 1960s. Taylor worked for 40 years at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, a focal point for African American community life in Rondo. She was a deacon and treasurer at Pilgrim Baptist Church. She also served on the board of the Saint Paul Council of Churches and was president from 1973 to 1975. In 1967, she was tapped by Governor Harold Levander to serve on the first Metropolitan Council board, where she was an advocate for affordable housing. Visit metrocouncil.org to learn more about the life and character of Janabelle Taylor. \,a 5� 0 52 "A regional transit system that connects people across the region with jobs, school, and opportunities takes time to build out; but as we start to realize more of that system, the bigger vision of how transit supports a prosperous and growing region comes into focus," said Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff. a a' 0 jai n E atP oma I P 0e � as �a� `,fie f�ia �e eQ I,6� gq� OAKDALE - - - > MAPLEWOOD Q s -- m v m Y v— t s Helmo Ave Tamarack —Tamarack Rd Woodbury WOODBURY Theatre Valley Creek Rd m a v G m First female Council member was Rondo leader Looking at a photograph of the first group of Metropolitan Council members— appointed by Governor Harold LeVander in 1967—it's impossible to miss the sole woman in the group. She's about five feet tall, African American, and the only person of color amid 14 white men. Janabelle Murphy Taylor (1920-2009) was a prominent leader in Saint Paul's Rondo neighborhood, a large and thriving African American community that was devastated by the construction of 1-94 in the early 1960s. Taylor worked for 40 years at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, a focal point for African American community life in Rondo. She was a deacon and treasurer at Pilgrim Baptist Church. She also served on the board of the Saint Paul Council of Churches and was president from 1973 to 1975. In 1967, she was tapped by Governor Harold Levander to serve on the first Metropolitan Council board, where she was an advocate for affordable housing. Visit metrocouncil.org to learn more about the life and character of Janabelle Taylor.