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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-06-16 MinutesDraft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/21/2016 1 Minutes City of Edina, Minnesota Transportation Commission Community Room June 16, 6:00 p.m. I. Call To Order Chair LaForce called the meeting to order. II. Roll Call Answering roll call were members Bass, Boettge, Brown, Iyer, Janovy, LaForce, Miranda, and Olson. Absent at roll call were members Ding, Loeffelholz and Ruehl. III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda Motion was made by chair LaForce to change the order of presentation for some items under Reports/Recommendations and the motion was seconded by member Janovy. Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Boettge approving the revised meeting agenda. All voted aye. Motion carried. IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes Motion was made by member Olson and seconded by member Miranda approving the edited May 19, 2016, minutes. All voted aye. Motion carried. V. Community Comment Mrs. Susan Davison, 6716 Galway Drive, spoke about the difficulty of getting around Edina due to traffic congestion, some of which is due to road construction that does not show up on Google Maps. She is concerned a flag person could be hit or killed by an unfamiliar driver cutting thru Edina who is not aware they are coming up on a construction zone. She suggested engaging students from the high school in a contest to build an app that helps you find your way around Edina. VI. Reports/Recommendations A. Passenger Rail Recommendations Member Brown discussed the history of the Dan Patch Rail Line, railroad law, property tax paid by the railroad, the gag rule, current situation and ownership, what has changed since the start of the gag rule, benefits of changing the gag rule, and cost of car ownership. In response to Council’s directive, member Brown suggested the following recommendations: • Should the City of Edina support further study of the possibility of passenger rail service in Edina? o Yes, the line should be studied from the southern Edina border of I-494 to St. Louis Park and to Target Field with stations at Cahill, Grandview and Excelsior Avenue in St. Louis Park. With the assumption that Diesel Electric or DMU units are utilized on the track. Emphasis on sound noise and rattle reduction technology should be placed. A commuter type schedule with sports and entertainment flexibility should be part of any study. • Should the city of Edina formally request the elimination of the so called “gag rule” concerning the Dan Patch line? o Yes and no – subdivision 2 & 4 should be removed so the Met Council and HCRA can help Edina study the line. Subdivision 1 & 3 should remain in order to keep it a local transportation line. • Should the City of Edina dedicate staff and fiscal resources to developing a plan? Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/21/2016 2 o Yes, this will provide focus on the seven intersections along with noise reduction resources to the neighborhood and prioritization of scheduling for Edina to be a major focus of the study. The rail line also has the opportunity to support increased density throughout the City, thereby supporting the overall property tax base. Member Janovy said she did some research looking for policy support but found it to be fairly limited. She said transit planning is regional which is why Edina’s Comp Plan doesn’t include it, and it’s important that everyone was using the same definitions. Member Janovy said at one point, the Dan Patch line was third in line after the Northstar line which is already built. She said Dakota County conducted a study and said no to the Dan Patch line and then the gag rule was put in place. She said the gag rule refers to commuter rail so the Met Council could study light rail but it was not seen as having high potential. She reviewed a map showing lines that are being planned or have been considered. Continuing, member Janovy said Edina can conduct a study up to a certain point but would have to turn over their study to the Met Council or MnDOT eventually. She suggested inviting staff from the Met Council or MnDOT to an ETC meeting to explain Edina’s role in transit planning. She also suggested engaging the public immediately since so many backyards backs up to the railroad. Discussion • It is clear the Council wants a dispassionate review and discussion; • There are risks in reopening legislation at the legislator because of points of view that may not be amenable. • Engage the community now and challenge their views whether they agree or not but be thoughtful about how they are engaged; • Use the upcoming work session with Council to get a better understanding of what their intentions are; • Identify a lead person, timeline, and stakeholders; • Review videos from past meetings when staff from MnDOT made a presentation to the ETC on railroads; • The presentation did not consider Edina’s density or current plans for the rail; B. Edina To Go app Transportation Recommendations Member Iyer made the following recommendations (listed in priority): 1. Need links to public transit options. 2. Need an interactive map with location based input; copy from 311 app (Minneapolis). 3. Should include “like” capability so identified issues can simply be added upon. 4. Need bike route planning from a to b. 5. Need walk route planning from a to b. 6. Construction on map/city projects on map (link to website is a good first step – thank you): a. Start and end of projects b. Identification of project owner (City vs others) 7. Monthly transportation messages. 8. Ability to sign up for alerts/traffic issues. Member Iyer said the struggle will be to get people to use the app. After a brief discussion it was determined that this Work Plan item was completed. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/21/2016 3 C. 2016 Work Plan Updates Member Miranda said he and member Olson met to discuss their Work Plan item, the Comp Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, and there is a Bike Plan but no pedestrian plan. He asked for clarity on what they are to do. Planner Nolan said there are portions of a Pedestrian Plan in the Comp Plan and the Living Streets Plan and they need to be combined to make one Pedestrian Plan. Suggestions were to research other communities and identify elements that could be used to create a robust Bike and Pedestrian Plan, and to identify a vision. Planner Nolan said eventually he would like a working group to give input as staff gets closer to updating the Comp Plan in 2017. He said the deadline for this item is end of 2016. D. Rosland Park Pedestrian Bridge Study Planner Nolan said the report is the culmination of the study conducted by students from the University of Minnesota. He said a new bridge was recommended and the estimated cost is $2.3M. Planner Nolan said he would be applying for grant funds from MnDOT for construction in 2020 or 2021. Planner Nolan was asked if the condition of the existing bridge was in good condition and he said yes. An observation was that the report did not identify who would benefit from the improvement. Using Safe Routes To School statistics to show users were suggested. Relocating the bridge to West Shore Drive was suggested. Planner Nolan was asked if residents would be engaged for feedback and he said yes, this would take place close to the construction year if funding is approved. He said the deadline for submitting the application for funding is in three weeks. Planner Nolan will check to see if installing the bridge in a different location would be considered a scope change. E. Draft 2017-2021 Capital Improvement Plan Transportation Projects Planner Nolan handed out a draft 2017-2021 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). He said all the projects on the list will be directed by the engineering department but some projects will be funded by TIF or HRA. Chair LaForce asked if the Grandview Study had received final approval because it is in the CIP and planner Nolan said no; he said they are budgeting money in anticipation of its approval. Member Bass said bravo to the sidewalk segments; she asked if a sidewalk could be constructed on W. 66th Street with the 2018 Normandale Park D neighborhood roadway reconstruction project and planner Nolan said it could be evaluated. The CIP will be approved by City Council in December. F. Traffic Safety Report of June 1, 2016 A.1 & B.1 Residents may not understand the rationale for these items. Motion was made by member Olson and seconded by member Bass to forward the June 1, 2016, Traffic Safety Report to the City Council. All voted aye. Motion carried. VII. Correspondence And Petitions None. VIII. Chair and Member Comments A. June 21 Joint Work Session with City Council Chair LaForce suggested that they use their time with the City Council to get clarification on: 1) Passenger Rail; 2) Circulator; and 3) Transportation Gaps; with an emphasis on understanding how much effort the Council would like them to expend on each. Member Janovy added that she would like educated thoughts and not opinions from the Council. Member Iyer said he would like to know how the Council makes sure projects become part of their business practice instead of an afterthought. Member Janovy asked about filling the traffic safety coordinator’s position and if it would be full time. Planner Nolan said advertising should begin soon but that it would continue to be part time because it was not budgeted Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/21/2016 4 for full time. Member Janovy asked about a speed tracker at the bottom of the hill at Grimes Avenue and Planner Nolan said it was placed there by the police but he did not have any details on the placement. She suggested they move it to Weber Park. Member Brown said he will be absent from the August meeting. Member Iyer said it appears sidewalks are an afterthought to reconstruction projects and they’ve lost track of criteria and weight for prioritizing and constructing them as stand-alone projects. Planner Nolan said criteria and weight were used in selecting the sidewalks that are on the Sidewalk Map and staff is trying to be good stewards with the funds. Member Iyer suggested creating a matrix showing criteria and weight for decision-making for sidewalks that can be shared with residents. IX. Staff Comments • The 2016 projects are progressing on schedule. • 2016 sidewalk projects: Cornelia Drive will begin construction Jul. 5; Vernon Avenue will begin construction the last week in June; Xerxes Avenue will be awarded next week. • Project maps for 2017 neighborhood reconstruction were handed out for review and feedback at the next meeting. • 2018 Comp Plan Update (and the 2008 Transportation Chapter) was handed out for review and feedback. • Blake Road will close for five weeks for a Centerpoint project. • Bridge beams are going up over TH-100 for the Nine Mile Creek Trail. • Open Streets is scheduled for Sept. 25, 1-5 p.m.; the ETC can sign up online for a booth. X. Calendar of Events A. Schedule of Meeting and Events as of June 16, 2016 XI. Adjournment at 8:25 p.m. J F M A M J J A S O N D SM WS # of Mtgs Attendance % Meetings/Work Sessions 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 NAME TERM (Date) 6/21 Bass, Katherine 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 86% Boettge, Emily 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 86% Brown, Andy 3/1/2019 1 1 1 1 1 5 100% Iyer, Surya 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 86% LaForce, Tom 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 100% Loeffelholz, Ralf 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 5 71% Janovy, Jennifer 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 100% Miranda, Lou 3/1/2019 1 1 1 1 1 5 100% Olson, Larry 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 100% Ding, Emily (student) 9/1/2016 1 1 2 29% Ruehl, Lindsey (student) 9/1/2016 1 1 1 1 4 57% TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE