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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-03-15 MinutesMINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Workshop Thursday, March 15, 2007 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Warren Plante, Marie Thorpe, Marc Usem, Hilah Almog MEMBERS ABSENT: Les Wanninger, Jean White, Geof Workinger, Steve Brown STAFF PRESENT: Wayne Houle, Jack Sullivan, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by co-chair Thorpe. She explained that they were not able to fulfill parliamentary requirements and therefore, the meeting was a workshop. II. Public Comment None III. Old Business No old business IV. New Business a. 7380 France Office Building This item was rescheduled for March 19, 7:30 a.m., in the Mayors Conference Room. b. Edina Transportation History Houle gave on overview of the City’s transportation history as it relates to: o History of development within Edina o History of roadway construction o Volume and speed history o Functional Classification System V. Approval of Minutes Postponed until the next regular scheduled meeting, April 19. VI. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Brown) No update. VII. Open Discussion Usem said that Microsoft is developing a GPS system that drivers will be able to use to find alternative routes. It should be available by 2008. 2 VIII. Staff Liaison Comments (Sullivan) a. Transportation Comprehensive Plan Update The Comp Plan review is scheduled for March 21, 7 p.m., with a primary focus on land use. WSB is developing the transportation plan. b. Southwest Transit way Alternatives An environmental study is being conducted for one of the alternate routes. c. Highway 100 Update The temporary third lane is in place; the permanent build is scheduled for 2014. d. I-35/Crosstown Update Bids are scheduled to be received and opened March 31 and construction to begin June and completed by 2010. A Mn/Dot staff will be invited to a future meeting to explain the potential impacts of the construction on the City. e. Pentagon Park AUAR Due to the size of a planned redevelopment in Pentagon Park, an Alternative Area-wide Review (AUAR) environmental study is required. Staff expanded the study area to include the area south of West 77th Street over to France and is looking at the study from a regional perspective. This is the first AUAR study being conducted in the City and it is funded by the developer. f. West 70th Street SAC Update The first SAC meeting is scheduled for April 12, 7 p.m. The SAC members will be notified via email and letter. Approximately 4-5 SAC meetings will be held and time will be set aside to educate the committee on transportation in Edina. All meetings are open to the public, however, the format will not include dialoguing. g. Safe Routes to School Application An application was submitted at the end of January for funds to create a template around school zones that would be usable by other Minnesota cities. School zones are typically set by the School District for walking/biking. There are approximately 5% walkers in the school district, which is high said Rickart. Thorpe said she would like to see the walking zone expanded. h. Mn/DOT Speed Study for Local Roads The Cities of Edina and St. Paul are meeting with Mn/DOT to discuss reduction of speed limit to 25 mph. They will look at accidents, especially pedestrians, past speed studies, etc. The goal is to get the legislators to change the speed limit. Mn/DOT, as well as law enforcement, is not typically in favor of reduced speed limits. i. Edina’s Advisor, Commissions and Committees Annual Meeting The Mayor’s Annual Dinner is scheduled for March 19. j. Draft Transportation Impact Analysis The draft was developed with the assistance of WSB. Some suggestions were to make the impact area boarder; make the impact analysis available to the ETC at least 2-3 weeks before it goes to the Planning Commission; involving the City’s traffic consultant earlier in the process; Mn/DOT’s involvement when appropriate; impacted neighborhood’s involvement but not necessarily to approve project; and adding an addendum or glossary. If it is determined that 3 the roadway cannot handle the proposed traffic, a mitigation plan will be necessary, as well as reducing the density of the development. k. Valley View Roadway and Sidewalk Improvements This project has been rescheduled for 2008 due to a lack of funds. This is a state aid roadway and the $1-2 million in state aid funds is already designated for other projects. A temporary fix will be done this summer. West 70th Street and Metro Blvd, also a state aid project, was also pushed back to 2008. IX. Adjournment Meeting adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for April 19, 2007, 6-8 p.m., in the Council Chambers, City Hall.