|
Southwest LRT Line to Proceed into Preliminary Engineering
September 6, 2011 The Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) line has received permission from the Federal Transit Administration to enter into preliminary engineering. “This is a milestone to celebrate. The Southwest LRT project is now real, after more than a decade of hard work and commitment,” said Commissioner Gail Dorfman. “We go from one of 100 communities around the country seeking FTA approval, to one of a dozen that has the go ahead to begin engineering the line.” “We would not be here were it not for the strong partnership between Hennepin County, the Metropolitan Council, the cities along the corridor, and businesses and residents,” said Commissioner Jan Callison “The continuing support from public and private partners has been instrumental in bringing us to this point and will be critical to getting the line to opening day and beyond.” “Southwest is the next big step – we’re creating a regional system, not just talking about one,” said Counties Transit Improvement Board Chair Peter McLaughlin. “Southwest LRT will serve more than 240,000 jobs and connect the region’s top job center, downtown Minneapolis, with the region’s sixth largest job center, Opus/Golden Triangle.” Hennepin County, along with cities and community partners, led the Southwest LRT project through an alternatives analysis and draft environmental impact statement, which included the selection of a locally preferred route, before transitioning the project to the Met Council in 2010. Hennepin has also developed the Southwest LRT Community Works project to integrate land use and development planning as engineering of the transit line progresses. The Southwest LRT Community Works project will identify housing and economic development opportunities at station locations and along the corridor, and enhance connections to existing residential and commercial nodes. The Southwest Corridor LRT line stretches approximately 15 miles from downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, with projected ridership of nearly 30,000 average weekday riders by 2030. |
|
Commenting on the Southwest LRT Draft Environmental Impact Statement July 27, 2011 The Southwest LRT project continues to await approval from the Federal Transit Administation to publish the DEIS. When FTA approves the document for publication, a widely-advertised 45 day public comment period will begin and public hearings will be scheduled. For immediate notification of the DEIS publication and public hearing dates and locations, please sign up for the project email list. For guidance on how to most effectively comment on the Southwest LRT DEIS, please refer to the short and helpful A Citizen's Guide to commenting on Environmental Review Projects. |
|
Southwest LRT Project Update April 27, 2011
Station Area Strategic Planning in Minneapolis Complete
In 2010, the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County conducted a station area strategic planning process for the Royalston, Van White, Penn, 21st Street, and West Lake Street stations along the Minneapolis portion of the proposed Southwest LRT line. At the beginning of 2011, the Minneapolis Station Area Strategic Planning Document was posted on the southwesttransitway.org for public comment; over thirty comments on the document were received from a wide range of stakeholders. Both the comments and the Station Area Strategic Planning document are available on the Station Area Planning page and were transmitted to Metro Transit and the City of Minneapolis this week. Southwest LRT Community Works
In Fall, 2010, the Twin Cities region was awarded a $5 million HUD Sustainable Communities Grant and was selected for the Living Cities Integration Initiative, with grants and financing tools totaling $16 million. Together these two funding sources, referred to as the Corridors of Opportunity program, will be used to advance innovative, collaborative transit-oriented land use planning and development strategies along five emerging transitways. Southwest LRT Community Works will receive $800,000 from the Sustainable Communities grant and $255,000 Living Cities grant dollars to advance corridor-wide planning.
Taking a cue from the Central Corridor LRT project, where planners estimate that $488 million in public infrastructure investments will leverage $6.3 billion in private development, the Southwest LRT project has begun development of a Transit Oriented Development Framework. This framework is modeled on the Central Corridor framework and will consist of a comprehensive, multijurisdictional set of strategies to leverage public investment to attract, shape, and accelerate appropriate transit oriented development investment along the Southwest LRT line.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement & Preliminary Engineering Application
The Southwest LRT DEIS documents the potential social, economic, transportation, and environmental benefits and impacts of the Southwest LRT line. The DEIS is currently under review by the Federal Transit Administration. Sign up for the project email list to receive an email when the DEIS is available for the 45 day public review and comment period. The DEIS will be posted on this website, and hard copies will be available at several public locations. A series of public meetings will be held during the public review and comment period; meeting information will be available on the Meetings & Events page.
The Southwest LRT project's application to enter Preliminary Engineering is also under review by the Federal Transit Administration. For updates on this project phase, please see the Metropolitan Council's website.
|
|
Southwest LRT Corridor Management Committee Meeting Canceled January 20, 2011 The Southwest LRT Corridor Management Committee Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 26, has been canceled. For more information about the Corridor Management Committee, see the Metropolitan Council website. |
|
Minneapolis Station Area Strategic Plan Available
January 7, 2011
The Minneapolis Station Area Strategic Planning Document is now available for review and comment. Please submit all comments by February 28, 2011, via email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, Hennepin County, or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, City of Minneapolis, or by mail to Hennepin County Transit Attention: Adele Hall 417 N. 5th Street Suite 320 Minneapolis, MN 55401. All comments will become part of the station area strategic planning documentaton and will be included with submission of the document to Metro Transit and the City of Minneapolis. |
|
Twin Cities Awarded "Living Cities" Funds October 28, 2010 Living Cities, a collaborative of 22 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions, announced that the Twin Cities region has been chosen as one of five winners in the new Intergration Initiative, which supports bold, new approaches to improve access to opportunities for low income people. Through the Living Cities Initiative, the Twin Cities region is eligible for up to $16 million in grants, loans, and Program-Related Investments (PRIs) to support its efforts. PRIs are flexible, low-cost loans provided at below-market rates to support charitable activity.
The Living Cities Integration Initiative will take advantage of substantial public investments in three regional transit lines, including the Southwest LRT line, to create a model of how high-quality transit development can expand opportunities for low-income people. The Twin Cities "Corridors of Opportunity" initiative will use these funds to ensure that public investment in transit create positive impacts "beyong the rail" for lower income residents and communities. The initiative will help preserve or create 400-600 units of transit-accessible affordable housing and provide nearly 100 businesses with a combination of marketing and planning assistance, façade improvement grants, and new loan resources to prepare for construction and help the businesses succeed once construction is complete. For more information on Living Cities click here. |
|
Minneapolis Station Area Planning Underway July 23, 2010 Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis are partnering to prepare strategic station area plans around the five proposed Minneapolis stations on the Southwest LRT line: Royalston, Van White, Penn, 21st Street, and West Lake. Station area strategic plans will be based on previous land-use studies and will include platform locations, station access routes, land use concept plans, and an analysis of development opportunities within a half-mile radius of each station. The station area planning process is expected to be complete by the end of 2010 and will become the basis for proposals to the City of Minneapolis Planning Commission and City Council. The plans will also be used to inform the next phase of the LRT project, Preliminary Engineering. For more information and opportunities to get involved, see the Station Area Planning information page. |
|
Metropolitan Council Approves Southwest LRT Locally Preferred Alternative May 26, 2010 On May 26 the Metropolitan Council approved light rail on the 15-mile Southwest Corridor between downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. At the same time the Council approved the locally preferred alternative (LPA), it amended the region's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan to include LRT as the mode of choice in the corridor, making the project eligible for federal funding.
"I am pleased that Southwest LRT has reached this milestone and is transitioning to the Metropolitan Council," said Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman. "I am confident that Southwest LRT will be a strong candidate in the competition for federal dollars. Light rail in the corridor will generate strong ridership, connect people with key destinations, and serve as a catalyst for economic development." "World class cities have growing, vibrant transit systems," said Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Ball. "The selection of the mode and alignment for this corridor is an important step forward. It moves the project to the next level and continues the process of building out the region's rail corridor network." |
|
Attend an Open House to Learn More About the Southwest LRT Project May 7, 2010 The Southwest LRT Open Houses will be a good time to hear about the current work as well as next steps on the Southwest LRT project. The Open Houses will include information on the status of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement process; review of historic and cultural resources along the route alternatives; proposed next project phases; and upcoming station area planning for proposed LRT stations in Minneapolis.
Tuesday, May 18 11:30am - 1:00pm
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, MN 55401 map
Wednesday, May 19 5:00pm - 7:00pm
SouthWest Metro Station
13500 Technology Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 map Thursday, May 20 5:00pm - 7:00pm
St. Louis Park City Hall
5005 Minnetonka Boulevard St. Louis Park, MN 55416 map |
|
