Neighborhood Pitch: Draft
A Union Park Grid 8 meeting is planned for Monday March 30 at the Bethelehem Lutheran Church. These are my planned remarks. Any neighborhood input is appreciated.
David Rasmussen, Grid 8 Representative, david@unionparkdc.org
In the San Francisco Bay area, BART is sometimes elevated, sometimes below ground, and sometimes at ground level, but nowhere does it compete with traffic, so it goes up to 80 mph. SF/Oakland has the fifth most successful transit system in the United States because the rail system is fast, safe, reliable, easy to access and offers 44,000 parking spaces. The designers showed amazing foresight in 1960 as they developed a system that people with cars would choose to use. Even today, something like BART would be an amazing investment for the Twin Cities.
So, I went to Central Corridor rail meetings in 2005, joined the District Council as neighborhood representative, and suggested that the Snelling rail station be underground so that it would not compete with traffic, and for pedestrian safety, and that there should be parking. As an individual, I had little impact.
To join the District Council requires the signatures of residents, so when I knock on doors for the signatures, I try to ask what is important to residents. A few people always say “crime. “ Sometimes, I hear “pedestrian safety.” This year, I heard “permit parking.” Bus riders are one of the reasons many of us live on streets with permit parking, so if we are going to have rail, we should make parking available for rail users. I knocked on twenty doors on Roy, Fry and Herschel. Everyone I talked to signed the petition (1), and I felt confident about neighborhood support for a park and ride at Snelling Avenue.
In total, over 1000 people signed the petition, mostly people who use the park and ride to go to the State Fair. The signatures became part of the Supplement Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Central Corridor rail project, and copies went to the mayor and to the Metropolitan Council chair. I wanted it to be part of the plan for the City of Saint Paul, so I introduced the petition as a resolution at a District Council meeting. There was some support and others felt that more discussion was needed. A view I feel is wrong-headed was that this idea was in conflict with plans for “transit-oriented development.” How better to support transit than to make it accessible to thousands more people, I felt. The resolution was voted down.
Transit oriented development (TOD) is in the city plan and it is not about making transit more accessible. TOD puts tall buildings and high density development next to the rail. Portland is the model for TOD that Saint Paul is trying to copy. I have actually visited Portland and tried to get on the rail. Because parking is not available, I was unable to access the Portland rail. If there were any places to park, I could tell you more. Sustainlane.com says Portland has the 19th most successful transit system in the United States. This would be more impressive except that Minneapolis/Saint Paul ranks 21st without TOD. The graph (2) shows transit use for Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, and San Francisco/Oakland. The data suggests that parking impacts transit use more than TOD. Nonetheless, according to the Snelling Station Area plan, the Midway/Bus barn area is planned to become a TOD test site.
The rail is coming down University, like it or not. I do not think we have the power to stop it, even though we, as neighbors, saw issues with street parking on University well before University United, the District Councils, or the city acknowledged them. We still may have the power to help define what is meant by the “TOD test site” in the Station area plan for Midway Center. We also might still have power to put in parking, if that is what we want.
The Onion had an article,headlined “98% of Commuters favor transit for others”:
"With traffic congestion, pollution, and oil shortages all getting worse, now is the time to shift to affordable, efficient public transportation," APTA director Howard Collier said. "Fortunately, as this report shows, Americans have finally recognized the need for everyone else to do exactly that."
The Onion could also write an article headlined “98% of Advocates favor TOD outside of their neighborhoods.”
"With bike paths and TOD going in, the freeway becomes superfluous," American Association of Advocates director Howard Collier said. "Fortunately, as this report shows, activists have finally recognized the need for everyone else to give up their cars and live/work in TOD neighborhoods."
But, there is no reason to become cynical and to not work within the system. The Union Park District Council does an excellent job at negotiating conflicts to satisfy neighbors. Glen McCluskey, current Union Park president, and Jim Marti, past Union Park president, helped to negotiate with Health East to satisfy neighbors when new parking lots were built. Eric Mohlo, the chair of the Union Park Land Use Committee recently worked with neighbors near Lexington in a similar situation toward an agreement with Common Bond. When it is understood how neighborhoods feel, neighborhoods have been supported by the District Council.
So, now is an opportunity for the neighbors of Midway Center to express their opinions.
-- How do we feel about the undefined “Transit Oriented Development Test Site” at the Midway Center/ bus barn site in the station area plan?
-- Are we for transit user parking ramps (not yet in the station plan) near the rail at the Midway Center/bus barn site?
-- Do we want University Avenue to be a one lane street, as University United recommends?
-- Do we back the Snelling Station Area plan, as the Land Use Committee recommends, or does this plan need to be fleshed out further with more involvement from residents of Grid 8?
My proposal is attached (3), but more importantly, what would you like to see happen? As a neighbor recently said, “this plan is not Paris.” This plan is not San Francisco/Oakland , either. But, we can do better.
Please let me know your ideas, or if you want to present your ideas in a public forum, attend the Union Park District Council meeting, Wednesday April 1, 7 p.m., Concordia University, in the Library/Theater complex, Room 218.
Footnotes:
(1) Petition, August, 2008:
We support a 1000 slot park and ride at the bus barn site and under Midway Center (Snelling Avenue and Saint Anthony Blvd./Snelling Avenue and University Avenue) to serve State Fair goers, the I94 bus route, the 84 bus route, the 21/53 bus route, the 16/50 bus route, the 144 bus route, the future Central Corridor rail, a future Snelling Avenue rail line, and small businesses and local residents who lose parking with construction of the rail. This park and ride should serve parkers and those transferring between buses with safe pedestrian and bicycle access under the very busy streets of Snelling Avenue and University Avenue, as Snelling Avenue in this neighborhood has the highest traffic accident rate in the state. Ideally, the park and ride will exit under Snelling Avenue, directly to I-94 ramps to avoid further traffic congestion on Snelling Avenue. The park and ride does not preclude development of the bus barn site and the neighboring lot, because the park and ride can be relocated below ground.
(2) Effectiveness of Transit Oriented Development:
Portland is the model for transit oriented development (TOD)
San Francisco/Oakland (SFO) supplies 44,000 parking spaces and per the advocates does not have TOD
(3) Proposed Grid 8 Neighborhood Resolutions to Union Park District Council:
The Metropolitan Council should pursue marketing toward a post-RD Management Midway Center/bus barn era. Issues to be fleshed out in order to maximize the long-term benefit to the community and the selling price of the area include:
1) Green spaces
2) Enclosed transit station at Snelling and Saint Anthony intersection with parking ramp, bus transfer stations, taxi stands
3) Pedestrian and bike routes to the transit station and local bus/rail stops (21/53/94/84/16/50)
4) Improved freeway access to Midway Center/Target complex-- get them there, get them out design to support regional use of the area, but to not further congest Snelling.
The Grid 8 neighborhood should be offered the opportunity to vet University United proposals prior to Union Park District Council approval, and Grid 8 should become a “go to” participant to proactively develop further proposals toward refining the Snelling station area plan and the appropriate city plans for the area.
David Rasmussen, Grid 8 Representative, david@unionparkdc.org
In the San Francisco Bay area, BART is sometimes elevated, sometimes below ground, and sometimes at ground level, but nowhere does it compete with traffic, so it goes up to 80 mph. SF/Oakland has the fifth most successful transit system in the United States because the rail system is fast, safe, reliable, easy to access and offers 44,000 parking spaces. The designers showed amazing foresight in 1960 as they developed a system that people with cars would choose to use. Even today, something like BART would be an amazing investment for the Twin Cities.
So, I went to Central Corridor rail meetings in 2005, joined the District Council as neighborhood representative, and suggested that the Snelling rail station be underground so that it would not compete with traffic, and for pedestrian safety, and that there should be parking. As an individual, I had little impact.
To join the District Council requires the signatures of residents, so when I knock on doors for the signatures, I try to ask what is important to residents. A few people always say “crime. “ Sometimes, I hear “pedestrian safety.” This year, I heard “permit parking.” Bus riders are one of the reasons many of us live on streets with permit parking, so if we are going to have rail, we should make parking available for rail users. I knocked on twenty doors on Roy, Fry and Herschel. Everyone I talked to signed the petition (1), and I felt confident about neighborhood support for a park and ride at Snelling Avenue.
In total, over 1000 people signed the petition, mostly people who use the park and ride to go to the State Fair. The signatures became part of the Supplement Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Central Corridor rail project, and copies went to the mayor and to the Metropolitan Council chair. I wanted it to be part of the plan for the City of Saint Paul, so I introduced the petition as a resolution at a District Council meeting. There was some support and others felt that more discussion was needed. A view I feel is wrong-headed was that this idea was in conflict with plans for “transit-oriented development.” How better to support transit than to make it accessible to thousands more people, I felt. The resolution was voted down.
Transit oriented development (TOD) is in the city plan and it is not about making transit more accessible. TOD puts tall buildings and high density development next to the rail. Portland is the model for TOD that Saint Paul is trying to copy. I have actually visited Portland and tried to get on the rail. Because parking is not available, I was unable to access the Portland rail. If there were any places to park, I could tell you more. Sustainlane.com says Portland has the 19th most successful transit system in the United States. This would be more impressive except that Minneapolis/Saint Paul ranks 21st without TOD. The graph (2) shows transit use for Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, and San Francisco/Oakland. The data suggests that parking impacts transit use more than TOD. Nonetheless, according to the Snelling Station Area plan, the Midway/Bus barn area is planned to become a TOD test site.
The rail is coming down University, like it or not. I do not think we have the power to stop it, even though we, as neighbors, saw issues with street parking on University well before University United, the District Councils, or the city acknowledged them. We still may have the power to help define what is meant by the “TOD test site” in the Station area plan for Midway Center. We also might still have power to put in parking, if that is what we want.
The Onion had an article,headlined “98% of Commuters favor transit for others”:
"With traffic congestion, pollution, and oil shortages all getting worse, now is the time to shift to affordable, efficient public transportation," APTA director Howard Collier said. "Fortunately, as this report shows, Americans have finally recognized the need for everyone else to do exactly that."
The Onion could also write an article headlined “98% of Advocates favor TOD outside of their neighborhoods.”
"With bike paths and TOD going in, the freeway becomes superfluous," American Association of Advocates director Howard Collier said. "Fortunately, as this report shows, activists have finally recognized the need for everyone else to give up their cars and live/work in TOD neighborhoods."
But, there is no reason to become cynical and to not work within the system. The Union Park District Council does an excellent job at negotiating conflicts to satisfy neighbors. Glen McCluskey, current Union Park president, and Jim Marti, past Union Park president, helped to negotiate with Health East to satisfy neighbors when new parking lots were built. Eric Mohlo, the chair of the Union Park Land Use Committee recently worked with neighbors near Lexington in a similar situation toward an agreement with Common Bond. When it is understood how neighborhoods feel, neighborhoods have been supported by the District Council.
So, now is an opportunity for the neighbors of Midway Center to express their opinions.
-- How do we feel about the undefined “Transit Oriented Development Test Site” at the Midway Center/ bus barn site in the station area plan?
-- Are we for transit user parking ramps (not yet in the station plan) near the rail at the Midway Center/bus barn site?
-- Do we want University Avenue to be a one lane street, as University United recommends?
-- Do we back the Snelling Station Area plan, as the Land Use Committee recommends, or does this plan need to be fleshed out further with more involvement from residents of Grid 8?
My proposal is attached (3), but more importantly, what would you like to see happen? As a neighbor recently said, “this plan is not Paris.” This plan is not San Francisco/Oakland , either. But, we can do better.
Please let me know your ideas, or if you want to present your ideas in a public forum, attend the Union Park District Council meeting, Wednesday April 1, 7 p.m., Concordia University, in the Library/Theater complex, Room 218.
Footnotes:
(1) Petition, August, 2008:
We support a 1000 slot park and ride at the bus barn site and under Midway Center (Snelling Avenue and Saint Anthony Blvd./Snelling Avenue and University Avenue) to serve State Fair goers, the I94 bus route, the 84 bus route, the 21/53 bus route, the 16/50 bus route, the 144 bus route, the future Central Corridor rail, a future Snelling Avenue rail line, and small businesses and local residents who lose parking with construction of the rail. This park and ride should serve parkers and those transferring between buses with safe pedestrian and bicycle access under the very busy streets of Snelling Avenue and University Avenue, as Snelling Avenue in this neighborhood has the highest traffic accident rate in the state. Ideally, the park and ride will exit under Snelling Avenue, directly to I-94 ramps to avoid further traffic congestion on Snelling Avenue. The park and ride does not preclude development of the bus barn site and the neighboring lot, because the park and ride can be relocated below ground.
(2) Effectiveness of Transit Oriented Development:
Portland is the model for transit oriented development (TOD)
San Francisco/Oakland (SFO) supplies 44,000 parking spaces and per the advocates does not have TOD
(3) Proposed Grid 8 Neighborhood Resolutions to Union Park District Council:
The Metropolitan Council should pursue marketing toward a post-RD Management Midway Center/bus barn era. Issues to be fleshed out in order to maximize the long-term benefit to the community and the selling price of the area include:
1) Green spaces
2) Enclosed transit station at Snelling and Saint Anthony intersection with parking ramp, bus transfer stations, taxi stands
3) Pedestrian and bike routes to the transit station and local bus/rail stops (21/53/94/84/16/50)
4) Improved freeway access to Midway Center/Target complex-- get them there, get them out design to support regional use of the area, but to not further congest Snelling.
The Grid 8 neighborhood should be offered the opportunity to vet University United proposals prior to Union Park District Council approval, and Grid 8 should become a “go to” participant to proactively develop further proposals toward refining the Snelling station area plan and the appropriate city plans for the area.
Labels: D13
posted by David Rasmussen at 9:23 AM
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