Central Corridor
Central Corridor is a go, but will lawsuits stop it in its tracks?
Like it or not, the Central Corridor LRT line got the much needed federal push that it got last week from our president. Now that is seems to be moving forward will the three lawsuits tie up construction and the actually building of the line for years to come? The University of Minnesota, MPR, and Rondo residents all have three seperate lawsuits stating that Metropolitian Council has not taken their concerns, and mitigation, into account with the line.
Many feel that these lawsuits are the chance for at least two large institution to grab the mitigation funds which is leaving nothing left over to address the concerns of residents and small businesses. Should MPR and the U back off? Are we really going to delay the line because of these suits? What you think?
St. Paul Downtown Station Area Plan
The City of Saint Paul is planning for light rail transit along the Central Corridor, a spine that will connect the downtowns of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, and the diverse neighborhoods along University Avenue. The Downtown Saint Paul Station Area Plan applies the broader Vision, Principles and Design Directions of the Central Corridor Development Strategy (CCDS). Building on this community-based and citycouncil adopted foundation, this Station Area Plan creates a more detailed framework for integrating decisions affecting future built form, land use, the public realm, and movement (including LRT, buses, cars, pedestrians and bicycles) within the Downtown.
Read the Draft here. Read more >
Mitigation Fund for University Avenue Businesses
The Central Corridor LRT line is coming and business owners along University Avenue are predictably very nervous about it. With loss of revenue and parking, the real concern is over the construction period. Can the businesses stay viable while the streets are torn up and closed to most traffic? Well, the University Avenue Business Association (UABA) is taking the issue up now. Read more >
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