Title
Approving the Lower Afton Station Area Plan Report.
Body
WHEREAS, the Red Rock Corridor is a proposed 30-mile transitway, connecting the Twin Cities' southeastern suburbs to St. Paul and Minneapolis; and
WHEREAS, the corridor has regional, statewide, and national significance as a primary transportation route for automobile, truck, and rail travel, and the Southeast Quadrant of the Metro area is projected to grow 100,000 people in the next 20 years; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) Commuter Rail System Plan identified the Red Rock Corridor as the second priority for commuter rail following the currently operating Northstar Corridor; and
WHERAS, the Corridor is one of eight corridors that have been identified by the Metropolitan Council as a potential transitway in the Twin Cities to be implemented by 2030; and
WHEREAS, the City has participated in planning through the Red Rock Corridor Commission, comprised of 11 communities within the corridor; and
WHEREAS, the Red Rock Corridor Commission completed an Alternatives Analysis Study in 2007, which resulted in commuter rail being determined to be the best long-term transit mode for the corridor, with short term strategies to build ridership with express bus service and additional park and rides; and
WHEREAS, the Red Rock Commission established a Community Advisory Committee to oversee this Station Area Planning report; and
WHEREAS, the Red Rock Corridor Commission completed an extensive 18-month public participation and community outreach process in the planning of four proposed transit station areas in the Red Rock Corridor, studying environmental impacts, transportation and access components, economic development potential, and cost estimates; and
WHEREAS, the Lower Afton Station Area Plan report supports the improvement of the station site and the expansion of bus service, growing transit ridership and promoting economic development throughout the corridor; a...
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