2021.04.13 WS Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Schlichting commented on Line 4 and noted this line serves the Garden View Apartments along with the Midtown Village. He discussed how bus routes are dependent upon users. Councilmember Allen stated he would like Met Council to understand New Brighton has no east-west transit options. He explained he used to work near the Capitol and the bus ride was one hour and forty minutes long because he had to transfer through Minneapolis. He believed the City deserved better options for getting to St. Paul. He suggested the City partner with surrounding communities such as Arden Hills and Mounds View in order to get better transit options. Schlichting agreed it would be good to collaborate with Arden Hills in order to pursue a bus route that goes to St. Paul and Minneapolis. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas questioned if commuter rail was an option for the north metro. Schlichting stated the rail that serves New Brighton terminates at Scherer Brothers in Arden Hills. He explained this train was 10 miles per hour and serves local businesses. He did not anticipate a commuter train would utilize this same train track. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas stated as the region grows, the City will have to continue to support more and more vehicular traffic. For this reason, she wanted to see the City considering other transit options, such as bus routes and commuter trains. Councilmember Dunsworth explained she appreciated these comments. She discussed how New Brighton received a tremendous amount of traffic driving through the community. She indicated the intersection of I- 35W and I-694 was one of the busiest in the metro area. She questioned why the City could not get more public transportation for New Brighton residents and other people traveling through the community. She believed that New Brighton was a natural area to have a park and ride. Councilmember Allen reported there were four north-south roads in New Brighton and he agreed there needed to be more multi-modal transportation options for residents. He agreed the current infrastructure would not be able to support future vehicular traffic if other transit options were not made available. Massopust thanked the Council for their feedback. He questioned if the Council would be interested in having a future meeting with a representative from the Met Council. The Council supported this recommendation. Councilmember Dunsworth believed it would greatly benefit the Council to hear directly from the Met Council. She explained she would like the City Council to better understand how to be proactive for transit. Councilmember Allen stated he tried to delve into this topic several years ago and he would like to better understand what the City had to do in order to receive bus lines. He also wanted to understand what the Met Council was doing to increase ridership. He questioned if New Brighton could go in on a pilot program with the Met Council in an effort to boost ridership in the community. Further discussion ensued regarding regional bike trails. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas asked what parts of the Comprehensive Plan needed more advancements. Schlichting explained place making initiatives and monuments signs were one area where staff could use more direction. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas questioned if staff had a plan in place to move the Comprehensive Plan forward incrementally over the next 20 years. Schlichting discussed how his department was approaching the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, along with the Parks Comprehensive Plan. He discussed how work on this plan requires coordination between staff, the Council, PREC and Public Safety Commission.