Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/green-line-central-corridor/page/16/)
On May 20 the University Avenue Business Association (UABA) gathered at the Central Corridor Resource Center in Midway to discuss possible solutions to the most pressing challenge facing business owners as light rail construction nears: parking.
Several years ago, at a meeting at the Hubbs alternative learning center on University Avenue Ave. in St. Continue Reading
In the face of continued opposition to the Central Corridor Light Rail by the University of Minnesota and community groups, the District Councils Collaborative of Saint Paul and Minneapolis held a community meeting Sunday to talk about the landmark project and form a new committee to address the concerns of project stakeholders. More than 100 residents, elected officials, and project officials packed a standing room only Central Corridor Resource Center on University Avenue in Saint Paul to discuss a wide range of topics including business mitigation and affordable housing along the proposed line, as well as workforce hiring with contracting goals for minorities and women.
Also discussed were site plans for the three newly added stations at Western Avenue, Victoria Street and Hamline Avenue that were not included in the original plan. In January, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced that additional funds had been secured to build the stations that community leaders considered vital to the success of the project.Rob Hahn, an Independence Party candidate for Governor, said meetings like this were important to ensure that businesses stay open during construction, and to push state and local government to address property taxes, which may or may not increase after construction. Hahn said that rising property taxes as a result of construction was a legitimate concern.”There needs to be a way to work with those individuals and cap any property tax increase they may have for a 10 or 15 year period,” said HahnAttendees then voted for 20 representatives to a newly formed Community Agreement Coordinating Committee. The committee’s role will be to facilitate agreements between the project’s many stakeholders as it moves forward. Those 20 representatives, 14 from Saint Paul and 6 from Minneapolis, join 10 appointed representatives representing the Saint Paul Mayor’s Office, Saint Paul City Council, Ramsey County, Minneapolis Mayor’s Office, Minneapolis City Council, Hennepin County, Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota. Vic Rosenthal of Jewish Community Action, who sat on the nominating committee, said, “We wanted to make sure a wide range of views were brought forward so that the people who serve on the committee would represent the diverse perspectives of the people affected [by the Central Corridor project].”Agreements and proposals by the committee will be forwarded on to the various councils for further action. Continue Reading
Upon its completion in 2014, the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line will reconnect the Twin Cities in a way that has been missing for 60 years.
A University of Minnesota student heading to Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul will be able to hop on the light rail at one of three University stations – in Stadium Village, outside Coffman Union or on the West Bank – and make the trip in less than 40 minutes. The landscape of the main campus artery, Washington Avenue Southeast, will be transformed from a clogged street to a sleek transit mall from Pleasant to Walnut streets. For this stretch, auto traffic will be limited to emergency vehicles. Pedestrians, bikes, buses and trains will rule the mall. Continue Reading
As South African journalist Sipho Zaidi E. Khumalo stated recently at the Twin Cities Media Alliance Brown Bag Lunch, the so-called “journalists” working for the large newspaper chains often pass through a revolving door that leads to more lucrative employment in the field of government relations. The same folks who claim to be reporting on public affairs often end up working for the government agencies they were supposed to be covering. “Basically, what they are,” states Khumalo, “(are) spin doctors for government officials.” According to a bio published by a corporate front group called The Citizens League: “Steve Dornfeld is the Director of Public Affairs at the Metropolitan Council. Before joining the Met Council, Mr. Dornfeld spent more than 20 years at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the last dozen on the opinion pages as a writer, columnist and editor.” Judging from the piece that appeared in last Sunday’s paper titled Clear signs the train’s on track, it appears that while collecting a paycheck from the Met Council, Mr. Dornfeld continues to write anonymously for the paper’s opinion pages. Continue Reading
The embattled, but currently thriving Central Corridor light rail project is proceeding apace toward construction of the 11-mile line between the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul. A singular victory for proponents of adding stations at the half-mile marks along University Ave. in St. Paul (Western, Victoria and Hamline avenues) came recently when Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Transportation Administration head Peter Rogoff revised a long-standing Bush policy to base federal funding on a convoluted formula called the cost effectiveness index (CEI), opening the door to meeting the needs and demands of communities along the corridor to make it easier for residents to use the line while not losing the speed and convenience of the rail itself. Continue Reading
Thanks in large part to a decision earlier this month by the Federal Transit Administration, in which they altered their funding formula for transit projects, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced today that funding had been secured for inclusion of Central Corridor Light Rail stations at Western Avenue, Hamline Avenue, and Victoria Street.
Saint Paul Councilmember Melvin Carter, who lives two blocks from the proposed Western Avenue station, called today’s announcement, “a victory for the countless people who’ve stood up for these stops for over five years.” The funding fills large gaps in the proposed rail line. “Like so many others, that’s never made sense to me,” Carter said. “A billion dollar transit improvement in our community, should in fact, improve transit in our community!” Continue Reading
UPDATED 1/27/10 AT 10 PM
Members of University Avenue Business Association (UABA), meeting last week to problem-solve around parking issues raised by the Central Corridor Light Rail Line, discussed ideas ranging from having a shuttle to creating a bump in private land for parking to buying vacant lots that several businesses could share.
Small businesses along the proposed Central Corridor light rail line are seeing red this month after St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman proposed $2.9 million in assessments that the owners would have to pay for a streetscape improvement plan for improved lighting, drainage, and tree planting along St. Paul’s portion of the corridor. On December 31, the University Avenue Business Association (UABA) sent a letter refusing to support the assessments until the city made a commitment to do something about UABA’s other priorities: parking, business support funds, and preparation for light rail construction. (See related article: Rondo residents sue to stop Central Corridor)
Also on December 31, UABA adopted a resolution to oppose the Streetscape Proposal, which was presented at a hearing on January 6. The UABA resolution said that they would oppose the assessment unless the city agreed to a resolution requiring the creation of a plan to replace, where needed, the on-street parking spaces along University Avenue and a creation of a plan to establish and fund a Business Support Fund. In addition, UABA demanded that the maximum assessment for streetscape betterment be no more than $2 million. Continue Reading
Saying that government planning agencies have neglected to adequately consider the impacts of the Central Corridor Light Rail Project on area businesses and residents, neighborhood groups and residents filed a lawsuit in Federal Court today to keep construction on the long-planned project from commencing. (See related article: University Avenue businesses face double whammy with Central Corridor increasing their property taxes)