5. EDSR 06-14-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS The master plan for the i7ist Avenue FAST exists in the context of major transportation planning efforts for the primary transportation corridors through Elk River. These transportation planning studies and their outcomes are critical in defining the future land use direction for the ~7~st Avenue FAST. Key decisions on land use will likely be determined by the location of a future interchange for Highway ioJi6g, as overtime the corridor transitions to a limited access freeway and all existing accesses are eliminated. The following is a review of the transportation and land use planning efforts related to the i7ist Avenue FAST. zooz Inter-Regional Corridor Management Plan In zooz MN DOT, working with input from the city of Elk River, completed an Inter- Regional Corridor Management Plan identifying alternative strategies for upgrading Highway ~oJ~69 south of Highway poi in Elk River to a limited access freeway. The study identified two options for a future six lane freeway alignment;'Alignment A' essentially running parallel to the rail line roughly 400' away and `Alignment B' the existing Highway ioJi6g corridor. The study also identified two interchange locations within Elk River between Highway ioi and the eastern boundary of the community for either alignment. One would be located near Jarvis Street and the other near 165th Avenue. While the planning effort was completed in zooz, MN DOT still has not identified any funding for this project in their 3o year capital improvements program. Highway ~o&t69 Preliminary Design and Environmental Documentation Study Currently underway are two M N DOT studies funded by the City investigating ways to solve traffic bottlenecks in Elk River along Highway ~o heading west through historic downtown, Highway i6g heading north through a major commercial area of the community, and the ioi & ioJi69 interchange. The two studies identify a preferred reconstruction plan for the major interchange at ioi and ioJ~69, the Main Street and School Street intersections along Highway 169 and the intersections along Highway io moving through the downtown area west to Lake Orono. Amore detailed review of these regional transportation planning efforts are discussed in the assumptions chapter of this report. Elk River Comprehensive Plan In zoo3 the city of Elk River completed a Comprehensive Plan update for the community. At the time of the update much of the land within the FAST project was undeveloped. In general, the City designated highway commercial uses along the Highway ioJi6g corridor with light industrial uses beyond. North of the rail line high density housing was selected as the future land use. Two additional transportation initiatives were identified as part of the Comprehensive Plan update. The first initiative was to create a connection between i7ist Avenue and 165th Avenue through the extension of Twin Lakes Parkway, and the second was to investigate a roadway connection between CSAH iz and Highway ioJ~6g on the far eastern boundary of the community. BACKGROUND