5. EDSR 09-11-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Appendix E: Relevant News Articles (cont.) MIIQIESOTA ~~~~. ~,~'~~~~ ~Qlu~~~~ Wednesday June Ol 2005 Developers climb aboard Northstar Commuter Rail Wlth state approval Tnally in hand, transit-oriented projects take stage Anne eretts Contributing Writer With this spring's passage of a bonding bill by the Minnesota Legislature containing funds for the Northstar Commuter line, the project finally seems on a fast track to reality. Although federal funding has yet to be secured, developers and city officials can more safely assume the rail line will be built and are now turning their attention to TODs (or transit- oriented development projects) along the route. They're seeing TODs as a way to enhance the value of projects already underway and make some new projects more attractive. The Northstar line is eventually is expected to connect Minneapolis and St. Cloud and a string of small towns and booming suburbs in between. "The development was going that way already," says Tim Yantos, executive director of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority and the administrator of Anoka County. "We just happen to have a rail line in that corridor." The state has approved $37.5 million to begin planning the $265 million line, which will run on tracks owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. The line, which snakes along the Highways 10 and 47 corridors through Fridley, Coon Rapids, Anoka, Elk River and Big Lake, is expected to generate 5,600 rides a day. People along the line say having the route in place during years of discussion has allowed the communities to plan development to make the most of line. The TOD phenomenon also coincides with an equally strong movement toward new town centers. "I think it's hand in glove," says Debra Urista, owner of Coldwell Banker Vision in Elk River, a town of just under 20,000. Urista has been involved in the Northstar line, both as past chairwoman of the local Chamber of Commerce and co-chairwoman of the grassroots organization lobbying for the line. "The biggest push was from the riders who wanted an alternative to driving," she says. That consumer demand caught the attention of developers and landowners. Early success of the year-old Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis and Bloomington definitely helped ease concerns that there would be a market for line -- and development projects along it. "Ridership (for the Hiawatha line) is so much more than anyone anticipated," she says. "I think that's encouraging to us." The commuter buses already running along the Northstar route also have shown strong use. Elk River officials last year agreed to work with St. Paul-based Metro Plains Development to develop two projects creating 20,000 square feet of retail/commercial space and more than 300 units of rental and condominium housing, along with parking and amenities.