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INACCURACIES OF ALTERNATIVE STATION SITE COMPARISON <br /> <br />A project management team memorandum dated February 3, 2000, which discussed the <br />Northstar corridor station site recommendation, contained a number of inaccuracies. The table <br />attached to the memorandum contains misleading information and contains some information <br />that simply not true. Additionally, the criteria of comparison left out important elements that <br />should be considered when selecting a commuter rail station location. <br /> <br />Criteria Discussion <br /> <br />· Station spacing <br /> <br />· Existing land use <br /> <br />· Adjacent land use <br /> <br />The alternative station site comparison chart did not rank the <br />comparison to the three station locations as with the other <br />criteria. A simple reference to the attached graphic was <br />included with the memorandum. The ranking of the various <br />alternative station comparisons was omitted for obvious <br />reasons; leaving the Anoka Fourth Avenue Station with the <br />Coon Rapids Riverdale station with a space difference of 2.2 <br />miles and eliminating the Ramsey station would leave a <br />difference of 12.1 miles to the next commuter rail station in <br />Elk River. The station spacing criteria would have included <br />a positive rating for placing a station at Ramsey, which <br />would be 5.7 miles and 6.4 miles between Elk River and <br />Coon Rapids Riverdale, respectively. The station spacing <br />should have also complied with the Principles for Station <br />Area Location and Planning, adopted in May of 1999, which <br />stated that a "minimum station spacing of 5 miles" should be <br />maintained. <br /> <br />The comparison states that the proposed Ramsey site is listed <br />as agricultural when it is in fact zoned Business/Warehouse. <br />The property is not being used for agricultural purposes and <br />the City of Ramsey is currently in the process of <br />condemnation of the entire area surrounding the proposed <br />rail station for industrial development purposes. <br /> <br />The draft Comprehensive Plan that was forwarded to <br />Metropolitan Council references the City's plans to <br />accommodate a commuter rail station in the future land use <br />and the transportation sections. <br /> <br />The comparison chart shows the adjacent land use of the <br />Ramsey site is undeveloped, when in fact, there is an excess <br />of 10 large industrial users in the adjacent industrial park. <br />The Anoka site states that the adjacent land use is <br />"employment oriented", while no similar mention is made of <br />the employment orientation the Ramsey site. <br /> <br />G :\users\City Shared File\CORRESP\NormanL2000WIiscXA LTERaNATIVE STATION SITE COMPARISON.doc <br /> <br /> <br />