DRAFT 171ST STUDY 04-27-2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS OVERVIEW EVALUATION OF PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT As part of the evaluation of the planning process, each of the three preliminary concepts went through a public and stakeholder review process. Newsletters were mailed to all landowners in the project area and individual meetings were conducted with key land owners. A public open house was held at Elk River City Hall in March and project website was created to review presented materials and to post comments. Additionally, the consulting team facilitated a panel of experts roundtable evaluation of the concepts. The round table provided expert professional opinions on a broad range of topics relative to the concepts and the FAST area in general. The following are summaries of the comments from the general public, key landowners, and panel of experts leading to the refinement of a single preferred master plan direction for the FAST: Public Comments Most of the comments from the public open house focused on the location of the interchange. Generally, a preference for the northern location (concept one) worked best as most felt it afforded a connection for existing & future businesses. However, some felt the roadway design in this concept had poor traffic flow to the new interchange. Most agreed that land uses along Highway ~o~i6g should remain commercial. Other comments suggested it was nice to have housing within walking distance of the station and at the intersection of the entry to the Northstar station and Twin Lakes Parkway traffic control and pedestrian safety is a priority. Additionally, consideration for bike facilities such as bike racks and bike lockers should be considered for commuters at the station and more trail connections to the station should be implemented. Landowner Meetings Comments The consulting team met with three of the larger landowners in the project area about the future plans for their property. All expressed a desire for their existing businesses to remain and expressed concerned about future transportation changes and impacts to their existing business. Panel o f Expert Comments In an effort to gain broader feedback from the professional development community outside of Elk River, the consulting team conducted a panel of experts round table meeting on the concept alternatives in order to gather input from a broad spectrum of expertise outside of Elk River, but familiar with the market conditions surrounding the FAST. Participants ranged from commercial and residential developers, transportation experts from MN DOT and the Northstar Rail Authority, as well as areas of expertise in public finance, market potential and energy. All panel members had no vested interest in the study area and allowed for a critical outside perspective on the three concept ___. alternatives. The comments below were made by panel participants and are organized .,~ . ~~} ;T13C. QV@nu@ Focused Area STudy