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· aft Status Report on the Northstar Commuter Rail Project. June 7, 2001 <br /> <br />STATION AREA <br />PLANNING <br /> <br />Station Area Planning <br />A. Introduction <br />One of the key criteria that the FTA uses to determine whether a <br />project is justified is an assessment of the project's transit <br />supportive existing land use and future patterns. Since 1998, the <br />NCDA has worked with communities on station area planning <br />activities and on the adoption of transit supportive land use <br />policies. The NCDA recognized that the development of land use <br />policies and tools should take place as early in the planning <br />process as possible. As discussed below, the policies and tools <br />have become more concrete as the Project progressed from <br />planning though preliminary engineering. <br /> <br />B. Interactive Workshop on Land Use and Station Area <br /> Planning <br />A Land Use/Station Area Planning Forum was held on Friday, June <br />26, 1998 from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the Sherburne County <br />Courthouse in Elk River. Over 70 people attended representing all <br />the communities along the Corridor. The format for the day <br />included speakers from San Diego who shared their experiences in <br />implementing and operating commuter rail. This was followed by <br />breakout sessions where each of the small groups focused on <br />identifying potential station locations for each of the communities <br />along the Corridor. The results of the workshop were presented at <br />the July 9, 1998, NCDA meeting where the NCDA approved the <br />initial proposed station locations for the preliminary technical <br />analysis of ridership forecasting and capacity modeling. <br /> <br />C. Station Area Planning Activities <br />On June 3, 1999, NCDA adopted Guiding Principles for Station <br />Area Location and Planning. The Principles include a Land Use <br />element. (See Appendix D. 1) <br /> <br />Throughout May-June 1999, NCDA/BRW conducted meetings with <br />each city staff along the Corridor to discuss/review station location <br />options. A summary of meeting dates and attendees is recorded in <br />memo from BRW date June 16, 1999. <br /> <br />On September 2, 1999 NCDA approved fourteen station sites. <br />The approval was based upon previously adopted principles for <br />station locations and community discussions. To assist the <br /> <br />Northstar Corridor Development Authority <br /> <br />13 <br /> <br /> <br />