4.10. SR 08-28-2000Item #4.10.
City of
River MEMORANDUM
TO:
Mayor & City Council
FROM: Pat Klaers, City Administrator
DATE: August 28, 2000
SUBJECT: Consider Response to Northstar Corridor Letter
In the attached August 4 letter to the city, the Northstar Corridor
Development Authority (NCDA) is requesting city comments on the entire
corridor plan, the Elk River commuter rail station location and design, and
the maintenance facility that is proposed in Elk River at 171st Avenue.
Comments are requested from the city prior to October 23, 2000. In order to
give the NCDA staff and consultants time to respond to our concerns prior to
the final submission of our issues on the proposal, staff is planning to forward
our "preliminary" comments to the NCDA next week.
Attached for your information is Senior Planner Scott Harlicker's comments
on the Elk River station location and design. The comments from the city on
the maintenance facility are going to be authored by the city attorney with
input from the planning department. A draft of this letter will be handed out
to the council on Monday evening. Staff is looking for council feedback on the
proposed preliminary comments. This issue will be back before the City
Council in early October 2000.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone (763) 441-7420 · Fax (763) 441-7425
August 4, 2000
NORTHSTAR
CORRIDOR
Patrick Klaers, Administrator
City of Elk River
13065 Orono Parkway
City of Elk River, MN 55330-0490
Dear Mr. Klaers:
We are pleased to submit to you for your review and approval the enclosed location and design
of the proposed Northstar Corridor commuter rail station to be located in your city, as required by
Minnesota Statute Section 174.86. Additionally, we ask that you review and comment on the
enclosed the Advanced Corridor Plan for the entire corridor.
The Northstar Corridor Commuter Rail Project extends 80 miles from downtown Minneapolis to
the City of Rice along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline railroad. As identified in the
attached Advanced Corridor Plan, the project includes twelve stations; related park and rides,
parking & other transportation facilities; and vehicle service and maintenance facilities. The
maintenance facility will be located in Elk River, 1/4 mile easterly of the Elk River station at 171st
Avenue North. We would very much welcome your comments on the attached conceptual
physical designs of these elements of the commuter rail project.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Northstar Corridor Development Authority
will hold a public hearing on the Advanced Corridor Plan on September 7, 2000 at 6:00 p.m. at
the Sherburne County Government Center. At the hearing, affected parties will have an
opportunity to present their views on the attached plan.
Your city council must act to approve or disapprove the station location and design proposed for
your city by Monday, October 23, 2000. If your city disapproves the station location and design,
you must describe specific amendments to the plan that would cause you to withdraw your
disapproval. Comments on the Advanced Corridor Plan from your jurisdiction must also be
submitted by Monday, October 23, 2000. All comments should be submitted to: Tim Yantos,
Project Director, Northstar Corridor Development Authority, 2100 3rd Ave, Anoka, MN 55303.
Thank you for your review, comments and for your ongoing participation in the Northstar Corridor
Commuter Rail Project. The attached Advanced Corridor Plan is the result of a lot of hard work
on the part of the affected cities, NCDA, and MnDOT. We look forward to receiving your
comments and to proceeding with the next phase of work on this very exciting project.
Sincerely,
~~ner
Minnesot8 Depsrtment of?~T~nsportation
ET:sc
Enclosure
Betsy Wergin, Chair
Northstar Corridor Development Authority
Northstar Corridor Commuter Rail Project
2100 3rd Avenue, Anoka, Minnesota 55303-2265 (763) 323-5700 Fax: (763) 323-5682
www.northstartrain.org
City of
River
August 24, 2000
Tim Yantos
Executive Director
Anoka Regional Railroad Authority
2100 Third Avenue
Anoka MN 55303
Dear Tim:
The City appreciates the opportunity to comment on the location and design of
the train station to be located in Elk River and the Advanced Corridor Plan for the
entire corridor. The City supports the overall corridor plan. The proposed station
location at 171st is satisfactory; however, the City will need additional information
on site development prior to submitting final comments.
After reviewing the development plans for the Elk River train station included as
part of the Northstar Corridor Advanced Corridor Plan, the City would like to
submit the following preliminary comments:
· No landscaping or lighting plans were provided.
Additional sidewalks along the central and northern drive aisles should be
provided. A sidewalk should also be provided along the east side of the
main access drive into the site. The sidewalks should be located in such a
way so the overhangs of parked cars do not affect them.
Material changes or pavement treatment for crosswalks, bus parking area
and car drop-off area.
Landscaped medians should be provided on the both sides of the northern
drive aisle. The islands located at the end of the rows of parking should be
landscaped and bordered with curb and gutter.
No restroom facilities, drinking fountains, phones, newspaper stands are
shown.
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone (763) 441-7420 · Fax (763) 441-7425
· There is a wetland on the site that will be filled. All necessary wetland
permits will have to be obtained.
· Concrete curb and gutter will have to be provided around all paved areas.
· The northeast corner of the parking lot should be squared out to better
delineate the end of the rows of parking.
The curved area at the southeast end of the parking lot should be bumped
out and squared off to better direct traffic around the curve and to restrict
parking around the outside curve.
· A large portion of the site is heavily wooded. A tree preservation plan
should be provided.
· In concept the preliminary grading and utility plan are acceptable;
however, no erosion control plan has been provided.
· The locations of the proposed access drives from Twin Lakes Road are
acceptable.
It is the City's preference that the access drives be private not public
roads. Cross access easements will have to be provided to allow access
into the adjacent future commercial property.
· There are overhead power lines running parallel to the railroad tracks
across the western end of the parking lot.
· The property will need to be platted.
It is the City's understanding that the MnDOT park and ride is incorporated
into the design of the station and MnDOT will begin construction of the
park and ride prior to final approval of the commuter train system. The City
does have a concern that in the event that the commuter train does not
happen, this may not be an appropriate location for the park and ride.
Please note, staff is working with the City Attorney on comments regarding the
maintenance facility. The City Attorney will comment on the maintenance facility
in a separate letter.
We hope that the above comments will be incorporated into revised plans. The
Planning Commission is scheduled to have an initial review of the plans on
September 13th and make a formal recommendation to the City Council on
September 26th. If possible we would like to include revised plans for the station
in the information packet for the September 13th Planning Commission meeting.
If you have any questions please give me a call at 441-4914.
S:\PLAN NING\SCO'I-~STATLET. DOC
Sincerely,
Scott Harlicker
Senior Planner
cc: BetsyWergin, NCPA
Dave Showalter, BRW
Dave Loch
Ken Stevens
S:\PLANNING\SCOTT~STATLET.DOC
3400 CITY CENTER
33 SOUTH SIXTH STREET
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402-3796
612 343-2800
F^x: 612 333-0066
WEB SITE: www. gpmlaw, com
CONSULTING OFFICE, BEltiNG CHINA
August 28, 2000
Dear Mr. Yantos:
The City of Elk River recently received its copy of the NorthStar Corridor
Development Authority ("Authority") Advanced Corridor Study. The development plans
provided in the study for the Elk River Maintenance Facility are incomplete. No
elevations or landscaping plans are provided, and the scale of the plan is not accurate.
Elk River is being asked to approve a Facility without knowing what it will look like,
how it will be accessed or how many acres it will require. The City would like to see
plans for the Maintenance Facility that are at the same scale and level of detail as the
Station Plans.
More importantly, the City is very concerned with the proposed location of the
Maintenance Facility, which is on land owned by Cargill, Incorporated. Cargill has been
a landowner and good corporate citizen of the City of Elk River for over 40 years.
Cargill has expressed to the City its desire to continue agricultural operations on all of its
property located within the City limits into the indefinite future. In response to this
desire, and after several years of very difficult negotiations, the City has entered into an
Agreement with Cargill which will remove all Cargill property from the City's Urban
Services Area and prohibit the City from assessing Cargill for sanitary sewer and water
for a period of 20 years. Condemnation of Cargill property for use as a Maintenance
Facility is not consistent with the City's agreement with Cargill, and would be contrary to
the best interests of both Cargill and the City.
For this reason and others, the City encourages the Authority to find another
location for the Maintenance Facility. There are at least two additional sites within the
City which appear to meet your site criteria and which have not been addressed in the
Advanced Corridor Study. These sites include City owned land located just southeast of
the Cargill Property, along the east side of the railroad tracks; and a privately owned
parcel located just across the railroad tracks from the City property. Attached is a map
indicating the location of these two parcels of property.
If the City property is the more desirable of these two sites, the City will make it
available to the Authority at a reasonable cost and without any delay. If the privately
owned parcel is deemed the more desirable, the City will commit to assisting the
GRAY, PLANT~ MOOTY~ MOOTY & BENNETT, P.A. ,4. TTORNEY$ AT LAW