Joint Neighborhood Meeting with Charlene Zimmer on Downtown
Transportation Plan:
Charlene Zimmer, City of Minneapolis
Neighborhoods present were:  Loring Park (3), West Bank (1), DMNA (3),
Stevens Square (1),Elliot Park (2)These reps. take information to and from John
who is the rep. to the City-wide Task Force and to and from to the neighborhoods.

"Access Minneapolis" - 4 focus areas:
   Downtown Transportation Plan
   City-wide Transportation Plan
   New designs for Streetscapes and Sidewalks
   Streetcar Feasibility Study

Overview - The Task Force has been working on an Action Plan for 2
years.  John Van Heel, as the Downtown rep. to this group has created a
website, as
well as hosted Downtown neighborhood meetings to gather feedback to
direct his participation on this task force.

Purpose of this work is:
Support the projected growth of downtown/up by 50%, 40,000 new jobs,
and 150,000 new trips to downtown by automobiles
Walkable City (Pedestrian Task force has been set up; project by Ray
Harris)
Interconnect and expand bicycle network
Accommodate automobile increase

GOAL:  Multi-modal system that works well together - lay groundwork for
transit

Recommended changes for Downtown are:
- Widen transit lanes, double width on Marquette and 2nd so busses
can pass each other
- Skip Stop Configuration; 4 groups of busses each with certain
stops at different spots
- Nicollet Mall; Express busses will be removed; all busses will
be converted to Electric, hybrid models; no bicycles
- Create a Pedestrian Connector at 13th St. to Convention Center
- All Nicollet busses will operate from Washington and Grant;
entire length of Nicollet Mall.
They are discussing FARE options and are trying to get FREE or REDUCED
fares on Nicollet Mall.   Busses will stop only where shelters are.
- Attempting to utilize the busses on Nicollet as a "Shuttle 
System"
- consistent, good marketing, promote visitor use to and from 
Convention
Center to Downtown area.
- Bike lanes will be retained on 2nd & Marquette and Hennepin Ave.
- 8th Street/proposed to be the east-west spine of Downtown (Chicago
busses) and to
be 2-way, they are 1-way now.
-    Hennepin Ave. / proposing 2-way vs. 1-way streets and bike lanes.
Metro Transit would like dedicated lanes for busses, but the City feels
this
is not possible.  Not enough room.
-    Park / Portland not considered for streetcar route, though it has
been requested and some folks feel that the economic development
potential is
greater than on Chicago Ave.  But, they feel that the Portland/Park 
land
uses won't support street cars, making it less desirable.
-   15th Street bike connection completion between Elliot and Loring
Park; work to enhance pedestrian environment, green up, enhance freeway
edge vs. it as a barrier
-   Improve walking pedestrian environment with street furniture; work
with "Walking Minneapolis Non-Profit" - Ray Harris' group;
public-private
initiative to connect places, green enhancements, public gardens, 
public spaces and parks, streetscaping.

Question was raised that we needed to enhance pedestrian friendliness
between Library and river and Chicago Ave. and the Guthrie and Light
Rail.  Need improvements to Washington Ave. Bus Stations and need better signage.

***Idea was raised for the County to purchase the lot across from the
Library (when the merge goes thru) and develop that ugly parking lot
into a beautiful public park.

Elliot Park's focus is Chicago - more walkable and to -

****Get a direct Chicago Ave. busline to the Light Rail station

Elliot Park interested in 10th Street as a pedestrian walkway and 9th
Street due to its designation as a historic street.   This proposal has
8th Street identified as the pedestrian path because of its designated
transit use.  Charlene thought that Chicago and 8th area could be a 
good fit for Metro
Livable Communities funding/Met Council.   Charlene stated that she
originally proposed 9th street due to its historic nature and because
she felt 8th was a little too far to the  north.  Biggest issue for 
Elliot Park is edges.

Charlene stated that the east side of downtown provides great
opportunities to make pedestrian friendly environment and promote
"walkable Minneapolis".

Folks brainstormed on common neighborhood projects:
   Freeway edges
   Pedestrian signage / West Bank is working on a model for this
   Inter-active Map (equipment)
   Walking paths/links to hook us up together
   Bike path & connections to each other
   Economic Development (Nicollet Ave./Bridging over Freeway)

There is a new Pedestrian Advisory Committee being set up with the goal
of creating a Pedestrian master plan.  Jana reported that Jan Sandberg
from
Loring Park had been selected and Diane Hansen from Stevens Square, as
well as Sara Harris.   Charlene reported that the staff person from
Public works assigned is Anna Flintoft.

Charlene also reported that due to limited resources, this "10-year
Plan" goes over 10 years.  Very little funding available.

***  Elliot Park felt that Streetcars on Chicago could be complimentary.
Streetcars would be a way to "extend the walk through Elliot Park" and
they are favorable to that.

Majority of service on Nicollet and Central will be hybrid.   Engine
goes off when idling.  Energy conservation - used on local routes and
environmental benefit.  Cost of hybrid busses are 50% more than clean
Diesel busses, but M & R is less.   50-60 Hybrid busses are needed for
Nicollet.  Metro Transit goal is 150 in 50 years.

Bike lanes may need special signaling for safety on the edges of
Downtown.  Detailed plans of the bicycle component will be put together
and then
reviewed by the Bicycle Advisory Committee before going to the City.
They want to design intersections better and define bike
lanes better; not too much sign clutter, will try to keep signage at 
and on pavement level.

Streetcar Study -

Charlene reported that with limited funding available, streetcar pilot
line selected would need to be a local and private initiative.   They
are
looking at:
Corridors with high level of bus service.  Whether or not service
would be improved if busses were replaced with streetcars.
Would streetcars enhance and be a catalyst for development
If a catalyst, can the city capture that added value as a means to
finance streetcars?

Phase I - 14 corridors were reviewed

Phase II - Down to 10 corridors, now assessing cost implications, land
use, operating issues, and economic development potential.  
Out of Phase II, a long-range streetcar system.

Phase III - To determine the shortest, most operable segment.  Most
cities started with a line 2 miles or less.  They will be detemining
which lines
are good starter lines and assess development interest.

Access Works Priorities:

Downtown Transportation plan tied down and approved; move toward
Capital Expense funding and grant proposals

Complete the city-wide plan; looking to March/April for community
meetings; Jana suggested no less than a 45 day post to get out to
stakeholders so
that can adequately plan and build into existing meeting structure.

Complete streetscape design work Streetcar study

Question was raised as to the development of an east-west pedestrian
mall like Nicollet.  Answer was no.

West Bank - Want light rail stop on Cedar Ave.   Wants dialogue
with the University.
There is a proposal for streetcar on Washington that would turn on
Nicollet to the Convention center.

Question raised on Circulator downtown - Charlene reported that when
the idea for the circulator came up years ago, the goals were to a)
serve the visitor market, b) intercept peak
Period busses at Washington and Lemington and then transfer to
circulator to get into downtown, and c) provide connection between 
light rail and convention center.

They are attempting to meet the above goals with the proposed 
Hybrid, electric busses on Nicollet.

This Downtown Action Plan will go the the Steering committee on Feb.
22nd and Charlene is hoping for them to endorse it.  Between then and
now, forward comments to John to bring to this meeting on the proposal
distributed tonight.

Charlene concluded with reporting that they hoped to re-build<8th
Street to enhance the pedestrian environment and bus usage with bump
outs, better
   intersections, and it is proposed to be "far side" (where bus stops
are located at the beginning of the block as related to the direction of flow).






































K