PLANNING STATION AREA PLANNING FINAL REPORT for the 4 proposed commuter rail stations along the southeast AREA portion of the Red Rock Corridor: • ST. PAUL (LOWER AFTON) • NEWPORT • COTTAGE GROVE (LANGDON VILLAGE) STATION • HASTINGS Sponsored by Red Rock Corridor Commission (RRCC) REPORT 11660 Myeron Road N Stillwater, MN 55082 CORRIDOR 651.430.4300 ROCK RED FINAL RED ROCK CORRIDOR Blank Page ii Station Area Planning Final Report - January 2012 RED ROCK CORRIDOR FUNDING PARTNERS This study was funded by federal funds from the Federal Transit Ad- ministration (FTA) through a grant agreement between Washington County Regional Railroad Authority (WCRRA) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) The local match is provided by the Regional Railroad Authorities of Washington, Ramsey and Dakota Counties as part of their contribu- tions to the Red Rock Corridor Commission. A portion of the funding for this study was also provided by the Counties Transit Improvement Board. The Counties Transit Im- provement Board is taking regional transit to the next level in the metropolitan area. Since April 2008, five counties – Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington – have utilized a quarter-cent sales tax and a $20 a motor vehicle sales tax, permitted by the Min- nesota Legislature, to invest in and advance transitway projects by awarding annual capital and operating grants. The Counties Transit Improvement Board works in collaboration with the Metropolitan Council and Carver and Scott counties. iii Station Area Planning Final Report - January 2012 RED ROCK CORRIDOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Red Rock Corridor Commission Authority HAY DOBBS (Lead Firm): Joe Harris, Chair; Dakota County Barbara Dacy, Executive Director • Tom Dobbs, Principal, Planner, Project Manager Jen Peterson, Vice-Chair; City of Cottage Grove • Gary Hay, Principal, Planner Mark Stenglein, Hennepin County Dakota County • Kristin Petersen, Planner, Assistant Project Manager • Tom Johnson, Public Relations (Former) Janice Rettman, Ramsey County Sam O’Connell, Senior Transit Specialist Autumn Lehrke, Washington County PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF: Myra Peterson, Washington County (Former) Goodhue County John Hunziker, City of St. Paul Park • Phil Pasterak, Implementation Manager Barb Hollenbeck, City of Hastings Ken Bjornstad, Deputy Director Public Works • Charles Collins, Senior Transit/Rail Engineer Jim Keller, Denmark Township • Tushar Advani, Project Architect Steve Gallagher, City of Newport Metropolitan Council Corbin Hopkins, City of Newport (Former) Steve Elmer, Planning Analyst BONESTROO: Lee Helgen, City of St. Paul Karen Lyons, Senior Planner • Jay Demma, Market Research Specialist Cam Gordon, City of Minneapolis • Scott Israelson, Traffic Engineer Ex-Officio Members: Goodhue County, Prairie Island Mn/DOT • Ciara Schlichting, Environmental Planner Indian Community, City of Red Wing, Canadian • Theresa Maahs, Project Engineer Jon Solberg, Senior Transportation Planner • Tyler Newhall, Project Engineer Pacific Railway Bob Vockrodt, Senior Transportation Planner (Former) Citizen’s Advisory Committee PIERCE PINI & ASSOCIATES: Metro Transit • Peter Muehlbach, Project Engineer Betsy Leach, St. Paul Scott Thompson, Senior Transit Planner Mary Ann Newman, Newport TUNHEIM PARTNERS: Gregory Hanson, Newport City of Hastings • Darin Broton, Account Supervisor Emily White, Newport John Hinzman, Planning Director • Stephanie Trow, Account Executive Richard Remackel, Cottage Grove • Kristin Gast, Account Executive (Former) Perry de Stefano, Cottage Grove City of Cottage Grove Lynn Moratzka, Hastings DUAN CORP: Ron Toppin, Hastings John Burbank, Senior Planner • Frank Duan, President Sandi Dingle, St. Paul Park Howard Blin, City Administrator (Former) Skip Soleim, Denmark Township PIXEL FARM City of Newport Washington County Brian Anderson, City Administrator FRANZ REPROGRAPHICS Andy Gitzlaff, Senior Planner and Project Manager Ted Schoenecker, Transportation Planning Manager City of St. Paul Christina Morrison, City Planner Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority Allen Lovejoy, Principal Planner Josh Olson, Planning Specialist Consulting Team Washington County Housing and Redevelopment iv Station Area Planning Final Report - January 2012 RED ROCK CORRIDOR TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CORRIDOR OVERVIEW PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS STATION AREA PLANNING STUDY PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND VISION TOD PLANNING APPROACH RAIL ANALYSIS - CORRIDOR WIDE MARKET ASSESSMENT 1-27 IMPLEMENTATION & NEXT STEPS LOWER AFTON LOCATION & CONTEXT STATION AREA VISION TECHNICAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY STATION AREA PLANS 29-43 IMPLEMENTATION & NEXT STEPS NEWPORT LOCATION & CONTEXT STATION AREA VISION TECHNICAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY STATION AREA PLANS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION 45-59 IMPLEMENTATION & NEXT STEPS (Available under separate cover) LANGDON VILLAGE LOCATION & CONTEXT STATION AREA VISION 1 Study Area Inventory and Baseline Analysis Technical Report TECHNICAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY STATION AREA PLANS 2 Public Involvement Activities Summary 61-77 IMPLEMENTATION & NEXT STEPS 3 Market Assessment Memo HASTINGS LOCATION & CONTEXT 4 Environmental Analysis Memo STATION AREA VISION 5 Cost Estimate Memo TECHNICAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY STATION AREA PLANS 6 Implementation Plan and TOD Guide 79-95 IMPLEMENTATION & NEXT STEPS v Station Area Planning Final Report - January 2012 RED ROCK CORRIDOR Blank Page vi Station Area Planning Final Report - January 2012 RED ROCK CORRIDOR RAIL COMMUTER CORRIDOR ROCK INTRODUCTION RED 1 Station Area Planning Final Report - January 2012 RED ROCK CORRIDOR Ramsey Hennepin County County 35E 694 35W Bottineau Corridor CORRIDOR OVERVIEW Northstar 94 NE Diagonal / Highway 36 Rush Line Location and Context 694 394 Minneapolis Central Corridor Union Depot Interchange St. Paul 94 Gateway Corridor The Red Rock Corridor runs from Hastings, MN through down- Southwest LRT Hiawatha 35W town St Paul to Minneapolis. The corridor is approximately 30 miles Mississippi River 35W BRT LRT in length—11 miles from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. LOWER Washington erview AFTON Paul and 19 miles from St. Paul to Hastings. The corridor includes Riv County Trunk Highway (TH) 61 and Interstate 94 and both the Canadian Cedar Ave BRT 35E Rob NEWPORT 494 Pacific (CP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) mainlines ert Street with connections to the Union Depot in St Paul and the Interchange 61 in Minneapolis. COTTAGE GROVE The Corridor has regional, statewide, and national significance as a Dakota HASTINGS primary transportation route for automobile, truck, and rail travel. County TH 61 is a principal arterial and part of the National Highway and Future extension to National Scenic Byway systems. Prairie Island Indian Community and Red Wing Population growth in the study area has been increasing and is KEY projected to continue to increase at a rate higher than the core Red Rock Corridor of both Minneapolis and St. Paul. In the southeastern portion of Alternative Route to Minneapolis Minnesota High-Speed Rail Goodhue the study area, beyond I-494, population growth rates range from Phase 2 Route MINNESOTA County HIGH-SPEED RAIL two times higher than the study area average for Hastings to three Other Regional Transitways times higher for Cottage Grove. Although the highest employment Continues to Madison, densities in the study area are in the downtowns of both St. Paul Milwaukee, and Chicago and Minneapolis, the highest employment growth, in terms of overall percent of change, is projected for the other corridor communities. Despite the growth in some of the outlying areas, 94 percent of the Highway 61 is the principalRED ROCK arterial CORRIDOR serving the transportation ROUTE needs term transit investment for the corridor. Expanding bus service, jobs in the study area are within Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the of the corridor.Red RockThe CorridorMetropolitan Station Area Council Planning projections and Site Master for 2030Planning increasing bus frequency and providing additional park-and-ride primary commute pattern is to these downtowns. This pattern is show the entire length of Highwaywww.RedRockRail.org 61 in the study area as a con- facilities are the strategies towards building transit ridership in the expected to continue into 2030. gested corridor. With the projected traffic growth and no planned corridor prior to the construction of commuter rail. The Com- improvements, all key locations on Highway 61, including ramps and muter Bus Feasibility Study completed by the Red Rock Corridor Metro Transit currently operates peak-period bus service on Routes intersections, are forecast to operate at Level of Service (LOS) F Commission in 2009 outlines a preferred service development plan 361 and 365 between Cottage Grove and the downtowns of St. Paul during both peak periods in year 2030. The existing bus service is that is both cost-effective and generates a high level of ridership. and Minneapolis. The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) also con- equally affected by congestion on Highway 61 and I-94. No transit Several cities in the study area have also adopted land use and/or tracts for peak period service on Route 364 from Cottage Grove, alternative is currently available from Hastings to downtown St. Paul comprehensive plans supportive of transit improvements prior to St. Paul Park and Newport to downtown St. Paul. Park-and-ride lots or downtown Minneapolis. the initiation of the Station Planning Study. A number of the plans on Lower Afton Road in St Paul and in Cottage Grove are currently are