Correction — The original version of the this story stated that a public meeting would be held on March 24 regarding the design of the 29th Avenue Central Corridor station. In actuality, the issue will be discussed at a PPERRIA membership meeting that night, as outlined in this now-amended article.

Community stakeholders are weighing in on two options for the alignment of the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) station planned to go into the neighborhood at 29th Avenue Southeast, near University Avenue.

At its March 24 membership meeting (7–9 p.m. at Prospect Park United Methodist Church, AMlcolm and Orlin avenues Southeast) the Prospect Park/East River Road Improvement Association (PPERRIA) will “adopt a position on LRT issues, including the planned 29th Ave Station,” wrote PPERRIA President Dick Poppele in email to The Bridge. “The position that is adopted at that meeting will be forwarded to the Met Council as representing the input from the neighborhood residents,” he wrote.

Central Corridor project planners, who will finalize a 29th Avenue Southeast station alignment in mid-April, have rejected some other previous options, including one that was based on the 2006 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), due to “significant impacts to properties,” according to Met Council information.

But the alternatives also come with significant challenges, such as “Maintaining through-traffic on 29th Avenue Southeast, providing access to buildings and parking lots and accommodating traffic and pedestrian movements,” the Met Council statement reads.

Gary Erickson, a Met Council engineer, presented the remaining options at a crowded community meeting at St. Francis Cabrini Church on Thursday, Feb. 28. One possibility is for the platform to run down the center of 29th Avenue Southeast, north of University; or, by way of two parking lots between Southeast Fourth Street and the University of Minnesota bus transitway.

But some community members are worried about the fate of the businesses and property that are closest to the proposed alignments, especially the tenants of the old Kemps building on University Avenue, which includes Overflow Espresso Café, Children’s Village Montessori and Anytime Fitness, which could lose property, access and parking.

John DeWitt, who chairs PPERRIA’s transportation committee, said that despite such concerns, neighbors have been anticipating the light-rail development for years. In 2001, PPERRIA members voted in favor of a line that would run down University Avenue, not vis-à-vis the U of M’s transitway, he said. Based on that decision, the neighborhood group produced a 32-page report with design guidelines for the transit corridor that encourages ridership while also preserving the historic area’s character.

If a consensus on the current alternatives isn’t reached, however, the 29th Avenue Southeast LRT station could be eliminated altogether, said Central Corridor Communications Manager Laura Baenen via e-mail.

As a part of the project, she explained, University Avenue will need to be widened between the St. Paul “Westgate” station (just west of Highway 280 near the Minneapolis/St. Paul border) and the 29th Avenue Southeast station. But which side of the street should be expanded is still up in the air. One possibility is to “hold” the southern curb line, “widening on the north side, which would mean loss of trees on this side and relocation of sidewalks on this side closer to buildings,” said Baenen. Or, the southern side could be expanded, with the same kinds of curbside implications.

A third option is for University Avenue to be widened evenly on both the north and south sides, for which trees and sidewalks on both sides would need to be taken out and/or moved.
On-street parking along 29th Avenue Southeast also displaces trees and sidewalks, but some community members say that losing it altogether could be detrimental to businesses and even light rail passengers (who need to park near the line). Other community members would rather see more green space instead of parking. Some other details are also still being debated, such as potential left turn lanes at Bedford and Malcolm avenues, proposed to keep traffic going.
Molly Barnard, who co-owns the Overflow Café with other family members, attended the recent community meeting. Right now, patrons get a stunning view of a pond with their java but she worries that in time, they’ll be overlooking the light-rail line from the fancy deck that wraps around the café.

Ironically, the owners of the year-old coffee shop recently won an award to beautify the Central Corridor. “We’ve been supportive of light-rail all along, but now the line would go right through the pond,” said Barard. “Our concern is for the health of the business. We want to keep our property accessible and beautiful.”

Richard Herod, a consultant to Anytime Fitness, which is housed in the same building as Overflow Café, said many people drive to the gym and park in the nearby parking lot. “The last meeting was the first time there had been discussion about light-rail destroying the parking lot. It’s the only gym in the neighborhood,” he said. “It’s sad the Met Council isn’t working with businesses to save them.”

PPERRIA president Dick Poppele said these concerns raise questions about how the Met Council will help out the community during the transition, before light-rail construction is completed. “During the two years of construction, it’ll be a big mess,” said Poppele. “Some business owners are worried it will shut them before it’s built. That’s a major concern, but I think there’s a way through this.”

last revised: March 21, 2008

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