Agenda - Planning Commission - 03/06/2014

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A thriving regional aviation system is an economic asset to the region, providing businesses and people with competitive access to the global economy. Airport access is particularly important for our region's corporate headquarters and industries dependent on travel and shipping high - value goods. Our system of reliever airports provides alternatives for general aviation that are dispersed across the region and creates options to using the Minneapolis -Saint Paul International Airport, the region's only commercial service airport. The Council reviews major capital projects of the Metropolitan Airports Commission and supports investment in airport facilities to keep pace with market needs and maintain the region's economic vitality. Our region has a competitive advantage over many regions in its multimodal freight system. With four Class I railroads (large railroads with a nationwide or continental network) and several short line railroads, barge shipping on the Mississippi River, and an extensive highway system anchored by two interstate highways, the freight movement system ensures the accessibility of the region to markets and raw materials. The region's freight system has four components: • Trucks, the workhorses of the local freight system, carry 75% of all freight in the region. They are the most flexible mode of the system but need nearby highway access, appropriate development patterns and predictable mobility to work efficiently. • Freight rail is used for longer -distance (500 miles or more) trips, moving materials, liquids, commodities or containerized goods, often in specialized cars, at low cost and with low carbon impact. Industries that ship these bulk products require direct access to freight rail. • Barges on the Mississippi River move bulk commodities such as aggregate, fertilizer, or grain long distances at very low cost and with low carbon impact. Barge traffic needs continued access to ports to succeed. • The final component of the freight system is the intermodal transfer facilities where freight can be moved between trucks, trains and barges. In addition to river ports, the region has two well -used major intermodal terminals —the BNSF Midway Hub in Saint Paul and the CP Shoreham Yard in Northeast Minneapolis —that serve the transition from rail to truck. In recent years, the rise of containerized shipping has made the transfer facilities even more critical to our freight system's efficiency. These transfer facilities have great value to regional economic competitiveness and should be recognized and protected. This interconnected freight system contributes to economic competitiveness by offering optimal shipping options for a variety of industries. Industrial land provides locations for exporting industries and good -paying jobs; the Council discourages redevelopment of industrial land in strategically important locations along rivers and railroads in the region into other uses. Local government plans should also consider the potential conflicts and impacts resulting from residential communities, commercial districts, and parklands encroaching upon existing industrial land uses. Some locations possess unique characteristics or assets that are significant to the regional economy —for example, airports, intermodal freight terminals, barge terminals, highways, freight railroads, and major manufacturers. Many of these locations serve region -wide needs despite a cost to the neighboring area —whether noise, nuisance or a loss of tax base. The Council will work with local communities to monitor and manage these land use conflicts and recommend solutions that balance the overall region's needs with local needs. DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Last revised: February 21, 2014 16