Agenda - Economic Development Authority - 10/09/2014

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INTRODUCTION A Design Charette was conducted for the Highway 10 Access Planning Study. The Charette was conducted ap- proximately half way through the overall study process, after the development of existing conditions and issues identification and prior to the development of concept alternatives. The goal of the Design Charette was to collaborate with innovative experts from a wide range of backgrounds to understand the key issues and identify creative solutions. Participants in the Design Charette included planning and engineering staff from MnDOT, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Anoka County and the Cities of Ramsey and Anoka. Participants came from a wide range of backgrounds including some who were deeply involved in the study to other technical experts from various agencies that were not aware of the study prior to the Charette invitation. Property Owners/Business Meetings Three sets of property owners/business meetings were conducted in both Ramsey and Anoka over the course of the study. The purpose of these meetings were to engage these stakeholders on an individual or small group basis, listen to and understand their needs, build trust and educate on the transportation problems that needed to be addressed. These meetings were held early in the study phase to discuss study area issues, needs and opportunities, and again during the concept development phase and finally near the end of the study to collect input on the recommendations and implementation plan. In addition, several individual and small group business and property owner meetings were held during the study when requested. Project staff met with representatives of McDonalds, the Anoka -Ramsey Technical College, Plants-n-Things, and Tungsten St. area businesses. National Park Service Meeting A meeting was held with National Park Service staff to discuss potential impacts to the Mississippi National River Recreational Area (FORAM Critical Area Corridor. Area resources, including the Mississippi River West Regional Park, Mississippi River Regional Trail, and the oxbow on the Mississippi River at Kings Island were also discussed. Impacts to the oxbow should be avoided. Impacts to the park should be minimized. NPS staff was generally supportive of the approach and would like continued discussions to explore mutually beneficial partnerships as projects are implemented. Elected Official Updates Presentations were given to the Ramsey and Anoka City Councils, the Anoka County Board of Commissioners and the Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee at key milestones in the study's progress. This included a presentation to the city councils early in the study to discuss the problem statement and the toolbox of potential improvement concepts. A second presentation was provided to the city councils, Anoka County and Metropolitan Council near the end of the study to review the recommendations and implementation plan. In addition, Study Advisory Committee members were also tasked with keeping their respective elected officials updated on the study's progress, public feedback and findings. Public Open Houses Three public open house meetings were conducted. The first open house was held in September 2013 to gather input on the problem statement and existing conditions analysis. The second open house was conducted in February 2014 to review the range of concept alternatives under consideration. The final open house was held in June 2014 to solicit input and feedback on the study recommendations and implementation plan. Summaries from each of the public and stakeholder meetings described above are included in Appendix A. HIGHWAY 10 ACCESS PLANNING STUDY 12