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front of ~he buildings, they could be
<br /> planned closer to the activity generated
<br /> along d~e thoroughfare in the developing
<br /> transit corridor. Signs will be oriented
<br /> towards the roadway and are minimized;
<br /> they are designed to accommodate the
<br /> actual viewirlg requirements of 2 inch in
<br /> letter height for each 50 feet of viewing
<br /> distance. This allows for smaller signs
<br /> that still provide ample recognition.
<br /> Additional signs are planned for mounb
<br /> ~ng under the canopy that connects the
<br /> station building and retail areas. These
<br /> signs will be oriented perpendicular to
<br /> the building facade, and will assist
<br /> pedestrians to locate their destinations.
<br /> The proposed retail buildings are
<br /> designed to nave a residential character,
<br /> featuring hip and gable roofs, brick and
<br /> stone finishes, and cedar shake siding.
<br /> Outdoor eating areas, designed to gen-
<br /> erate the atmosphere of a pleasantly
<br /> landscaped honl.e garden patio, will be
<br /> available for all restaurant tenants.
<br /> South and west facinl~ exposures will
<br /> allow these seating areas to be used
<br /> into late fall. Moveable seating, umbrel-
<br /> las and large tal~les with comfortable
<br /> chairs are desigr~ed to encourage people
<br /> to stay and enjoy the space.
<br />
<br /> Financing
<br /> The CTS project demonstrates that
<br /> involving multiple agencies in transit
<br /> projects creatas opportunittes to obtain
<br /> funding from numerous sources. The
<br /> MVTA suomittad a funding request
<br /> based on the conclusions of the Pudli8
<br /> Facilities Study, and the Metropolitan
<br /> Council, the regional Planning Organiza-
<br /> tion, dedicated US$900,000 of =~eneral
<br /> bond money for land acquisition. To
<br /> fund the total land purchase cost of
<br /> US$:L.92 million, additional options
<br /> including Tax increment F~nancing (Tlr),
<br /> Certificates of Participation (COP) and
<br /> Economic Development Agency (EDA)
<br /> funding are being explored.
<br /> The City of Apple Valley has the
<br />power tO act as an EDA to secure the
<br />remaining funds for the land. These
<br />funds woulo be obtained in the form of
<br />a loan against future revenues from the
<br />project and assessments would be
<br />levied against the proper~y. For the City
<br />to oarticipate in th'is capacity, devel-
<br />opers would also need to be secured
<br />for all stages of the retail and commer-
<br />cial development.
<br /> To generate the necessary funds for
<br />project construction, the MVTA and the
<br />City of Apple Valley developed a joint
<br />submit[a] requesting a US$350,000
<br />grant under the Metropolitan Livable
<br />Communmes Act. If authorized by the
<br />¢vietropolitan Council in January 2997,
<br />tlqls grant will pay for some of the com-
<br />
<br />munity enhancing elements of the plan,
<br />such as multimodal pedestrian and bicy?
<br />cie connections between the' transit sta-
<br />tion and the surrounding land uses, high
<br />quality green spaces to provide a coun-
<br />terbalance for concentrated development
<br />patterns, information and technology
<br />improvements, and security entrance-
<br />ments. Allocation of these funds would
<br />serve the City of Apple Valley by provid-
<br />ing enhanced pedestrian and bicycle cir-
<br />culation and reducing automobile con-
<br />gestion, and also help the MVTA meet
<br />its goal of expanding multimodai connec-
<br />tions for transit access.
<br />
<br />"Moveable seating,
<br />umbrellas and large
<br />tables with comfortable
<br />chairs are designed to
<br />encourage people to stay
<br />and enjoy the space"
<br />
<br /> The nature of the CTS project means
<br /> that it meets criteria for consideration
<br /> under the US Federal Transit Adminis-
<br /> tration's Livable Communities Initiative,
<br /> and that application process is being
<br /> considered to finance further develop-
<br /> merit activities on the site.
<br /> At about the same time that the
<br />MVT. A was looking for CTS project fund-
<br />lng, the Oakota County Transportation
<br />Department was preparing a 2995 Inter-
<br />modal Surface Transportation Efficiency
<br />Act (ISTEA) Grant application for a high-
<br />way improvement project adjacent to
<br />the proposed CTS project site.
<br /> However, at the initial meeting of the
<br />multiple agencies participating in ,the CTS
<br />project, it was decided that ISTEA fund-
<br />lng requests for the CTS project and the
<br />adjacent Dakota County highway project
<br />should Pe combined. Integrating the two
<br />
<br /> allocated to multimodal development
<br /> projects, this pro-active partnering of
<br /> agencies and projects proved i~ighly
<br /> successful in securin8 a portion of the
<br /> necessary construction funds. The com-
<br /> bination of County and transit authority
<br /> projects helped the joint project score
<br /> the highest ranking of all the highway
<br /> projects submitted throughout
<br /> Minnesota that year, and resulted in the
<br /> application being approved.
<br /> As the planning process continued,
<br /> a new law passed during the 2.995/96
<br /> session of the Minnesota State Legis-
<br /> lature provided a potential opportunity
<br /> for the City of Apple Valley and the MVTA
<br /> to create a 'Special Service District'.
<br /> around the entire parcel. This would
<br /> allow the multi-agency partnership,
<br /> using the City of Apple Valley's assess-
<br /> ment authorities, to levy actual mainte-
<br /> nance and capital replacement costs to
<br /> all future landowners and leaseh'olders.
<br /> 8y transferring the burden, of mainte-
<br /> nance costs away from the transit
<br /> authority, the new law would enable the
<br /> transit authority to mandate enhanced
<br /> levets of maintenance while freeing up
<br /> transit funds previously dedicated to
<br /> that maintenance. Those funds may now
<br /> be used for transit service improve-
<br /> ments such as circulating shuttles
<br /> between the major activity centers of the
<br /> community and expanded reverse com-
<br /> mute service from urban areas to
<br /> increasingly concentrated suburban
<br /> employment centers.
<br />
<br />Coopel, ation
<br />The MVTA is also encouraging future
<br />inter-agency cooperation efforts with
<br />groups that are not involved in the pro-
<br />posed CTS project. These include poten-
<br />tial partnerships with the local school
<br />district to provide mid-day and school
<br />commute service fog students. Local
<br />schools lie along regularly scheduled
<br />routes, and the MVTA is currently provid-
<br />ing mid-day service for students who
<br />participate in work/study sessions dur-
<br />ing the school day.
<br /> This service has proven invaluable to
<br />
<br />projects would provide the opportunity students who have no other means of
<br />to enhance the functioning of the transit , travel, and can be readily replicated in
<br />corridor adjacent to the station site by other school districts and cities i'n the
<br />
<br />improving access off the highway, there-
<br />by increasing the efficiency of transit
<br />vehicle movement and improving park-
<br />and-ride vehicle access to the facility.
<br /> With assistance from LSA Design
<br />and the MVTA, multi-agency cooperation
<br />proauced a joint request for
<br />US$350,000 to fund the general con-
<br />struction of the parking surface, addi-
<br />tional pedestrian connections, and the
<br />bus staging area off the adjacent high-
<br />way. As ISTEA funding is preferentially
<br />
<br />MVTA service area. Expanding the ser-
<br />vice would allow other school districts
<br />and cities to take advantage of safe,
<br />well-designed transit stations for staging
<br />buses, and climate-controlled waiting
<br />areas for passenger transfers:
<br /> Through working with mutual sensi-
<br />· tivity to transit and community deeds,
<br />this project has tremendous potential
<br />for both economic sustainability and
<br />for revitalizing the image of transit
<br />throughout the MVTA system. 0
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<br />TERMINAL '96
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