Minutes - Public Works Committee - 01/20/2004

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:I I II ! I I ! ! I ! I I I I CO~NtTY/OAY OA,q~ PLAY OAY C.~I= Plan of the Apple Valley Community Transit Station single-lane roadway, softened by a tree- lined central median and on-street parai. lei parking, defines the border between residential and commercial uses, and functions as the north-south spine. Residential activities are oriented to the pedestrian paths while retail and entertainment uses, which generate traf- fic from off-site, are oriented to streets. Central. to the needs of both transit rid- ers and residents, a day-care facility is planned for the transitional space between the transit/retail and residen- rial uses, and its location along the north-south street will enable curb-side drop-off and pickup for parents and employee parking in the shared park- and-ride lot to the west of the roadway. These two features avoid a situation in which the day-care facility is bordered by nothing but asphalt parking lots. Instead, this facility will open onto the play area located within the community green, and will share use of the play area with the surrounding community duri(~g evenings and weekends. The careful placement of the play area within viewing distance of the senior housing center provides a vital and playful view- scape to the senior residents, and also increases community safety by allowing older community residents to oversee the public open space. The designers also concluded that it would be desirable for buses to enter the site directly from the adjacent transit corridor via a bus-only leA-turn access. If the proposed design is approved, this circulation pattern will provide the short- est possible route for buses by com- pletely eliminating circuitous movements within the site or through the surround- ing neighborhoods. Transit station The transit station building is planned as a i,600A2 two.story structure with natural lighting throughout a climateo controlled atrium waiting area. The open configuration of the floor plan will create access opportunities through the build- ing from the east and west sides, pro- riding excellent circulation opportunities for pedestrians using the park-and-ride lot and adjacent retail spaces. LSA Design's plans call for a continuous canopy to connect the station with the retail spaces, thereby providing a cov- ered path to. all station area businesses. The waiting area is designed to incor- porate advanced information technology, such as real-time bus locater maps, computerized scheduling information systems, and state-of-the-art security systems. The station is programmed to function as a center for community infor- mation, providing a computerized cpm- munity calendar system allowing passen- gers and area residents to review activi- ties, buy tickets to local sporting and cultural events, and order dinner to pick up on returning after the work day. The MVTA has learned that providing a comfortable, safe and convenient wait- ing space increases the need for short- term parking. Kiss-and-ride activity, or transit passengers being dropped off at a station rather than driving themselves, has increased greatly since the MVTA opened the Burnsville Transit Station, and the same is expected at the pro- posed Apple Valley facility. To accommo- date this need, the circular busway will include a conveniently large drop-off location, allowing passenger cars to deliver a transit user quickly and then move off the site. Park and ride facility Designed to accommodate nearly 800 vehicles within a neighborhood setting, the master plan calls for situating the park-and-ride lots along the eastern side of the retail buildings, creating excellent access from all directions, in addition to two western entrances directly off the transit corridor, there is a planned right- in movement on the southern border of 'the site designed to intercept north- bound cars and direct them into the park-and-ride lots from the east. The PASSENGER. TERPv~INAL -30-