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East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1.0 Introduction 1.0 Introduction ---PAGE BREAK--- East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1 Introduction 1 - 1 1.1 Study Area The study area for the Anoka County East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study is the 5.1-mile segment of East River Road (CSAH 1) between Interstate 694 (I-694) in Fridley and Trunk Highway 610 (TH 610) in Coon Rapids, Exhibit 1-3 (next page). In order to consider east-west connections and connectivity to the corridor, it also included the area between the Mississippi River and University Avenue (TH 47). 1.2 Study Purpose East River Road is a vital transportation link for Fridley, Coon Rapids, and Anoka County. It serves many stakeholders in the region, providing local access for residents and businesses and providing an alternate route to and from Minneapolis for commuters and pass-through traffic. The Fridley and Coon Rapids 2030 Comprehensive Plans and Anoka County’s 2030 Transportation Plan forecast increased traffic pressure on this corridor in the next 20 years and identify the need to identify short-term and long-term transportation improvements. Working with the cities of Fridley and Coon Rapids, Anoka County’s primary objectives for the study were focused on concepts for improving safety and mobility in the East River Road corridor, while maintaining the residential nature of the corridor and also considering improvements to enhance its appearance and economic vitality. This study presents existing conditions along the corridor and traffic forecasts for the planning horizon year of 2030. This study documents the data and analysis used to develop and screen alternatives and recommends concepts for implementation that address identified safety and mobility needs. The study does not anticipate reconstruction of the corridor to occur at one time. Rather, the identified concepts will be implemented over time as funding allows. 1.3 Study Process In order to develop concepts and recommendations for long-term redevelopment and transportation improvements along the corridor, several features required review in concert with an inclusive stakeholder outreach program. Land use, demographics, transit, trails, safety, access, traffic, freight movements, as well as environmental and cultural constraints were reviewed to understand existing conditions and evaluate options for corridor improvements. Public or elected officials, project committees and other stakeholders were engaged over a 2-year process to document existing conditions and develop recommendations, including an implementation (phasing) plan. 1.3.1 Project Participants Project Committees Two committees were formed for the East River Road project: a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and a Public Advisory Committee (PAC). Both committees played important roles in project decision-making by providing input and guidance throughout the project process. The TAC and PAC also worked toward creating a unified voice in support of the project. The TAC met to review issues and concerns along the project corridor from a technical point of view. Members provided input into the development of alternatives and other project components, while also representing the issues and priorities of their respective jurisdictions. TAC members are listed in Exhibit 1-1. In addition to the TAC members listed, staff from Metropolitan Council was also copied on invitations to TAC meetings. Exhibit 1-1. Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Members Name Organization Title/Role Garwood, Kate Anoka County Multimodal Transportation Manager Parent, Matt Anoka County Transportation Planner Pizzo, Gina Anoka County Engineer Rose, Jane Anoka County Traffic Engineering Manager Tranby, Cindy Anoka County Health and Environmental Services Harris, Rachel City of Fridley Environmental Planner Hickok, Scott City of Fridley Community Development Director Jones, Julie City of Fridley Planning Manager Kosluchar, Jim City of Fridley Public Works Director Gatlin, Steve City of Coon Rapids Public Services Director Nevinski, Marc City of Coon Rapids Community Development Director Coyle, Dan Kimley-Horn and Associates Engineering Concepts Lead Danielson, Paul Kimley-Horn and Associates Project Manager Harrington, Tom Kimley-Horn and Associates Visual Quality Lead Kuhnau, JoNette Kimley-Horn and Associates Traffic Lead Laabs, Jessica Kimley-Horn and Associates Public Involvement Lead, Deputy Project Manager Members of the PAC were briefed four times over the course of the project to provide a broader policy perspective on corridor issues. PAC members also served as a communication link to constituents and their respective boards/committees regarding the project. TAC members were present at PAC meetings to present project information and share information between the committees. Exhibit 1-2 lists the PAC members. Exhibit 1-2. Public Advisory Committee (PAC) Members Name Jurisdiction Title Jim Kordiak Anoka County Commissioner Carol LeDoux Anoka County Commissioner Robyn West Anoka County Commissioner Ann Bolkcom City of Fridley Council Member Bob Barnette City of Fridley Council Member Paul Johnson City of Coon Rapids Council Member Scott Schulte City of Coon Rapids Council Member Additional Stakeholders and Participants A project mailing list was developed using county parcel ownership data covering the entire study area, including all along East River Road, and east-west between the Mississippi River and the east side of University Avenue. This included over 5,500 unique addresses, including apartment units. This list was used primarily for the mailing of notifications in advance of each public open house. ---PAGE BREAK--- East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1 Introduction 1 - 2 Exhibit 1-3. Study Area ---PAGE BREAK--- East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1 Introduction 1 - 3 Goals of the Public Involvement Process 1. Facilitate active and collaborative participation by local units of government 2. Help the public to feel comfortable with the proposed project and the process of decision-making 3. Collect public input to make a better project In addition to the stakeholders who participated in the TAC and PAC, and who received project notifications, other specific stakeholders were contacted throughout the course of the project so the project team could gain a better understanding of the potential issues that could affect the outcome of this study. These included the Fridley and Anoka-Hennepin School Districts; the City of Fridley Fire Department, Police Department, and Emergency Management Services (EMS); City of Coon Rapids Fire Department; and U.S. Corrugated, one of the industries located at the south end of the corridor. 1.3.2 Public Involvement A public involvement plan was developed at the beginning of the project to describe and get project team agreement on the key activities to be used to engage stakeholders in the project. The goals and objectives of the public involvement process were to: 1. Facilitate active and collaborative participation by local units of government. ■ ■ Give a voice to the cities of Fridley and Coon rapids, and to Anoka County and cities within the corridor. ■ ■ Use project committee participation to keep elected officials informed. ■ ■ Keep lines of communication open. 2. Help the public to feel comfortable with the proposed project and the process of decision-making. ■ ■ Build trust between stakeholders and the TAC. ■ ■ Keep key stakeholders engaged throughout the entire process. ■ ■ Let stakeholders know why their participation is important. 3. Collect public input to make a better project. ■ ■ Give the public enough information to be able to make meaningful comments on the project. ■ ■ Keep lines of communication open. ■ ■ Be respectful of public ideas and input. ■ ■ Consider public input when making decisions. The intended outcome of the public involvement efforts was for stakeholders to feel satisfied with their participation in the effort and to have assisted the cities and the County in creating a project that meets the overall objectives. It was important to the project team that the public feel positive about their contribution and feel ownership in the project that will last through subsequent phases. This was accomplished through a variety of techniques, described below. Public Open Houses and Neighborhood Meetings The backbone of the public involvement program was a series of public open houses, supplemented with meetings in each “neighborhood” along the corridor. Prior to each meeting, the project mailing list was used to send out a notification postcard. Press releases were also sent to the Coon Rapids Herald, Fridley Sun Focus, and Fridley Patch. Public Open House #1 (Visioning Workshop)—September 2010 This first opportunity for public engagement occurred in the form of two meetings; one on September 16, 2010 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM and a repeat of the same meeting on September 21, 2010 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Both meetings were held at Fridley Community Center. These meetings were conducted in more of a workshop style with a presentation followed by breaking out into smaller groups for discussion of five specific questions. The focus of these meetings was to solicit citizen input on the vision for the East River Road Corridor. There were over 140 attendees at the two meetings combined. Specific feedback from these meetings is summarized in Section 1.4, Corridor Vision. Public Open House #2—March 2011 The second opportunity for engagement was also conducted with two meetings, both held on March 3, 2011 at Fridley Community Center (3:00PM to 5:00PM and 6:00PM to 8:00PM). A project presentation was given at a set time during each meeting. The purpose of these meetings was to share what was heard in the vision meetings, as well as present the existing conditions analysis and preliminary ideas for corridor improvements. A key message at these meetings was that the corridor would not be widened by adding lanes. Over 100 people were in attendance at the two meetings. Neighborhood Meetings—Fall 2011 As the concepts for the corridor were refined and developed further, access changes became a prevalent theme. The need for outreach to each “neighborhood” became clear as the project developed. Outreach events were planned to discuss specific potential access closures and gain a better understanding of how neighborhoods may be affected by the proposed changes from the residents themselves. A series of five neighborhood meetings were held in the corridor; most held outside in the neighborhood, on the site of one of the side streets being considered for closure in the form of a cul-de-sac. Meetings were well-attended in each of the five areas: ■ ■ September 6, 2011—Stonybrook/Rickard Road area ■ ■ September 13, 2011—Rivers Edge Way/South of Mississippi Boulevard area (held in Fridley City Hall due to weather) ■ ■ September 20, 2011—Locke Lake area ■ ■ September 27, 2011—Riverview Heights area ■ ■ November 14, 2011—Coon Rapids area (held at Fire Station No. 1) At each of these meetings, the concept layouts were displayed on a table and residents were encouraged to mark on the maps and speak with staff about their potential concerns. Public Open House #3—January 2012 The final opportunity for engagement was also conducted with two meetings, both held on January 18, 2012 at Fridley Community Center (3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM). A project presentation was given at a set time during each meeting. The purpose of these meetings was to present the final recommendations and implementation plan for roadway and trail concepts, and visual quality improvements. This was the final opportunity for the public to provide feedback on the recommendations before they would become part of this final report and move forward for city and county approval. Approximately 140 people were in attendance at the two meetings. Additional Stakeholder Meetings Two meetings were held with the Fridley and Anoka-Hennepin School Districts, which provided valuable input into the development of concepts by providing information about school bus routes and the walking habits of school children. The City of Fridley Fire Department, Police Department, and EMS were also engaged so these agencies could ensure that emergency access could be adequately maintained under the proposed concepts. The Police Department also offered ---PAGE BREAK--- East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1 Introduction 1 - 4 suggestions for providing “enforcement pads,” or places where police vehicles could park and turn around while working to enforce the speed limit on East River Road. The City of Fridley also met with U.S. Corrugated, one of the industries located at the south end of the corridor. This meeting helped the project team understand the delivery routes and schedules going through this more industrial area. Project Website A project website was made available at http://ww2.anokacounty.us/v3_highway/EastRiverRoadCorridorStudy.aspx. Information available on the website included a project description, information on the TAC and PAC, summaries of past and upcoming public meetings, completed documents such as the visioning summary and existing conditions report, a milestone schedule, and contact information. The website was typically updated prior to and following each public meeting opportunity. Those signed up for updates through the website received periodic project emails. An overall summary of the public involvement activities is shown in Exhibit 1-4. Exhibit 1-4. Public Involvement Activities and Timing Jun 10 Jul 10 Aug 10 Sep 10 Oct 10 Nov 10 Dec 10 Jan 10 Feb 11 Mar 11 Apr 11 May 11 Jun 11 Jul 11 Aug 11 Sep 11 Oct 11 Nov 11 Dec 11 Jan 12 Feb 12 Mar 12 Apr 12 TAC meetings PAC meetings City Council meetings Stakeholder meetings Public Open Houses Neighborhood Meetings News Releases Website updates 1.4 Corridor Vision The first step for the corridor study was to develop a corridor vision through a collaborative effort with the public. Two meetings were held in September 2010 as summarized above in Section 1.3.2. In each of these meetings, attendees were broken into smaller discussion groups and asked five questions to gather feedback on perceptions of East River Road and to understand how people would like to see the corridor develop into the future. The questions asked were: 1. What do you like about this corridor? 2. What don’t you like about this corridor? 3. What is your vision for the future of this corridor? 4. What barriers are there to achieving your vision? 5. What improvements are necessary to achieve your vision? 1.4.1 Stakeholder Feedback Following the discussion, each person was given sticker dots and asked to review their group notes and prioritize their top responses for each of the five questions. Each group then reported their results to the larger group. Stakeholder feedback is summarized as follows. Likes People had a lot to like about the corridor; one comment even noted that the person liked “everything” and that it should be left as it is. People liked the greenery, nature, and wildlife present along the corridor. They appreciated the bike paths and residential trails that were available to them. People liked that the corridor was predominantly residential; they liked the neighborhood feel of the corridor. Some commented that the corridor had a parkway or boulevard feel. Attendees also commented on how much they liked the easy access to downtown and major freeways. They liked that the signals are spaced relatively far apart and are timed well. Public Open House January 2012. ---PAGE BREAK--- East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1 Introduction 1 - 5 Dislikes The predominant dislike recorded was freight traffic along the corridor, with Con-Way trucks noted specifically. People felt that the roadway generates a lot of noise. People were also concerned with speeding along the corridor and inconsistent speed limits along its length. They thought that the corridor had inadequate and inconsistent bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Access management was a common concern. It was stated that the recent construction projects limited access and the viability of some properties and results in “dangerous maneuvers (U-turns).” In addition, people were concerned about potential property loss, fearing that existing neighborhoods would be sacrificed for growth in northern Anoka County. Vision The predominant vision for the East River Road corridor was to expand University Avenue, Central Avenue (TH 65), and TH 252 to accommodate increased north-south travel demand. Most people thought that the East River Road corridor should remain a four-lane facility. Participants also said they would like East River Road to have more of a boulevard feel, with more trails and greenway – a bike-friendly corridor. They would like to maintain the residential feel of the corridor, and would not like to see significant land use changes in the future. They commented that they would like to maintain and possibly reduce the speed limits and have greater speed enforcement to keep people traveling at the prescribed limits Barriers The primary barrier that people saw to achieving their vision was cost and available funding. People were also concerned about the apparent lack of coordination between agencies and communities, including the lack of citizen participation in the past projects along the corridor. Necessary Improvements The predominant improvement that participants thought was needed echoed the predominant vision for the corridor: improvements and higher speeds on parallel routes - University Avenue, Central Avenue, and TH 252 - with improved east/west connections. People would also like to see truck traffic diverted to an alternate route. Other improvements that people felt were necessary were more trails and improved sidewalk connectivity and pedestrian crossings. They would like enhanced landscaping features along the corridor. 1.4.2 Agency Priorities Meetings were held with each of the agencies to capture their objectives and priorities for the East River Road corridor. A separate discussion was held with Anoka County Community Health and Environmental Services, given the importance of corridor planning’s impact on public health. Anoka County Anoka County’s priorities for the East River Road corridor are: 1. Improve safety and mobility. 2. Utilize a multimodal approach to accommodate a variety of corridor users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, trucks/freight, and automobiles. 3. Mitigate congestion. Anoka County Community Health and Environmental Services Anoka County Community Health and Environmental Services’ priorities for the East River Road corridor are: 1. Place more focus on pedestrians and bicycles. 2. Safely move people along the corridor and across the corridor. City of Fridley The City of Fridley’s priorities for the East River Road corridor are: 1. Soften the utilitarian edge - create a pleasant and memorable corridor through visual aspects. Incorporate the history of the corridor into the visual aspects. 2. Integrate all transportation modes. 3. Improve safety. 4. Enhance appearance and aesthetics. The roadway should not only get you there, it should be an inviting place that attracts business. City of Coon Rapids The City of Coon Rapids’ priorities for the East River Road corridor are: 1. Improve safety. 2. Utilize a multimodal approach to accommodate a variety of corridor users, especially with the potential for a Commuter Rail station at Foley Boulevard. Dot exercise. Corridor visioning workshop, September 2010. ---PAGE BREAK--- East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study in Fridley and Coon Rapids FINAL May 2012 1 Introduction 1 - 6 1.4.3 Creating a Vision Considering the input as described above, the TAC crafted a vision statement which was provided to the PAC and the public for review: 1.4.4 Goals and Objectives A series of goals and objectives were also developed by the TAC in support of the vision statement: Goal 1: Improve safety in the corridor for all users Objectives: ■ ■ Connect sidewalks and trails to provide a more consistent system. ■ ■ Provide safe routes to schools along the corridor. ■ ■ Enhance corridor lighting where appropriate. Goal 2: Enhance the visual quality of the corridor Objectives: ■ ■ Integrate landscaping and other visual amenities as feasible. ■ ■ Improve corridor maintenance. Goal 3: Embrace the built and natural features of the area Objectives: ■ ■ Maintain the existing residential uses. ■ ■ Provide connections to the Mississippi River, Rice Creek/ Locke Lake, and area parks. Goal 4: Allow for effective connections Objectives: ■ ■ Provide better east/west connections where feasible. ■ ■ Allow for easy transfer between modes. ■ ■ Improve the trail navigational signage. Vision Statement The cities of Fridley and Coon Rapids, with Anoka County, will develop a safe and visually appealing corridor, one that embraces the residential feel and natural environment in the area, and provides for effective pedestrian, bicycle, and transit connections.