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This Streetcar Feasibility Study is being conducted in conjunction with the Access Minneapolis Ten-Year Transportation Action Plan, which lays the groundwork for transportation improvements that are designed to meet the long-term objectives of the Minneapolis Plan, the City’s comprehensive plan.

Purpose The design guidelines in this study report for Transit-Oriented Development in the North Minneapolis Penn-West Broadway Avenue redevelopment area are the result of a nine-month long public planning process. The intersection of Penn-West Broadway Avenue will be the location for an inbound and outbound Bottineau Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station, scheduled for construction in late 2006. The BRT stations will be heated, well-lit and partially enclosed, with ticket machines for off-board fare collection and real-time information kiosks that show the arrival time of the next bus. Bus Rapid Transit combines ef. ciency, speed and the lower cost of buses using service features such as limited stops and signal priority. These design guidelines present the vision of the West Broadway Community Advisory Committee and the West Broadway community for the future and should inspire and guide redevelopment within the Penn-West Broadway Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) District.  

Like most metropolitan areas, the Twin Cities has seen dramatic decentralization of population and jobs during recent decades. These trends have not been as dramatic in the Twin Cities as in many other metropolitan areas for several reasons. The region is home to one of the strongest regional planning organizations in the country – the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council – and it boasts the country’s only region-wide tax-base sharing program – the Twin Cities Fiscal Disparities Program. As a result, sprawl rates and fiscal inequality are not as great as in many regions. The region’s core cities – Minneapolis and St. Paul – have also fared well economically compared with many other central cities.

Discusses an affordability index that incorporates housing and transportation costs

Introduction Increased traffic congestion, loss of open space, infrastructure costs, and a desire for more housing options have all made smart growth an increasingly powerful strategy for building and revitalizing communities, catalyzing economic development and protecting the environment. Evidence of this trend is every-where. Of the 189 ballot initiatives in 2002 related to state and local conservation, 141 were approved. Elected in 2002, Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney, Michigan Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm and Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Ed Rendellare poised to make smart growth actions a high priority. Smart growth projects nationwide were built in record numbers, continuing a five-year upward trend, reported “The New Urban News,” an industry publication that tracks new development. Cities and towns across the country are re-examining and changing comprehensive plans, zoning and other building regulations to make smart growth possible. Many states…