Thursday, March 21, 2013
A report commissioned by American Public Transportation Association and the National Association of Realtors found that homes with access to transit weather downturns better.
Transit services like light rail bolster housing prices and decrease the amount households spend on transportation, according to a report released to the public Thursday. “The real estate mantra of ‘location, location, location’ is more important than ever,” the study concluded. “Moving beyond the traditional arguments that good schools and neighborhood amenities impact housing prices, emerging research has indicated that urban form and transportation options have played a key role in the ability of residential properties to maintain their value since the onset of the recession.” The American Public Transportation Association and the National Association of Realtors commissioned the study, titled “The New Real-Estate Mantra: Location near …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Minneapolis Sen. Bobby Joe Champion and Brooklyn Park Rep. Melissa Hortman introduced bills Thursday that would also help people walking, bicycling, or using wheelchairs.
A pair of legislators on Thursday introduced a $332 million proposal with a new transit tax, adding to the growing number of proposals to fund transit. Minneapolis Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL District 59) and Brooklyn Park Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-District 36B) are proposing to spend an additional $300 million per year in the metro and $32 million in Greater Minnesota on transit and connections for people walking, bicycling or using wheelchairs. Click on the PDFs to the right of this article to read the full bills. "Across the state, people want more options and support investment in public transportation. And they want bicycling and walking to be part of that investment,” a news release quoted Hortman, the chief author of the bill in …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
With several proposals before the Legislature, Patch wants to know what ideas, if any, you favor.
Last legislative session, the big question about Southwest Light Rail Transit was whether there was enough political will to fund the project. The tables appear to have turned this year, though. With at least three funding proposals floating around, the focus has lately been more on how to fund it than whether it deserves any money. Edina Sen. Melisa Franzen (DFL-District 49) introduced Senate File 257 and Senate File 258, which would provide $118 million and $37 million, respectively, in bonding money for the 15-mile light rail project. Watch Franzen explain her bills in the YouTube video above. Gov. Mark Dayton, on the other hand, has proposed a quarter-cent sales tax increase that would set up a dedicated revenue stream for transit—some…
Sunday, December 16, 2012
This week’s edition also includes more parking in Maple Grove, signs of the Times from a Minnetonka grad and even more on light rail.
Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. AUDIO: Centennial Teacher's Christmas Wish Comes True Debbie Gill, who was recently diagnosed with a serious stomach cancer, was nominated by a fellow faculty member to get a little help from KDWB's Dave Ryan. UPDATED: Police Investigate Officer-Involved Shooting in Nearby Crystal/New Hope According to a statement released from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, a shooting in Crystal on Dec. 14 left an officer injured and a man in custody. Minneapolis police arrested the…
Friday, December 7, 2012
The most thoughtful, moving, controversial or just plain funny comments from around the west metro between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6.
Each week, Patch users contribute numerous insights, opinions and observations. The following is a collection of the most thoughtful, moving, controversial or just plain funny comments that appeared on Patch sites in Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Richfield, Shakopee, Plymouth, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Click on the headline to read the full story and join in the conversation. (The comments below are not meant to reflect the opinions of Patch or its staff.) *** Bottineau Survey Shows Light Rail Support Members from the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council initiated an unscientific survey of Golden Valley residents to learn more about local feelings for Bottineau. Here's what Patch user Bill …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Whether an increased sales tax or a new taxing jurisdiction, advocates say a reliable funding stream could insulate transit from political winds.
The Southwest Light Rail Transit project hasn’t had an easy time securing state funding over the past couple years. It faced stiff opposition from Republicans, with the former transportation committee head promising to stop the Southwest LRT "in its tracks." DFL wins in the 2012 Election bode well for the project, but there’s no way of knowing how long that will last. With the line years away from operation, and the Bottineau Transitway moving forward, some light rail advocates are questioning whether transit should rely so much on state funding. That was the question brought up multiple times Tuesday during a meeting with national and local development experts about making the most of Southwest LRT. Instituting a reliable revenue stream, …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
"We don’t have enough information yet and our elected officials shouldn’t blindly endorse this huge expenditure of our tax dollars."
- OPINION
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
To the Editor: I watched the SD48 candidate debate the other night and am troubled about the proposed Southwest Light Rail. I fully support infrastructure investment (I’m a fan of the new I-494/169 interchange) and also appreciate the need for multi-modal transportation alternatives. However, the arguments put forward by candidates who support the project raise some concerns. First, they mentioned several times the “60,000 jobs” that will be generated by SWLRT. I find this figure very hard to accept. I did a little digging and found the source of the “60,000” figure. It comes from the Met Council and it’s a forecast of growth for the region by 2030, not jobs resulting from the project. Those jobs are 3,500 temporary construction jobs …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Three public hearings will gather comments on the proposed light-rail line.
The following was released by Hennepin County: The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority has scheduled three public hearings in November to formally gather public comments on the Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The Southwest Transitway is a proposed 15-mile light-rail line serving Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Hopkins, St. Louis Park and Minneapolis. Public comment on the impact statement will inform preliminary engineering on the project, which is scheduled to begin in early 2013. Comments can also be made in writing, or by visiting www.southwesttransitway.org. The public hearings will each be preceded by an open house, where people can learn more about the Southwest LRT project and the…
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Met Council is currently applying for $47.5 million in state funding for Southwest Light Rail.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Editor's Note: The following is a letter written and signed by the mayors of Edina, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Minneapolis and St. Louis Park. The letter was sent to Mark Phillips, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Dear Commissioner Phillips: As the Mayors of six cities in the western metropolitan area, we write today regarding the $47.5 million Business Development Through Capital Project Grants Program to be administered by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. We understand that the Metropolitan Council is applying for a grant for Southwest Light Rail Transit (SW LRT) from this program. We strongly support that request. SW LRT will benefit each of our cities. The …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
"As baby boomers, we really see the importance of a strong public transportation system both now and into the future."
- OPINION
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Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dear Editor, We were disappointed with the 2012 legislative session. We were hoping to see light rail included as a high priority. This is an area that would have benefited businesses and residents alike. But unfortunately, we lost LRT in the Southwest metro (and the federal dollars to pay for it) due to lack of legislation on this important issue. As baby boomers, we really see the importance of a strong public transportation system both now and into the future. We have a big family. Our state is still in debt to our schools for over 2 billion dollars. The Legislature used this money last year and left a $4 billion hole to be filled when they return. We supported the Democrats’ plan, which would have paid back schools in a timely and …
Anita
10:18 pm on Sunday, March 24, 2013
Why do Golden Valley residents think they are more important than North Mpls residents? That is ridiculous. Personally, I've always thought of Golden Valley as a rather crappy place to live. I fully support LRT in Golden Valley. more ›