In This Issue:
- City Organizations' Commentary Published in Star Tribune
- TAB Releases Regional Solicitation Application for Public Comment
- Stormwater Management Grants Recommended by Metropolitan Council Environment Committee
- Policy Committee Survey
City Organizations’ Commentary Published in Star Tribune
A commentary by several city organizations including Metro Cities, in response to recent papers released by the builders, was published in the Star Tribune this week. The commentary addresses the various inaccuracies, cherry-picked data and timelines, and misleading conclusions contained in the builders’ papers, and emphasizes the need for local government officials to be able to address costs and services associated with local development that meet the needs of the community and are not dictated by the motives of private builders and developers.
In last week’s newsletter, Metro Cities provided updates on recent legislative activity on these issues as well as copies of power point presentations by Metro Cities and several city officials from a recent Sensible Land Use Coalition meeting that discussed city roles and responsibilities related to development infrastructure and costs. Please click HERE for that information.
Metro Cities will continue to provide updates on these issues.
TAB Releases Regional Solicitation Application for Public Comment
The Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) approved a draft document with recommended changes to the Regional Solicitation application process at its meeting last week and released the application document for public comment. The Regional Solicitation is the method by which federal transportation dollars from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality program are allocated within the metropolitan area. Funding is distributed among roadway, transit and travel demand management, and bicycle and pedestrian projects. A total of $199.75 million for various projects was approved in the last solicitation. For more information on the draft application, click here.
The TAB recommended considering a decrease to the maximum award amount for Bicycle and Pedestrian projects, from $5.5 to $4 million with the rationale that by lowering the maximum award, more projects could potentially receive funding. The TAB is also recommending that applicants be required to submit a letter that they will commit to year-round use including snow and ice control on the trail.
Draft changes related to Housing Performance and Equity criteria are included in the application, including lowering the value of Housing Performance scores in scoring and replacing the current equity multiplier with a bonus points system. The TAB has also proposed the creation of a regional policy group on transportation and equity.
The draft application includes a new Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (ABRT) funding program that would be separate from transit scoring and has a proposed funding level of $25 million. Other BRT projects (such as dedicated busway or highway) would be funded up to a $7 million maximum. A new market transit project will also be guaranteed funding. For more information on the types of BRT and how they will be considered for funding, click here.
The draft application also requires applicants to have completed their Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) plans and includes a Unique Project application category for innovative projects that do not easily qualify under current application categories. This category is proposed to be funded with 2.5% of the total available funds and those funds will be set aside until the 2022 Regional Solicitation and would be solicited for at that time. The application does not include a $10 million bridge set aside that was included in the last solicitation.
The Metropolitan Council will accept comments on the draft application until 5:00 pm, November 6th. The final application will be released in February 2020. To view the recommended application changes, click here. Comments can be submitted via the following:
- Email [email protected]
- Record a message at 651.602.1500, TTY: 651.221.9886
- Mail comments to 390 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55101-1805
Questions? Contact Steven Huser at [email protected], or 651-215-4003.
Stormwater Management Grants Recommended by Metropolitan Council Environment Committee
The Metropolitan Council Environment Committee has recommended that the Metropolitan Council authorize 2019 stormwater management grants. These grants are funded with $500,000 from the Council’s operating budget. The Council received 15 applications totaling over $1 million in requests. The goal of the program is to help fund practices to treat and manage stormwater for redevelopment projects, or to retrofit fully developed areas with new management practices to reduce pollution. The Council has administered previous rounds of stormwater management grants.
The following projects received grant awards:
- Village Green Stormwater and Community Garden Improvements, Fridley - $100,000
- Stormwater Reuse for Downtown Centerville Redevelopment, Centerville - $100,000
- Autumn Ridge Participatory Landscape Design, Installation, Brooklyn Park - $73,787
- ECO Mosque - Hennepin County Public Works Department of Environment and Energy - $75,000
- St Hubert Catholic School Stormwater Retrofit - RPBCWD - $75,000
- Hugo County Road 8 Trail Improvements & Stormwater Reuse, Hugo - $50,000
- Brooklyn Center Workforce and Senior Affordable Apartments, Brooklyn Center - $25,000
Policy Committee Survey
Thank you to all city officials who participated in Metro Cities’ policy committee process this year. Your time and efforts to assist in this work are important and greatly appreciated by Metro Cities.
If you served on a policy committee this year, you will receive a request to participate in a brief survey. Thank you in advance for your responses, feedback and any suggestions for the policy committee process.
Recommended policies will be considered and adopted by the Metro Cities Board of Directors at their October meeting, and will then be forwarded for final adoption by Metro Cities’ membership on Thursday, November 14th at the Metro Regional Meeting/Policy Adoption meeting. Click here to register for this meeting, and stay tuned for additional information.