2003-084
CITY OF HOPKINS
HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 2003-084
RESOLUTION PERTAINING TO THE RESULTS OF THE SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR
RAIL TRANSIT STUDY AND THE FUTURE OF TRANSIT IN THE CORRIDOR
WHEREAS Hennepin County has recently completed the Southwest Corridor Rail
Transit Study to determine the feasibility of rail transit operations in the cities of
Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie; and
WHEREAS a recent, statistically valid survey shows that a large majority (71 %) of
residents in the five-city area support light rail transit in the Southwest Corridor and a
majority of the residents in each respective city support a light rail option (Minneapolis:
79%, St. Louis Park: 73%, Hopkins: 75%, Minnetonka: 73% and Eden Prairie: 66%); and
WHEREAS the Southwest Corridor Rail Transit Study Policy Advisory Committee
(PAC) has voted to recommend that the following alignments be retained for further study:
Alignment 1A - From TH312 in Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis via the
Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) property
and the Kenilworth Corridor (Note: In a split vote, this option was
labeled by the PAC as the "least preferred alternative").
Alignment 2A - From the Southwest Metro Transit Station in Eden Prairie to
downtown Minneapolis via 1-494, the HCRRA property, and the
Kenilworth Corridor.
Alignment 3A - From Southwest Metro Transit Station in Eden Prairie to downtown
Minneapolis via the Eden Prairie Center Mall, the Golden Triangle,
Opus, downtown Hopkins, the HCRRA property and the Kenilworth
Corridor (modified version of the original 3A).
Alignment 4A - From downtown Hopkins to downtown Minneapolis via the HCRRA
property and the Kenilworth Corridor;
AND WHEREAS the City of Hopkins Comprehensive Plan supports rail transit as a
transit mode for the Southwest Corridor;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Hopkins expresses the
following positions and concerns:
. The City of Hopkins supports Hennepin County's efforts to study the feasibility and
potential alignments of a rail transit system in the Southwest Corridor.
. All potential alignments recommended for further study by the Policy Advisory
Committee should be considered equally. The City of Hopkins does not agree that
Alignment 1-A, as defined by the Southwest Corridor Rail Transit Study, should be
considered a least preferred alternative. With regard to potential alignments, Hopkins
would prefer a route which could serve downtown Hopkins and the surrounding,
relatively dense residential area.
. Hennepin County should continue to study additional alignment alternatives, including
the "modified 3A" option recommended by the TAC. The City of Hopkins supports the
study that Hennepin County has recently undertaken to revise and improve proposed
Alignment 3A in order to serve downtown Hopkins, Opus, the Golden Triangle and
Eden Prairie Center.
. In order to serve the entire Southwest Corridor and to provide for multi-modal
connections, Southwest Metro Transit Station in Eden Prairie should serve as the
terminus for light rail transit in the Corridor, should such a system be built.
. All proposed and final alignments should seek to serve a balance of population and
employment centers. Potential and projected ridership should be a driving force in
alignment selection, regardless of whether trips would be considered commute' or
reverse commute trips.
. Consideration should be given to ensure that Hopkins would not be overburdened by
the "park-and-ride" parking requirements of the various potential alignments. Being the
smallest city in the study area, both in terms of area and population, Hopkins may not
be able to accommodate a greatly disproportionate share of parking and associated
traffic. The City of Hopkins requests that a traffic impact analysis be conducted for
each of the proposed alignments and major station locations.
. The City of Hopkins favors potential alignments that are cost effective and which share
the burdens of parking and traffic among the affected cities.
. The City of Hopkins agrees with the HCRRA that rail transit and pedestrian/bike trails
can coexist within the HCRRA right of way.
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Hopkins, Minnesota, this /~-tg day of
5Pp'fpYYJbn, 2003.
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