Memo- Transit Station ConceptMemorandum
To: Mayor Chuck Redepenning
City Council Members
City Manager Steve Mielke
From: Jim Parsons
Date: May 7, 1998
Copy: n. a.
Subject: Transit Station Concept_
City Manager's Department
In 1997, Metro Transit proposed that a park- and -ride lot be installed at the Depot
Coffee House. The lot would be well located for commuters seeking to board express
buses entering Hwy. 169, and for commuter and local bus traffic on Excelsior
Boulevard. Metro Transit staff members have stated that their study shows a large
demand for a park- and -ride lot in the vicinity of Hwy. 169 and Excelsior Boulevard.
Remarkably, Metro Transit staff stated that there is demand for up to 500 park- and -ride
parking stalls in that area.
Recently Metro Transit gave staff a concept plan for a park- and -ride lot at the Depot
Coffee House (see attachment). The plan shows 229 parking spaces and four bus
bays. There are 27 spaces reserved for the Depot. Traffic would flow one way east
bound past the Depot building. There would be a new driveway on Excelsior Boulevard
west of Hwy. 169 aligned with the existing stop Tight (not shown). The plan
incorporates a regional trail at the south edge of the site, connecting the existing
southwest corridor trail with a planned trail to the east.
Metro Transit has indicated a willingness to pay for much of the site cost for the project
if a park- and -ride is approved, as well as for costs of interior improvements such as the
bathrooms.
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Depot students have been involved in the discussion with Metro Transit from the
beginning, and have had an opportunity to review the plan. City staff members have
reviewed the proposal as well. A number of important comments have been made:
Scale and Compatibility. The park- and -ride lot would be several times as large as
the existing lot on Excelsior Boulevard at 8th Ave. Are a 229 -stall parking lot and 4
bus bays compatible with the Depot? Will the scale of the park- and -ride use detract
from the Depot's appeal to students?
Buffering. Some of the planned use of the Depot is outdoors. The park- and -ride
lot and especially the bus bays should be buffered from the Depot with landscaping,
etc. Also, there should be some buffer around the park- and -ride lot to benefit trail
users and the traveling public on Excelsior Boulevard.
Storm Water Quality. If a park- and -ride lot is installed, the City would like to
ensure that Metro Transit protects surface water quality by following all applicable
regulations. This may mean that a storm water detention pond would have to be
built, or that the site would have to be designed so that storm water would run to an
existing regional detention pond. Metro Transit would be responsible for addressing
these issues.
Design and Esthetic Issues. The driveway at the Depot needs design
enhancements, such as a landscape island to separate the driveway and the
parking stalls, and more distance between the curb and the east wall of the building.
The parking areas should be broken up somewhat with landscaped islands or
bump -outs.
Safety. The site would serve a mix of mobile users, from bike riders and
pedestrians to automobiles and buses. Trains and semi - trailer trucks frequently roll
past the site. Attention must be paid to bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular
movements so that safety is maintained via crosswalks, traffic signals, fencing, and
other means.
Recommendation: City staff members recommend that the Council discuss a scaled -
back plan that would decrease the parking stalls on the east end of the site from 113 to
47 including 27 for the Depot. Other changes might reduce the total number of stalls to
approximately 150 including the 27 Depot stalls.
Although financial participation by Metro Transit would be most welcome, staff
recommends that the Council go forward with the park- and -ride plan only if the Council
and the Depot board determine that the uses are compatible and that the park- and -ride
use will enhance, not detract from, the use of the Depot by students and others.
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