AGENDA OPEN HOUSE 6:00 – 8:00 PM  Review materials  Ask questions  Provide feedback on purpose, needs, and alternatives  Sign up for list  Fill out comment cards PRESENTATION 6:30 PM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS OPEN HOUSE7:00 – 8:00 PM 1

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE #1 SEPTEMBER 13, :00 PM – 8:00 PM West Side Room Wellstone Center 179 Robie Street East, St. Paul

INTRODUCTIONS WHO IS ON THE PROJECT TEAM?  Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority  Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority  Consultant Team (led by Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.) 3

PROJECT INVOLVEMENT 4 LEAD AGENCIES Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority (DCRRA) Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority (RCRRA) COMMITTEES GENERAL PUBLIC AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce Dakota County Technical College Inver Grove Community College River Heights Sierra Club St. Croix Lutheran High School St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Transit for Livable Communities UMore Development LLC Steering Committee & Technical Advisory Committee Project Management Team Eagan Inver Grove Heights Lilydale Mendota Heights Rosemount South St. Paul St. Paul Sunfish Lake West St. Paul DARTS Metro Transit Metropolitan Council MnDOT MVTA

PURPOSE OF OPEN HOUSE WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY?  Provide information on:  Project history  Federal Transit Administration (FTA) process  Get your input on:  Project purpose and need  Project goals and objectives  Initial range of alignment alternatives  Mode alternatives 5

PROJECT HISTORY 6 WHAT STUDIES AND PLANS INFORM THIS ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS (AA) STUDY? Guidance includes, but is not limited to, the following:  2000 Redevelopment Design Framework: A Strategy for South Robert Street’s Renaissance (2000)  Robert Street Corridor Transit Feasibility Study (2008)  Ramsey County 2030 Comprehensive Plan (2009)  2010 Regional Transitway Guidelines (2010)  2030 Transportation Policy Plan (2010)  Metro Transit Arterial Transitway Corridors Study (2011)  Dakota County 2030 Transportation Plan (2012)  City Comprehensive Plans and Small Area Plans

2008 FEASIBILITY STUDY  Provides a foundation for the AA  Identified alternatives will serve as starting point for the AA  Identified performance of alternatives—bus, bus rapid transit (BRT), light rail transit (LRT), and streetcar.  Will support the early, efficient narrowing of alternatives in the AA Feasibility Study WHAT ROLE DOES THE 2008 FEASIBILITY STUDY PLAY IN THIS AA STUDY?

NEW STARTS & SMALL STARTS PROGRAM 8 HOW ARE TRANSIT PROJECTS FEDERALLY FUNDED?  FTA New Starts & Small Starts program for funding major capital transit investments  AA is the first step of the New Starts project development process  Projects with higher benefit and lower cost are more competitive for New Starts and Small Starts funding  Passage of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century (MAP-21) changes the New Starts & Small Starts process, including the AA, but it will adhere to the same principles as previous federal legislation

FTA PROCESS 9 Alternatives Analysis (Select Locally Preferred Alternative) Draft Environmental Impact Statement Preliminary Engineering Final Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision Final Decision/Right-of-Way Construction Operations FTA New Starts Process Steps National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Requirements

AA STUDY SCOPE WHAT WILL THIS AA STUDY ACCOMPLISH? The study will:  Establish the purpose of and need for the Robert Street Transitway  Identify a limited number of alternatives for detailed study  Evaluate alternatives against project goals, objectives and performance measures In order to:  Identify the Locally Preferred Alternative(s)  Develop a recommended course of action to advance the conclusions of the AA within guidance of federal funding process 10

STUDY AREA INSERT MAP OF STUDY AREA

PROJECT PURPOSE Draft for public input: The purpose of the Robert Street Transitway is to provide the necessary transit infrastructure and service to meet the long-term regional mobility and local accessibility needs between downtown St. Paul and areas within Dakota County. 12

PROJECT NEEDS Draft for public input:  Increasing travel demand  Increasing land use densities  People who depend on transit  Transportation system deficiencies 13

PROJECT GOALS Draft for public input: PRIMARY GOALS:  Improve mobility and accessibility  Enhance the effectiveness of transit service within the corridor  Provide cost effective and financially feasible transit solutions 14

PROJECT GOALS (CONTINUED) Draft for public input: SECONDARY GOALS:  Support and enhance existing and planned development  Support healthy communities and sound environmental practices 15

2008 FEASIBILITY STUDY MODES & ALIGNMENTS INSERT MAP OF STUDY AREA

UNIVERSE OF POTENTIAL ALIGNMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED IN AA STUDY INSERT MAP OF STUDY AREA

PROJECT TIMELINE WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? 18 Finalize project purpose, need, goals and objectives Identify initial universe of alternatives Fall 2012 Preliminary definition and evaluation of alternatives Winter Detailed technical analysis 2013 Open Houses are tentatively scheduled for February-March 2013 and Fall 2013.

NEXT STEPS TODAY WHAT’S NEXT TODAY? We invite you to:  Review materials  Ask questions  Provide feedback on purpose, needs, and alternatives  Sign up for list  Fill out comment cards 19

QUESTIONS? 20