HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-14-2024 City Council Work Session Special Minutes
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Mayor
Amáda Márquez Simula
Councilmembers
Connie Buesgens
Kt Jacobs
Rachel James
Justice Spriggs
City Manager
Aaron Chirpich
City Hall—Shared Vision Room, 3989 Central Ave NE
Monday, October 14, 2024
5:00 PM
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Mayor Márquez Simula called the special work session meeting to order at 5:00 pm.
City Council Members present: Mayor Márquez Simula, Councilmember Buesgens, Jacobs, James,
Spriggs
City of Columbia Heights Staff present: Kevin Hansen, Sara Ion, Sulmaan Khan
MN House of Representatives: Representative Erin Koegel
City of Hilltop Staff present: Ruth Nelson
Anoka County Staff present: Joe MacPherson
MNDOT Staff: Chris Bower, Dale Gade, Tim Lincoln
WORK SESSION ITEMS
1. Central Avenue Project Discussion with MnDOT.
Public Works Director Kevin Hansen introduced the Work Session items as well as
presenter Chris Bower. Chris Bower led the presentation related to the project updates for
Central Avenue now that the PEL Study has been completed with a specific focus on public
engagement and business engagement as well as traffic studies. Bower clarified that the
purpose of the project is to reduce traffic deaths / fatal crashes on Central, and not create
a similar issue on other side streets. MNDOT wants to bring forward a holistic plan for
Columbia Heights and Hill Top in regard to the work that will need to be completed. Bower
stated that Central Avenue is a contender for the busiest section of road being considered
for a road diet in the entire state. MNDOT wants to be deliberate with the designs and
answer the communities’ questions and concerns. Based on the PEL Study it is hard to
apply a one size that fits all for the entirety of the length of Central.
Bower showed examples with comparable traffic volumes to Central: Hwy 169 in St. Peters,
36th Street in St. Louis Park, Lake Street in Minneapolis, Hwy 41 in Chaska. Mr. Bower
stated that recent studies indicate that three quarters of all traffic has a destination they
are going to / coming from in Columbia Heights. He reviewed that most of the traffic is
consistent throughout the day, and there are not really any specific peak times. Bower
highlighted areas that could have queue and platoon issues with a specific focus on the
intersection at 53rd and Central Avenue as well as 37th and Reservoir.
Bower additionally clarified that lane reduction is one of the most powerful safety
measures. In 2022 there was a sewer project that occurred on Central Avenue and gave
data points to review against the computer traffic models. Overall, MNDOT believes that
there were people using alternate routes during the construction in 2022, and that traffic
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does find a way to balance out. Bower also stated that there are roads in the community
that can take additional load, but the side streets cannot.
Bower specifically reviewed the North and South portions of Central Avenue, as well as
additional areas where they will consider alternate intersections. Bower stated that from
41st to 47th is the biggest concern for safety and how the lanes should be adjusted. MNDOT
wants to consider many options and more data to come up with a proposed plan that will
most impact these key areas.
Bower additionally stated that MNDOT would recommend updates to the intersection at
37th and Central. They would want to remove the 5th intersection at the intersection of the
South bound lane / right turn on Reservoir. He also highlighted the intersection at 42nd and
Central as this has also had a considerable accident history and there would be concerns
with platooning that will allow not allow gaps related to turns.
Bower indicated that MNDOT feels that they can reduce the lanes at 53rd and Central from
8 to 7, and to also add a roundabout in this area. There is a benefit for pedestrians because
you will only need to cross two intersections at one time, however roundabouts can be
very hard to navigate for both pedestrians and drivers. MNDOT will need to do education
to make sure that users are proceeding safely (utilizing flashing lights and overhead
signage). They want to share this concept and information with the public at the next open
house.
Councilmember Buesgens thanked MNDOT for all the work that they have done. She
indicated that she had invited a lot of residents to the work session meeting as well. She
wants the opportunity to review the projects’ impacts, both big and small and would like to
make designs that will work for the City for residents up to seven generations from now.
She specifically wants to focus on the next 50 years, as it will be very impactful to both
residents and businesses.
Councilmember Buesgens stated that she is very concerned about the side street traffic
and the impact on the construction work on businesses. Additionally, she is concerned
about the computer models and feels that she is “being ghosted” and that there have been
issues like this in the past. She has concerns that there is more of a focus on staff worrying
about the cost of maintenance and not the impact of the medians and plantings.
Councilmember Buesgens additionally wanted to know when the traffic data was collected
related to the use of the road and what the top 4/5 destinations are in the city (as well as
how accurate the information is). She feels if she knows the specifics of the information
and how it is collected, she would be better able to decide how redesigns should proceed.
She would also like to know the difference between weekend and weekday traffic.
Councilmember Buesgens stated that she would also like to see Columbia Heights treated
the same as Minneapolis. She would like to see people encouraged into utilizing alternate
modes of transportation. She would also like to know about future developments occurring
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in the area north of 47th and Central and how this will impact the planning for the next
thirty years.
Councilmember Buesgens also stated that residents would also like to see the data sets
and information used for this meeting presentation at the upcoming outreach meeting. She
also inquired about what guarantee there would be that the bus lines will remain bus
lanes.
Councilmember Buesgens posed several additional questions related to concerns that were
posed by residents related to medians, crosswalks and road design .
Representative Koegel asked why the MNDOT computer data was reviewing / emphasizing
the peak time periods for vehicle travel as she felt that this was not congruent with the
overall MNDOT mission and goals for projects.
Anoka County Engineer Joe MacPherson stated that he is glad that there is this level of
focus on how Central will be used in the future. He acknowledges that this is a difficult
process and that there will be much more input needed going forward.
Councilmember James thanked MNDOT for the presentation and clarified that she wants
to make sure that MNDOT and the City are partners with the businesses impacted by the
construction.
Mayor Márquez Simula asked what Reservoir would look like with these updates. She does
not want to see Jeff Bobbys and Steves utilized as a turnaround space. She would also like
to see Central more walkable / enjoyable up to 45th and further north.
Bower mentioned that there are designs laid out that focus on a cul -de-sac in the Reservoir
Blvd space. He is grateful for the conversation that the community is having and that he
wants to make sure that the cooperation continues into the next phase of the project.
Mr. Gade stated that MNDOT has a commitment to the community to do this the right way
and that this is a process building on the communities’ foundation to achieve the right
design.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting was adjourned at 6:03pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
______________________________________
Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary