[music] [music] [music] Thanks for joining us on another edition of Conversations here on North Metro TV. I'm Eric Nelson and we're going to talk about Met Council today. And in the studio is Reva Shamblas from District 2 and Diego Morales from District 9. And first and foremost, thanks to both of you for coming down and giving us your time. >> Thank you for having us on on here with you, Eric, today. >> You're so welcome. >> All right, we'll start out with kind of the basic question because there's still a lot of people, I think, in the Twin Cities who they've heard of Met Council, but what is Met Council? What does it do? We'll start with you, Diego. >> Yep. So I had the same questions when I started in the med council is what is it that we really do right on a very high level we're look we're coordinating development regionally when it comes with transportation wastewater and affordable housing. That's the the very high level view of what the Met Council does. But once you actually get in there we're we're changing the lives of people in this region on a daily basis with everything that we do. >> Reba. >> Yeah. And we also manage regional systems, trails and parks as well as uh as he said the wastewater. We do community development and we also have a uh environmental services division to protect our resources in the region. >> And each district represents specific cities. In your case, you have multiple cities, multiple counties, don't you? >> I do. I have Ramsey County, Henipin County, and Anoka County in my district. And you Diego have mostly Anoka County. >> Yep. I have the majority of Anoka except for Columbus, Fidley and Columbia Heights and Blaine. >> All right. So, how does Met Council come up with some of the uh projections and proposed solutions for the future of a region, the Twin Cities that seems to be growing? Uh how do you reach these decisions? Diego, >> it it's a very complex way to where we come out with either whether it's our density numbers or projections for growth in the region. It's not just the Met Council alone that comes up with these projections. It's in partnership with a lot of different organizations and entities. It's written down in statue that we are one of the prime organizations that will help plan that out for the region. And you know, one of the main things we look at is what the housing stock looks like, what the e economy is looking like, what it's projected to be, what the job opportunities are looking like, what the household sizes are changing, whether it's from a single family, town homes, multifamily. We we have to gather all that information to create what the projections are going to be looking like. So, it's it's not just us alone that do that work. There's a lot of smart people around the state that help with those projections. >> And how much power and clout does Met Council have? As Diego says, it's a collaboration, but how loud is your voice in the room? >> Well, um we have state statutes that um require us through the Land Planning Act to do uh forecasting 10, 20, 30 years. and they provide the guidelines for how our cities and our townships should conform to those guidelines and regional plans so that we're growing in a way that is responsible that preserves our agricultural resources. So we take those forecasts that come from the United States census in terms of how we uh how our population growth is changing and how the cities are developing to calculate the proper densities and make sure that um across the region we're growing in a balanced way that serves the communities and the adjacent communities as well. Making sure that um you know everything is in balance. Is that one of the challenges say uh you know North Metro where you represent a lot of cities where you want to preserve some of the the rural character and charm that's been here for decades and yet there's growth but you don't want to become a concrete jungle do you? >> Uh no we don't. Um you know the natural resources are so uh central to uh making a community a livable community. And so we do take a look at our our water resources, our sewer resources, um the projected housing needs as he said uh based on the population uh forecasted growth and making sure that uh you know we have balance as we uh develop plans for cities and help them develop their plans. in Diego. I know representing Anoka County, uh, you've got rural and then you've got, you know, places like Rapids and Blaine that are growing suburbs. How do you walk that tight rope of dealing with a smaller community and then one that's 75 to 80,000 in terms of population? It it's really it's it's not as difficult as a lot of people want it to seem when as long as you're transparent with the communities and you're having the conversations actually showing up and meeting with the mayors, meeting with the administrators, meeting with the city council members, you can actually have that conversation and not every city is going to get exactly what they want cuz what's going to work here in Blaine isn't going to work in Andover. What works in Andover isn't going to work in Rapids. Right? Every city has its own unique identity where people moved to those areas to see certain things. Whether you want to be close to commercial centers, you want to be close to a medical district, whether you want wide open land so that way you can go in your backyard and do whatever it is you want without having to see your neighbors. It we we need to maintain those different areas that we have while still continuing to grow as a region. But it's very difficult to do it where it works in every single city. But as long as we communicate and just be transparent and and work together, we can make it there. >> Yeah. And there's some things that um you know are pretty obvious like in the urban cities, you're going to have more density. And as you um get further away from the urban core and getting to the suburban edge edge and the rural edges, um there's um less and less plan density. you might have a lot of more um uh natural spaces, lakes, uh and things like that. And we do want to preserve um the agricultural spaces that are further out in the regional areas as well. >> And Diego, you told us off camera that that a big part of this is showing up face to face, seeing the mayors, seeing the council members, and and getting to know each city, which has its own unique footprint. I mean, how critical is that? I think it's specifically in my case, it's huge, right? When I had these conversations with the mayors, with the with the administrators, with the city city council members, they were surprised to even see somebody from the Met Council. So, I can understand why there was a breakdown in communication majorly with Anoka County and the Met Council. If you're not out there actually having a one-on-one conversation with the mayors, with the administrators, and the city councils and looking at the region that you are representing, how can you actually have those conversations behind closed doors? If you've never stepped foot in Bethl, East Bethl, St. Francis, Oak Grove, Rapids, Andover, right? You need to be present. A lot of the a lot of people got into the habit with co to just go to Zoom calls, do phone calls, emails, right? I'm on, you know, I'm very young. I'm only 34, but I still love face to face. I love the conversations, calling somebody over the phone. I I give everybody my cell phone number. I tell them, if you have an issue, if you're not getting through with the staff or you're not getting the information you want, call me. I'll pick up the phone. >> You're a throwback. [laughter] Well, that that is what our our job at is as city council members. And not only do council members meet with the mayors and their community development and their staff, but we have sector representatives that each uh city or township uh can ask questions about their development plans as as well as research staff and data that they can go to. For example, we have community profiles on the Met Council site that can give them information about how their um area is changing or how it compares to their neighbors. >> All right. Fair or foul, I think Met Council for some people has an image problem that your your council is a lightning rod at times. Why is that? And and shed some light on why it shouldn't be that way. Well, I think um Met Council is a very important organization for the region and how we shape our region. Um I have been to various cities uh and uh have heard that our region is fairing very well in terms of how we're are developing some of the innovation that we've had the our plans for infrastructure. So, um, you know, it kind of depends on who you talk to, but, um, I think that what is important is for us to, uh, focus on what our regional needs are and how we can utilize our staff resources and our partnerships to make this the strongest region as we can. All right, Diego. And and I've heard this [laughter] in this studio from people running for office in places like Lino Lakes, Ham Lake, and I won't mention any names, but I bring up Met Council, and you know, you come up with suggestions, right? You're trying to work with these cities, these entities, and they've said, "Not in my backyard." So, how do you go to Ham Lake or wherever and convince these people you're there to be an ally, not to ramrod what you want to do to the city? It it gets very difficult when you run into different cities that have their mindset on not in my backyard, right? Like the same issues when it comes to affordable housing. Everyone has the same mindset. Not in my backyard. I don't want this in my region. But when everybody continues to have that mindset of you're not going to be building this here, you're not going to be doing this here. you tend to have those pockets of either affordable housing or transit specific to certain geographical areas because they're more willing to open it up. They're seeing more money come in from development. They're seeing more money come in for infrastructure. They're seeing more out of town uh entities coming in to build in those areas because they continue to look at the future. They're not thinking of I don't want this in my backyard today. They're thinking about what is this area going to look like for my kids, for the next generation that's coming up. They're setting it up for them, right? When I run into like Ham Lake that you were talking about, I don't want to push anything down anybody's throat. That's why I have the conversations with them. I tell them right off the bat, I'm very blunt with them. You might not get everything you want because we need to take a regional approach. I can't just what works in Ham Lake, I can't duplicate that and make it regionwide. same thing as what works in downtown Minneapolis. Won't work in Ham Lake because they don't have the infrastructure in place. They don't have a main corridor going right down to them. They don't have the transportation. They don't have the either the developers or the entities coming in to build and create new jobs in those areas. So, I empathize when they don't want it in their backyard, but at one point or another, you need to think about what's coming down the pike, what's going to be in the best interest for the next generations in that area. and not just you at that time. >> How do you handle it in a city say like Brooklyn Park which is growing, >> right? >> And there's there's there's pockets of Brooklyn Park. There's some low income, there's some middle, and there's some upper income. So, you're dealing with all facets in a city like Brooklyn Park, aren't you? >> Yes. Um Brooklyn Park is a very diverse city. It's one of the ver most diverse cities in um in the region. And you know what I'll say is if if we take it back to development plans and comprehensive plans, it's the cities and the communities that engage with one another to figure out what it is that their vision is and how that um is going to look like in the short term and the long term. So they decide what type of housing that they want, whether it be for seniors or fe for people who are disabled or um for affordable housing or deeply affordable housing. We um give them guidelines for uh density requirements. But as far as what they decide to build, that is really up to the uh developers in their communities as well as you know the city planners to figure out what type of housing is best for them. >> Now the Twin Cities continues to sprawl out. I mean the footprint has jumped the St. Corey River. Western Wisconsin is the Twin Cities. And I know that's not your entity. It's another state. But when you look at this region, do you compare it to others of similar size? say a Denver, a Seattle, a St. Louis. Are you looking at the good and the bad from those areas and trying to put it into this area? >> Yeah, we do. Um we work with greater um men greater MSP to look at where Minnesota compares to other regions and there are multiple indicators in terms of um how we're doing in terms of our development of housing of commercial uh in terms of uh you know the goals that that we want to achieve for our region and we are doing uh well in some areas and there's some areas where we can improve upon. on. But, you know, we really talk to um, you know, our partners and our communities and figure out where is it that we want to go and what do we want to imagine for our next 10, 20, 30 years and then we come up with plans uh for that. >> We do a lot of transportation stories here at North Metro and that's, you know, crucial to the viability of any region. Uh we did one recently on micro metro which is in Blaine and some other cities and it appears to be very popular. Is something like that a good idea? Can it spread around the Twin Cities specifically in Oka County? >> I think the the Metro Micro is actually going to be a great model that we're learning a lot from that's going to be extremely beneficial for people specifically in Anoka County. Right. Starting it off at the Northtown Mall. That's going to be the main hub for Metro Micro in our area. Right. Currently, it's roughly 20 to 30 mi radius around the Northtown Mall that they're serving. Right. We have to start somewhere before we continue to expand that program. And we want to continue to provide the transportation so the people that are living in our in our area, specifically in Noa County, to continue to connect to either the downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul and that that connection in Northtown Mall is going to be a great one for the Metro Micro going forward. Do we need uh the bus service from Metro Transit to get even better and have more routes because not everyone has a car and if light rail doesn't get into Brooklyn Park and it may not, you know, you're going to have some people squeezed out. We see it in Noa County as well. How do you fix that or at least address it? >> Um I I will say that um it's about connectivity. We really want to make sure that we have a system that interconnects so that people can get to where they want to go using different modes of transportation so that they are not uh dependent on automobiles. They if they want to take a light rail they can have a one seat ride to uh their destination. if they want to go to a grocery store, they and they have Metro Micro uh as an option, they can do that and go or go to their doctor's appointments and transfer to a bus line or a light rail if they want to. So, it gives them more options um in the area and and we're expecting to expand Metro Micro to um two more uh cities in in the near future. >> So, Metro Micro so far has been a success. Is that an accurate statement? >> Yep. So far, it's been a success. And like council member Chamblas mentioned, we need different types of transportation. It can't just be bus. It just can't be light rail. It just it can't just be metro micro, right? Specifically, like in my region in Oka that I cover, right? If you're living in one area, you're not connected to the bus route. You're not connected to Metro Micro. We need to get creative like we did with the Metro Micro where if it works in the north town here in Blaine and it works in this county. Well, then where's the next hub to connect the next region of people to the exact same system that we currently have? And we just need to continue to stay creative and just be transparent with the people in those communities that more is coming, but we do need the development to also come to continue to expand further. And you'll find that where we have transportation, that's where we have the most concentrated areas of development. So the transportation and transit oriented development work hand in hand. Uh and we also need to keep in mind that there are folks that do not have access to an automobile and so having more options for them to be able to be connected to get to good paying jobs as well is is good for our economy. The Twin Cities though still remains primarily a car culture and we need the roads to be in great shape. I realize there's a winner to deal with and Mendot has a lot of challenges. Uh let's start with US 10 which they've made a lot of uh progress on that especially in Rapids out towards Ramsey. That's a that's a critical uh you know highway to have flowing. And then we've got Minnesota State 65, which you both know about that. And that's uh that's a nightmare that someday will be fixed. Correct. >> Yes. >> And how how crucial is that to get the to get the roads up to speed. >> It's extremely crucial. Right. Like you mentioned, I live literally right off of Highway 10. I am on the cusp of the construction that's still happening on Hansen. I was just at the ribbon cutting ceremony in Ramsey. I think it was Wednesday this week, right? Like I have seen that area progress from just the two lanes that we previously had. I've had to deal with the congestion of the traffic myself. You know, leaving med council, getting home till 6:30, 7:00 at night. It's extremely beneficial for the whole region that we continue to expand transportation, continue to expand our highways. It makes it easier for everybody. The more we expand it, the less wear and tear is happening to a single specific area. If we're just two lanes, those two lanes and it's the exact same amount of traffic, they're going to wear down a lot easier than if it's three lanes or four lanes, it's going to last 33% longer, 50% longer, and it makes everybody's commute time a lot less. And it allows us to connect to the different communities that are outside of the seven metro regional area. >> And and I know you know this, Reeba, and certainly in Blaine and beyond, >> State Highway 65 is not very safe. And you see it on the Minnesota 252 that connects 610 and I94. So to get these roads where they need to be is also a safety issue, isn't it? >> It is not just a congestion issue. It is a safety issue. And in order for to us to resolve that, we have to look at methods and means of making um our highways and freeways safer. And Highway 252 is is the most troublesome in in terms of safety. there's a lot of people trying to cross and if we change it to a freeway where you're not having cars competing with humans um pedestrians then um we are going to have less issues with safety. We need to be forward thinking as well. We don't want to wait until um uh congestion is a super huge problem as our populations grow. We want to plan for the future and work with our partners with um Minnesota Department of Transportation and US Department of Transportation to make sure that as we grow uh our cities that it's not it's it's not unsafe, it's safe and that we can also manage the congestion and traffic needs of our communities. >> All right, we've touched a little bit on trails and the abundant resources in Minnesota, the lakes, the rivers. That's part of what is is makes this region special, part of the charm. How do you maintain that? Because I've seen other areas where the growth just bigfoots the natural resources and once it's gone, it's gone. I know you've seen it in your hometown of Las Vegas. You You don't want that here, do you? >> No. Like like you mentioned, I'm originally from Las Vegas. When I left 14 years ago, like in that area, there wasn't houses in the mountains. There wasn't houses in Mount Charleston. You go to Vegas now and you will literally go to a house that's alongside a mountain where the wall is just cut down. So your backyard is a 20ft tall slice off the mountain and that's where they built your house, right? We have a finite amount of resources when it comes to natural resources. Once we once we cut down a bunch of trees, get rid of wetlands, get rid of the natural resources we have, there is no redo. There is no way to bring it right back to where it was. We need to find a way to continue to grow and maintain the natural resources that we have. There's certain areas that are doing a perfect balance of building up in certain areas but still maintaining the green space, amplifying their parks, putting more money into their trails. It's it's something that we need to look into. And that's one of the best things about the Met Council is that we look at it regionally because if you look at all the all the different areas, right, like you mentioned Las Vegas, you might have a bunch of highrises here in one area, then you have no parks, no trails, no nothing. And there is no public transportation that is connecting you from one side of the region to the other. And everybody's competing amongst each other and you're not working together for the best of the region. >> Okay. So when you take that regional view from 34,000 ft, how do you reba convince somebody in Henipin or in Noa County that something in Scott County matters to you? Because I mean people tend to be very provincial in in the not in my backyard thought process that a lot of us are guilty of. >> Yeah. Um well I think that's why we have regional plans. um you know before the Met Council was created in 1967 um you know we we didn't really have that focus we didn't have that body that was really looking at the region as a whole and that's really important I think one of the things that makes our region really strong is our lakes of course we're known for our lakes in Minnesota our regional parks and trails uh a lot of our housing developments are near green spaces or parks and trails uh I've been to other places the The housing may be beautiful, but you know, it can take you an hour to get to a park or a trail. Um, if I have to choose, I want to choose to be where the amenities are, and that's where the parks and trails are. That's where the lakes are. That's where um um some of the other uh spaces that you want to visit and destinations that you want to go um are are near you. So, regional planning helps you to do that. and we support our communities as they develop their comprehensive local plans as well. And so that's what makes our region strong because we have uh resources dedicated to working with our cities and townships to imagine what it is that they want for their communities and then using those resources to get there. >> And and I know clean water is of paramount importance to anybody. Uh there's a lot of watershed districts. We've got Creek and Rice Creek right here in North Metro country. Um, how closely do you work with those folks and try to make sure that the water we drink and use is pure? >> Yeah, myself specifically, I don't deal a lot with the watershed districts. I know one of our council members, Peter Lstrom, he sits on a lot of those water watershed districts boards. He is very hands-on when it comes to that resource, right? We only have a limited amount. We need to continue to preserve what we have. We need to work with all the regions because if we do something in this area, it's going to affect the water going down into the Mississippi. It's going to affect us upstream, downstream, and everybody that relies on the natural resources that we have. And we just need to be mindful when we are either developing near or around our watershed districts. >> You have cities that border the Mississippi River. Are we good stewards of that river right now in this in the Twin Cities? >> Yes. Um, we're we're much better stewards than we were before the Met Council was in place. There was a poll polluted rivers and things like that. So, we do have an environmental division that looks at our water bodies and how we treat that water to make and test it so that to make sure that it's safe and that our sewage system is is running the way that it's supposed to go. Um so so that's why it's really important um to protect our natural resources and you need that regional body like Met Council working with other entities to do that. >> All right. In closing, I'll get both of you to give me your take on what does the Twin Cities, specifically Anoka County, look like in 2015 or 2050. >> Oh, I think Anoka County will be thriving and growing. It will still have its charm that it has today. um in the many many cities that are in a part of Anoka County, they will have the kinds of housing and uh parks and trails uh community development opportunities that they desire and um it's going to make the region much stronger when they meet their their goals. >> I I genuinely think Anoka County is is doing great, right? Um, in 2050, Monoka County is probably going to be projected to grow roughly 25 30% by 2050. You know, in hinds, it it doesn't look like it's a lot of growth, but 25% of the population, that's that's a huge increase, right? And one of the main reasons that I chose to move to Enoka County is that small county charm, but you're still close enough to the cities. If if I want to go and see farmland, I just drive 7 8 minutes up Hansen and I start getting into Andover. I start getting into Bethl, right? If I want to go to downtown if I if I want to go to the river, I drive over the river, go over to Champlain, go down there, eat at some nice restaurants, or I go to Anoka, downtown Anoka, right? Today's Halloween, the Halloween capital of the world, right? It's still going to continue to thrive. I don't see much changing, right? There's going to be pockets of developments in certain cities. Blaine is probably going to be one of the the largest growing cities in this county, but every single city will still continue to thrive and they in the way that they know how. >> And I will quickly ask you, is Blaine a beacon? Because the growth has it's going on. It's going to continue. It's a sports hub. They seem to have a great vision and plan. Uh I I'm sure you're looking at Blaine as a model city within the Met Council. Am I right? >> Yeah, Blaine is a model city. Um each each city has its unique characteristics and its unique uh strengths and we want to make sure that they can thrive and uh and meet those strengths and maintain those strengths. Um so yeah, Blaine is Blaine is a great city. I love to visit. They have great shopping. They have great sports facilities. Yeah, I I Blaine is doing great, right? Is it a model city? It's a model city for the area in which they're located, right? By the transportation, they've got plenty of open land still left to be developed, but like I've said many times, that model doesn't work everywhere. They have the access to transportation. They have de land that's still open to be developable. They have a plan for a sports center, affordable housing. They have the ability to do that. So they are doing the best that they can with the area that they have. But you go to another city where there is no room for expansion. There is no more developable land. They're not on an arterial highway. They're not on a main county road, right? We can't expect them to grow the same way that Blaine does. So for Blaine itself, they're doing amazing where they're situated, but we can't replicate that in every single city. >> Yeah, makes sense. All right, Diego Reeba, thanks so much for stopping by. >> You're so welcome, Eric. >> Thank you for having us, Eric. >> All right. Yes, this has been Conversations Reva Chamblas and Diego Morales from Met Council. Thanks for joining us here on North Metro TV. [music] [music]