[0:10] . >> GREETINGS. WELCOME TO THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CLIMATE [0:16] AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE FOR MARCH 20TH, 2025. I'M KATIE [0:24] CASHMAN, CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE. THESE MEETINGS ARE BROADCAST LIVE TO ENABLE GREATER [0:29] PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. THESE BROADCASTS INCLUDE REAL-TIME [0:35] CAPTIONING. PLEASE SPEAK SLOWLY SO THAT THE CAPTIONERS CAN [0:42] TRANSCRIBE FOR OUR BROADCASTS. THANK YOU. >> COUNCIL MEMBER VETAW. [0:47] >> PRESENT. >> OSMAN. >> PRESENT. >> CHAVEZ. >> PRESENT. >> CHOWDHURY IS ABSENT. VICE [0:55] CHAIR KOSKI. >> PRESENT. >> CHAIR CASHMAN. >> PRESENT. >> THERE ARE FIVE MEMBERS PRESENT. [1:00] >> LET THE RECORD REFLECT WE HAVE A QUORUM. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL PRESIDENT PAYNE FOR JOINING US AS WELL. WE WILL [1:07] START WITH OUR CONSENT AGENDA, ITEMS 3 THROUGH 11. ITEM 3 IS [1:13] DESIGNATING A LOCATION AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MAY 8TH FOR THE 2025 ALLEY [1:19] RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. ITEM 4 IS AMENDING THE RESOLUTION BY [1:27] DECREASING THE APPROPRIATIONS. AND INCREASING THE APPROPRIATION TO THE UNPAVED ALLEY CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM. ITEM 5 IS [1:34] AUTHORIZING A COOPERATIVE FUNDING AGREEMENT WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND [1:40] TRAFFIC SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS ON BROADWAY STREET NORTHEAST BETWEEN WASHINGTON STREET AND [1:47] BUCHANAN STREET NORTHEAST. ITEM 6 IS AUTHORIZING A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY [1:52] REGIONAL RR AUTHORITY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION [1:58] OF NICOLLET AVENUE. ITEM 6 IS CONCURRING WITH THE CITY ENGINEERS REQUEST FOR A VARIANCE [2:05] FOR STATE OPERATIONS RULES FOR PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS AT 8TH [2:10] STREET SOUTHEAST AND 10TH AVENUE SOUTHEAST. ITEM 8 IS APPROVING THE PHASE ONE CONCEPT LAYOUT AND [2:20] EASEMENTS FOR THE PROJECT. ITEM 9 IS PASSAGE OF A RESOLUTION OF [2:25] SUPPORT FOR THE GOLD LINE EXTENSION PROJECT. ITEM 10 IS SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR [2:30] APRIL 8TH TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THE CITY'S NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE [2:38] ELIMINATION SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND ANNUAL REPORT. ITEM 11 IS RECEIVING AND FILING AN [2:44] UNDATED 2024-2025 WORK PLAN FOR THIS COMMITTEE AS WELL AS A DOCUMENT OF OUR YEAR ONE [2:50] ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND I WILL MOVE APPROVAL OF ITEMS 3 THROUGH 11. [2:56] I WILL ALSO RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDHURY HAS JOINED US. AND I WILL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL [3:03] PRESIDENT PAYNE. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN AND THANK YOU COLLEAGUES FOR LETTING ME JOIN. I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK [3:09] ON ITEM NUMBER 8, LOGAN PARK INDUSTRIAL. I JUST WANTED TO THANK PUBLIC WORKS LEADERSHIP [3:15] AND STAFF FOR SEPARATING THAT PROJECT OUT. THERE'S A LOT. IT [3:20] INCLUDES QUINCY STREET, JACKSON STREET, TYLER STREET NORTH OF BROADWAY. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF [3:27] ENGAGEMENT AROUND QUINCY STREET OF WHAT THE TEAM HAS GONE BACK TO THE TABLE TO WORK WITH [3:32] COMMUNITY TO INCORPORATE SOME DEEPER FEEDBACK. I APPRECIATE BEING ABLE TO SEPARATE THIS VOTE OUT INTO DIFFERENT PARTS SO WHAT [3:39] IS MOVING FORWARD IS THE TYLER STREET SIDE OF THE PROJECT. I'M JUST THANKFUL TO PUBLIC WORKS [3:44] FOR WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH COMMUNITY ON HELPING TO ADDRESS [3:50] THE HOPES, WISHES AND DREAMS OF QUINCY STREET. THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE. >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR [3:56] THAT. I WILL ALSO BRIEFLY SPEAK TO ITEM 9 WHICH IS A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE GOLD LINE BUS [4:03] RAPID TRANSIT EXTENSION. THE GOLD LINE IS ACTUALLY OPENING THIS SATURDAY, MARCH 22ND [4:10] BETWEEN SAINT PAUL AND WOODBURY, WHICH IS GREAT. AND METRO [4:15] TRANSIT WANTS TO EXTEND THIS TO BETWEEN DOWNTOWN SAINT PAUL AND [4:22] DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS BY 2027. THIS SUPPORT IS NEEDED SO THEY CAN AMEND THEIR TRANSPORTATION POLICY PLAN TO INCLUDE THIS. [4:29] THANK YOU STAFF FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE [4:37] BRT BETWEEN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? SO THE [4:46] MOTION TO APPROVE ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. >> AYE. >> THOSE OPPOSE SAY NAY. ANY [4:51] ABSTENTIONS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THOSE ITEMS ARE APPROVED. NEXT, WE'LL TAKE UP THE PUBLIC [4:57] HEARINGS. FIRST PUBLIC HEARING [5:02] IS PROJECT APPROVAL AND ASSESSMENT OF STREET RESURFACING PROJECT. HERE TO KICK OFF THE [5:09] PUBLIC HEARING IS HAZEL WOLF FROM PUBLIC WORKS. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE [5:15] CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE CLIMATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS HAZEL WOLF. I'M WITH [5:21] PUBLIC WORKS. I'M HERE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE 24th STREET RESURFACING PROJECT AND [5:27] RECOMMEND PASSAGE OF RESOLUTION AND ORDER THE WORK IN THE AMOUNT [5:35] OF $245,069.07. AND PASSAGE OF [5:40] RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BOARD [5:45] OF ESTIMATE AND TAXATION AUTHORIZE THE CITY'S ISSUANCE AND SALE OF ASSESSMENT BONDS FOR [5:50] THE PROJECT. 24th STREET EAST CONSISTS OF A MINNESOTA STATE [5:56] AID STREET FOUNDED BY CEDAR AVENUE SOUTH TO PORTLAND AVENUE [6:01] SOUTH. AND PORTLAND AVENUE SOUTH TO 5th AVENUE SOUTH. IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1972 AND HAS A [6:08] PAYMENT INDEX OF 67. THE LOCAL PORTION WAS RECONSTRUCTED IN 1916 -- 1969. PUBLIC WORKS [6:19] HOSTED A MEETING ON MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025, AT 6 P.M. THERE [6:25] WERE 121 INVITATIONS MAILED AND ONE ATTENDEE CAME TO THIS MEETING. ON DECEMBER 5, 2024, [6:32] THE CITY COUNCIL DESIGNATED THE IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED. THE PURPOSE OF THE ASPHALT [6:44] PAVEMENT -- RENOVATION OR RECONSTRUCTION IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. THIS PROGRAM [6:49] IS ADDRESSING CITY STREETS THAT ARE AT A POINT IN THEIR LIFE [6:54] CYCLE WHERE A NEW SURFACE WILL IMPROVE QUALITY RIDE AND LIVEABILITY. THE 2025 [7:01] RESURFACING PROGRAM IS IDENTIFIED IN THE 20-YEAR STREETS FUNDING PLAN AND WAS INCLUDED IN THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. THE [7:08] PROPOSED STREET RESURFACING SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS WERE DETERMINED BY APPLYING THE 2025 [7:14] UNIFORM ASSESSMENT RATES TO THE LAND AREA OF BENEFITED PARCELS [7:20] LOCATED WITHIN THE INFLUENCE ZONES. THESE ASSESSMENTS ARE NOT CALCULATED BASED ON PROJECTS [7:26] ALONE. THE CITY USES A FORMULA WITH AN ANNUALLY ESTABLISHED UAR. THIS FORMULA IS CONSIDERED [7:32] AND APPLIED BY CITY STAFF AND INTENDED TO REFLECT EACH PROJECTS VALUE TO THE [7:39] PROPERTIES. INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED IN THE NOTICES AS TO HOW PERSONS MAY PRE-PAY THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS IN FULL [7:46] WITHOUT INTEREST IF THEY SO CHOOSE. A DEFERMENT OF SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS MAY BE OBTAINED BY [7:53] SHOWING HARDSHIP FOR ANY HOMESTEADED PROPERTY OWNED BY PERSONS 65 YEARS OR OLDER OR [8:00] RETIREMENT BY VIRTUE AND DISABILITY. THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. AND I STAND FOR [8:05] ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'M GOING TO PROCEED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC [8:10] HEARING. WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP. IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO DOES WISH TO SPEAK ON THE [8:17] 24th STREET EAST RESURFACING PROJECT? SEEING NONE, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND JUST ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS HERE. I'M REALLY TRYING TO [8:27] UNDERSTAND LIKE THE BREADTH OF RESURFACING PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS SPRING, AND THE PCI LIMITS THAT LEAD US TO [8:35] LIKE PUT THIS FORWARD. DO YOU KNOW THE PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX FOR THIS STREET? [8:42] >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN, I DO. SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT PORTIONS TO THIS STREET. ONE IS [8:47] THE MINNESOTA STATE AID PORTION, AND THE PCI OF THAT IS 67. THE [8:54] LOCAL PORTION BETWEEN PORTLAND AVENUE AND 5th AVENUE IS 71. [8:59] >> CAN YOU REMIND US ON THAT SCALE WHERE DOES IT FALL. >> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, CHAIR CASHMAN. AND THE SCALE IS [9:05] BETWEEN 0 AND 100. 0 BEING NO STREET AT ALL AND 100 BEING AN [9:11] ABSOLUTELY PERFECT STREET. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THEN WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE COST OF THE PROJECT IS BEING COVERED BY [9:16] THE SPECIAL ASSESSMENT? [9:25] >> THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR. I BELIEVE WE'RE AT APPROXIMATELY 20% OF [9:30] THE COST. IF YOU LOOK AT THE FISCAL COST IN HERE. THE [9:38] FINANCIAL INFORMATION, WHICH I JUST MISPLACED. BUT WHERE IS [9:44] THAT? ANYWAY, LET ME CONFIRM BUT I -- OH, YES, RIGHT BEFORE THE MAP IN YOUR PACKET OR ON THE [9:51] FILE. WE HAVE A TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF 1.4 MILLION, AND THE ASSESSMENT BONDS ARE ABOUT [9:59] $245,000. >> PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CLARIFYING THAT. NEXT, I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER OSMAN. [10:04] >> YES, THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF. I ATTENDED THE [10:11] I GUESS COMMUNITY CONVERSATION THAT YOU HOSTED. AND I WANTED TO [10:17] THANK YOU FOR COMING, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD ONE PARTICIPANT. I THINK YOU WERE ABLE TO GET SOME [10:23] INFORMATION OF WHAT THE THOUGHT IS. I JUST WANT TO REPEAT ONE MORE TIME THAT IN THAT DISTRICT, [10:28] IN THAT AREA, 24 AND 10, IT'S A VERY BUSY PEDESTRIAN AREA. I [10:35] HAVE SEEN TRAFFIC DRIVERS GETTING ANNOYED BY WHEN PEOPLE ARE PULLING IN, PULLING OUT OR [10:42] STOPPING FOR A PASSENGER. IT'S SOMETHING THAT MAYBE ON THIS PROJECT THE STAFF CAN FOCUS ON A WAY TO IMPROVE THE PEDESTRIAN [10:50] SAFETY AND PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIVING ON 24th. THAT'S THE ONLY COMMENT I HAVE. THANK YOU SO [10:57] MUCH. AND I'M HAPPY TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. [11:04] >> ON COUNCIL MEMBER OSMAN'S MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. >> AYE. >> THOSE OPPOSED SAY NAY. ANY [11:11] ABSTENTIONS? THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT PUBLIC HEARING IS PASSAGE OF AN [11:17] ORDINANCE RELATED TO WATER SERVICE AND TERMINOLOGY REVISIONS. HERE TO KICK OFF THE PUBLIC HEARING IS ANNIKA [11:30] BANKSON. >> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ANNIKA BANKSON, WATER TREATMENT [11:36] AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICES. THE ITEM BEFORE THE COMMITTEE IS TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THREE [11:42] TITLES IN THE CITY CODE OF ORDINANCES AND THE REQUESTED [11:48] ACTION IS TO RECOMMEND APPROVING. THE FULL MARK UPS ARE INCLUDED AS ATTACHMENTS AS A [11:54] REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION. BUT I WILL SUMMARIZE THOSE INTO FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS. THE FIRST AREA [11:59] IS INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE. PUBLIC WORKS IS WORKING TO ENSURE WE USE GENERAL NEUTRAL LANGUAGE [12:05] THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTATION IN PROJECT AND DATA SETS. THE ACTION TODAY IS [12:11] TO REPLACE THE TERM "MANHOLE" WITH MAINTENANCE WHOLE. AGAIN, [12:17] THIS IS TO DEMONSTRATE RESPECT FOR PEOPLE OF ALL GENDER IDENTITIES. AND ESPECIALLY OUR WORK FORCE WHO USE THESE [12:23] MAINTENANCE HOLES TO ACCESS OUR CITY INFRASTRUCTURE. THE SECOND AREA IS THE USE OF PLAIN LANGUAGE. WE ARE PROPOSING [12:30] CHANGING FROM THE WATER INDUSTRY TECHNICAL TERM OF CURB STOP TO WATER SERVICE SHUTOFF VALVE. [12:37] THIS CHANGE DESCRIBES THE VALVE'S PURPOSE AND IMPROVES CLARITY TO PROPERTY OWNERS AND [12:43] RESIDENTS WHO ACTUALLY OWN THIS VALVE AS PART OF THEIR WATER SERVICE LINES. THE THIRD AREA IS [12:50] WITH RESPECT TO FEES FOR SHUT OFF. AS CURRENTLY WRITTEN, THERE'S LANGUAGE IN TITLE 12 [12:56] THAT ENTITLES FEE FOR WATER SHUT OFF MAY ONLY BE IMPOSED IN THE EVENT OF DELINQUENCY. THIS FEE [13:02] IS SET BASED ON THE ACTUAL LABOR COST FOR US TO PERFORM AN ACTUAL [13:08] SHUT OFF. HOWEVER, WATER SHUT OFFS MAY OCCUR FOR A VARIETY OF [13:14] REASONS. IT IS THE MECHANISM FOR LAST RESORT FOR FAILURE TO ALLOW [13:19] ACCESS TO THE WATER METER, OR USE, MISUSE OR WASTE OF WATER THAT ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE [13:25] HEALTH, SAFETY OR WELFARE OF THE PUBLIC. THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE CHANGE ALLOWS THE CITY TO CHARGE [13:30] THE FEE FOR SHUT OFF DUE TO ANY VIOLATION, NOT JUST DELINQUENCY. IT ALSO CLARIFIES THE NOTICES [13:38] REQUIRED TO SITUATIONS OF DELINQUENCY. THE FOURTH CHANGE, TECHNICAL CHANGES AND [13:44] ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS RELATED TO CROSS CONNECTION CONTROL AND BACKFLOW PREVENTION. THE PROPOSED CHANGES ENSURE THE [13:50] ORDINANCE LANGUAGE CONFORMS TO [13:56] PLUMBING CODE, ENABLES PENALTIES RATHER THAN ADMINISTRATIVE FINES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE WITH BACKFLOW [14:02] REQUIREMENTS. SUCH PENALTIES COULD BE ADDED TO THE WATER UTILITY BILL. SO AGAIN, THOSE [14:08] FOUR AREAS COMPLETE MY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, AND I'M HAPPY TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS THE COMMITTEE MAY HAVE OR ANY THAT [14:14] ARISE DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THESE ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS. [14:20] >> THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. WE'LL NOW PROCEED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. AGAIN, ON THIS PUBLIC HEARING, [14:26] WE DO NOT HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP, SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ORDINANCE, NOW IS THE TIME. [14:33] SEEING NONE, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ASK IF THERE ARE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH [14:38] QUESTIONS ON THESE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE. THERE [14:44] ARE -- YES, COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. IT'S NOT A QUESTION JUST A COMMENT. THANK YOU. WHILE IT MAY [14:53] SEEM SMALL ABOUT FINDING THAT GENDER LANGUAGE REALLY IMPORTANT. COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDHURY A I HAVE BEEN [14:58] WORKING WITH OUR STAFF ON OUR STREET VENDOR ORDINANCE AND STAFF FROM THE ADMINISTRATION FOUND GENDER LANGUAGE IN THE [15:05] STREET VENDOR ORDINANCE THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR MANY YEARS. I THINK IT WILL EVENTUALLY BE GREAT TO LOOK OVER THE ENTIRE [15:12] MUNICIPAL CODE OF ORDINANCES TO SEE HOW WE CAN CHANGE THEM INSTEAD OF JUST FINDING THEM AS A ONE-OFF THING. THANK YOU FOR [15:19] THAT. >> CHAIR CASHMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, THANK YOU FOR THAT. THIS WAS ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY. WE [15:24] TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THAT CHANGE GIVEN THE OTHER ORDINANCES WE HAVE IN PROCESS. I [15:29] KNOW THAT'S AN INTENTION THAT PUBLIC WORKS DOES HAVE. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR [15:37] OFFERING -- VICE CHAIR KOSKI AND I HAD A CHANCE TO GO. AND COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDHURY WAS THERE AS WELL EARLIER LAST YEAR. [15:43] AND I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OTHER STAFF BECAUSE WE DO HAVE JUST AN INCREDIBLE WATER [15:49] TREATMENT SYSTEM IN THE CITY. AND I BELIEVE WE ARE TOP IN THE NATION AND ONLY SECOND IN NORTH [15:57] AMERICA BEHIND VANCOUVER. IS THAT CORRECT? >> YES. YES. >> IT'S THANKS TO ALL OF YOUR [16:03] GREAT WORK. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. HAPPY TO MOVE APPROVAL ON THIS ITEM. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR [16:08] PLEASE SAY AYE. >> AYE. >> THOSE OPPOSED SAY NAY. ANY ABSTENTIONS? THE AYES HAVE IT. [16:15] THAT MOTION CARRIES. AND I WILL RECOGNIZE DIRECTOR SEXTON. >> YEAH, THANK YOU, CHAIR. I [16:21] JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT REGARDING THE COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING A CONCERTED [16:28] EFFORT IN ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTS AND LOOK FOR HISTORICAL, I WOULD SAY PROBLEMATIC LANGUAGE, [16:34] INCLUDING GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE. THAT'S A CONCERTED EFFORT WE HAVE. I DON'T KNOW THAT ALL OF THOSE CHANGES WILL [16:41] COME THROUGH COUNCIL. BUT WE ARE MAKING A VERY FOCUSED EFFORT ON DOING THAT, AND RECOGNIZING THAT [16:47] WE HAVE A PUBLIC WORKS EQUITY TEAM THAT RAISED THAT TO OUR AWARENESS AND BROUGHT THAT [16:53] FORWARD FROM STAFF AND WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY AS A RESPONSE TO THEIR FEEDBACK. SO THANKS FOR THAT. [17:00] >> THANK YOU FOR THE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT. MOVING ON. WE WILL NEXT [17:11] TAKE UP OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS. OUR FIRST IS RECEIVING AND FILING THE VISION ZERO 2025 [17:17] ANNUAL REPORT. HERE TO PRESENT ON THIS IS ETHAN FAWLEY, [17:24] WELCOME. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. [17:31] THANKS, CHAIR. SO AS YOU ALL KNOW VISION ZERO IS OUR GOAL TO [17:37] GET TO ZERO TRAFFIC DEATHS AND SEVERE INJURIES ON OUR STREETS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR [17:44] CLOSING IN ON EIGHT YEARS HERE. [17:50] IN 2024, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN TRAFFIC DEATHS, AS YOU CAN SEE. BUT WE'RE STILL [17:56] HIGHER THAN WE WERE PRIOR TO 2020 WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2020. YOU KNOW, THIS [18:03] TREND OF INCREASED TRAFFIC DEATHS SINCE 2020 HAS BEEN SEEN AROUND THE STATE AND THE [18:08] COUNTRY. ACTUALLY, MINNESOTA HAD A BIG INCREASE LAST YEAR. SO IT IS NOTABLE THAT WE HAD A [18:14] SIGNIFICANT DECREASE WHILE THE STATE AS A WHOLE HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. IT IS A [18:20] SMALLER, YOU KNOW, NUMBER OVERALL. SO WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE SOME VARIATION [18:26] YEAR-TO-YEAR AS WELL. TALK ABOUT NUMBERS. YOU ALL KNOW THAT I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO [18:31] RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE INVOLVED. EVERY ONE OF THESE STORIES IS [18:37] IMPORTANT. I'M GOING TO PULL OUT A COUPLE AS I ALWAYS DO. I'LL [18:44] START WITH RILEY WHO WAS AN 18-YEAR-OLD FRESHMAN AT THE U OF [18:50] M STUDYING THEATER AND GERMAN. HER DAD SAID SHE WAS PURSUING HER DREAMS. SHE WAS WALKING BACK [18:57] TO HER DORM WHEN SHE WAS HIT BY A DRIVER WHO WAS DRUNK AND RAN A [19:03] RED LIGHT AT HIGH SPEED. SHE LOVED HORSES, SUMMER, SUNFLOWERS AND BUTTERFLIES. HER REMAINS ARE [19:09] NOW IN A BUTTERFLY URN IN A ROOM SURROUNDED BY SUNFLOWERS AFTER [19:15] SHE DONATED HER ORGANS AND TISSUES. I'LL ALSO SHARE A STORY [19:21] OF ROSE AND ESTHER WHO WERE BEST FRIENDS AND DESCRIBED AS PILLARS [19:28] OF THE COMMUNITY. WHO BROUGHT LOVE TO THOSE AROUND THEM. THEY WORKED AS COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS FOR THE CULTURAL WELLNESS CENTER [19:35] FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS. ON THEIR WAY TO VISIT A FRIEND, THEY WERE [19:40] HIT AND KILLED BY A DRIVER WHO RAN A RED LIGHT AT HIGH SPEED. [19:45] ROSE'S SON SAID SHE WAS A LOVING, CARING LADY. SHE MADE SURE EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY [19:51] HAD WHAT THEY NEEDED. ESTHER'S [19:57] DAUGHTER SAID I'M GOING TO MISS MY MOM. THAT WAS MY WORLD. I WAS WITH HER DAY IN AND DAY OUT. I WAS HOPING TO COME HOME TO MY [20:05] MOM AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN." IT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED FOR [20:12] THESE AND EVERYONE ELSE AND FAMILIES ON THIS LIST. I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT THESE ARE [20:18] UNACCEPTABLE. AND TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THROUGH THE NAMES HERE. [20:37] THANK YOU. OKAY. NOW BACK TO SOME STATS. THIS TIME I READ IT [20:44] AHEAD OF TIME SO I WASN'T QUITE AS LAST TIME. I KNOW IT WAS A LITTLE HARDER FOR ME. SO THANK [20:49] YOU ALL. SO YOU CAN JUST SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT ACROSS KIND OF [20:56] DIFFERENT METRICS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, I THINK WE HAVE THE PRIOR TO 2020 AND THE POST AS I [21:01] TALKED ABOUT. SO I'D LIKE TO KIND OF LOOK AT BOTH OF THOSE IN COMPARISON. YOU KIND OF SEE [21:09] WHERE WE'RE AT KIND OF FATAL CRASH AND SEVERE CRASH WISE. ALL CRASHES TEND TO BE WAY DOWN [21:15] SINCE BEFORE 2020. THERE'S A VARIETY OF FACTORS PROBABLY GOING ON THERE INCLUDING SOME [21:21] UNDERREPORTING LIKELY. I WILL NOTE THAT WHILE WE SEE A DECREASE OVERALL IN FATAL AND [21:27] SEVERE CRASHES, WE DO SEE A MARKED INCREASE IN PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE CRASHES LAST YEAR [21:32] COMPARED TO 2024. NOW THAT'S STILL LOWER THAN IT WAS PRIOR TO 2020. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE [21:38] GOING TO BE LOOKING INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE. I THINK THERE ARE SOME DATA THINGS GOING ON HERE AS WELL AND GETTING SOME [21:45] MORE CRASHES REPORTED LAST YEAR THAN WE WERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE. BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING [21:51] AT A LITTLE FURTHER. WE CONTINUE TO SEE THOSE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS IN OUR TRANSPORTATION [21:57] EQUITY PRIORITY AREAS IN PARTICULAR WHICH HAD 60% OF OUR FATAL CRASHES LAST YEAR. THIS IS [22:04] JUST FATAL CRASHES. IT'S HARD FOR US TO GET AN OUTLINE OF THOSE AREAS. BUT YOU CAN GET A SENSE. SPEEDING. THIS IS [22:11] SOMETHING I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A FEW YEARS NOW AS A REAL FOCUS. AND YOU CAN SEE WHY. [22:19] THIS GRAPH I'VE INCORPORATED BOTH THE GREEN LINE AS WELL AS THE PERCENTAGE HERE. YOU CAN SEE [22:27] THAT IN 2024, NOW WE'RE LIKE AT 80% OF OUR FATAL CRASHES INVOLVE [22:32] CLEAR SPEEDING. THAT TOTAL NUMBER WENT DOWN BECAUSE WE HAD FEWER FATAL CRASHES. SPEEDING IS [22:38] THE THING IN A LOT OF WAYS FOR US. I ALSO WANTED TO PULL IN [22:43] SOME INFORMATION HERE. THERE'S A LOT ON THIS CHART SO I'LL TRY TO KINDA POINT SOME THINGS OUT [22:49] HERE. OVERALL, WE SEE THAT OUR HIGH INJURY STREETS ARE WHERE MOST OF OUR FATAL CRASHES ARE [22:56] HAPPENING. AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. THIS IS LOOKING AT THREE YEARS, OUR HIGH INJURY [23:01] STREETS ARE BASED ON DATA THAT THROUGH 2021. SO LIKE WHAT WE [23:07] KNEW WERE HIGH INJURY STREETS BEFORE ARE STILL, THOSE ARE STILL WHERE WE'RE SEEING THOSE [23:13] FATAL CRASHES HAPPENING VERY MUCH SO. AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE [23:18] ARE TYPICALLY ON THE HIGH -- NOT ALL ARE HIGH INJURY STREETS BY ANY MEANS. BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT [23:25] MNDOT AND PARTICULARLY COUNTY STREETS ARE WHERE WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF THE FATAL CRASHES. OUR [23:32] LOCAL SYSTEM WHICH WOULD BE LIKE STREETS THAT ARE FOR TRAFFIC [23:38] CALMING. WE SEE RELATIVELY FEW FATAL CRASHES COMPARED TO OUR OTHER SYSTEMS AND PARKWAYS. WE [23:43] HAVEN'T HAD ANY IN A FEW YEARS. TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF HOW THIS [23:49] RELATES. WITHIN VISION ZERO, WE CONTINUE TO WORK TO PRIORITIZE INVESTMENT ON THESE HIGH INJURY STREETS BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S SO [23:55] IMPORTANT FOR ADDRESSING CHALLENGES WE'RE SEEING WITH TRAFFIC DEATHS. JUST SOME [24:01] HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING. YOU CAN SEE A GENERAL UPDATE. I WILL NOTE OUR VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN GOES [24:07] THROUGH THIS YEAR. WE WILL BE DOING A LITTLE UPDATE AND BRING IT FORWARD LIKELY EARLY NEXT [24:13] YEAR. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO BE STARTING TO WORK ON [24:18] HERE AND IT WILL BE AN UPDATE SO NOT A FULL REVAMP OF EVERYTHING. OKAY. SOME HIGHLIGHTS. SO WE [24:29] CONTINUE TO DO QUICK BUILD AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ON OUR HIGH INJURY STREETS. IF YOU LOOK OVER [24:36] THE YEARS WE'VE HAD OUR VISION ZERO PROGRAM, WE'VE INSTALLED [24:47] SAFETY TREATMENTS. QUICK BUILD, FLEXIBLE POST TO CONCRETE [24:52] TREATMENTS. THAT'S MORE OF OUR FOCUS NOW AS WELL. BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY GET AT A LOT [24:58] OF OUR HIGH INJURY STREETS PROACTIVELY. I'LL ALSO NOTE IT'S VERY -- I THINK WE'VE ONLY HAD [25:04] ONE FATAL CRASH AT A LOCATION WHERE WE'VE INSTALLED TREATMENTS. SOME OF THESE -- SO [25:09] FOLKS SAY DOES IT DO ANYTHING? AND WE'LL BE DOING A FULL ANALYSIS EVALUATION OF THAT. BUT [25:15] WE'VE ONLY HAD ONE FATAL CRASH AT THESE LOCATIONS SINCE WE INSTALLED THINGS. SO THAT IS NOT [25:23] CONCLUSIVE. IT'S NOT DEFINITIVE. BUT WE'VE SEEN IMPROVEMENT IN [25:28] STUDIES AND WE'LL BE DOING MORE. WE HAVE A LOT OF CAPITAL PROJECTS COMING. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THESE THAT WERE [25:34] COMPLETED IN 2024 THAT HAD SIGNIFICANT SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. A LOT OF THESE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY. REALLY [25:39] IMPORTANT PROJECTS. WE ALSO WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING NEW GRANTS AS WELL FOR SAFETY [25:45] PROJECTS. EXCITED THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CELEBRATE SOME OF THESE WITH COMMUNITY. WE'LL HAVE MORE COMING THIS YEAR AS WELL [25:50] AND GETTING OUT THERE. WE REALLY TRY TO INCORPORATE OUR SAFETY BEST PRACTICES IN ALL OF THESE. [25:57] JUST A REMINDER THAT WE DO -- WE WERE AWARDED A SAFE STREETS FOR [26:02] ALL GRANT LAST YEAR. WE ARE WORKING TO FINALIZE OUR GRANT AGREEMENT WITH FHWA. WE HAVE NOT [26:10] HEARD ANY THINGS THAT SUGGEST THERE WILL BE A CHANGE TO THAT UP TO THIS POINT. WE'RE WORKING [26:15] AND FOCUSED ON FINISHING THAT UP. HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE THAT [26:21] SOON. >> VERY SORRY TO INTERRUPT. CAN YOU DEFINE FWHA. [26:31] >> FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION. WE WILL HAVE A MORE COMPLETE REPORT ON THIS IN [26:38] RESPONDING TO THE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTIVE NEXT TIME. WE'VE ALSO [26:44] BEEN WORKING AS YOU ALL KNOW ON ADVANCING OUR TRAFFIC SAFETY PERFORMANCE -- CAMERA PILOT. I [26:53] REPORTED ON THIS LATE LAST YEAR. BUT SINCE THEN, WE'VE PUT OUT AS YOU HOPEFULLY HAVE SEEN A LIST [26:59] OF CANDIDATE LOCATIONS FOR THE INITIAL PILOT PHASE. WE HAVE 51 [27:05] CANDIDATE LOCATIONS. WE'RE GETTING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK FROM THOSE CURRENTLY. AND WE WILL BE [27:11] SELECTING FROM THOSE FIVE INITIAL LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE HAVING FOR THE LAUNCH ON SPEED SAFETY CAMERAS. AND THEN WE WILL [27:18] LOOK TO EXPAND FROM THERE ADDING RED LIGHT CAMERAS IN ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS OVER TIME. WE DO PLAN [27:27] TO BE BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE IN THE SUMMER TO SHARE DETAILS OF OUR CAMERA LOCATION ANALYSIS, [27:34] AND WHERE WE'RE PLANNING TO LOCATE THOSE INITIAL LAUNCH LOCATIONS AND OTHER PRIORITY [27:39] LOCATIONS. WE ALSO DO CURRENTLY HAVE AN RFP, REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO SUPPORT [27:45] IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS AS WELL. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THERE IF ANYBODY HAS ANY IN THE [27:53] INTERIM. AND THEN I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE VISION ZERO IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. WE'RE [27:59] WORKING ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENT. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS THE GREAT WORK THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE [28:06] DOES AROUND PROSECUTING DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED CASES. THEY'RE [28:12] ALSO RECOGNIZED BY THE MINNESOTA STATE PATROL TROOPER WHO HAD THE [28:21] MOST DWI ARRESTS IN 2024, WHO DEDICATED THAT AWARD TO THE CITY [28:28] ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. I APPRECIATE ALL THEIR WORK AND PARTNERSHIP ON THIS AS WELL. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. SO WITH THAT, I'LL [28:34] SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. [28:39] >> THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. IT'S ALWAYS, YEAH, REALLY HARD IT SEE THOSE NAMES [28:45] EVERY YEAR. BUT I KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGING FEW YEARS DUE [28:52] TO THE PANDEMIC AND JUST LIKE SHIFTING SOCIETAL BEHAVIORS. I THINK A SENSE OF NIHILISM AT [28:58] THAT TIME PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE WAY PEOPLE WERE DRIVING AND ARE STILL TRYING TO COME BACK FROM THAT. BUT THERE'S A [29:04] LOT OF GREAT WORK HAPPENING. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR BEING INNOVATIVE. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING FORWARD THE RED [29:11] LIGHT PILOT. THAT WILL BE COMING FORWARD THIS YEAR. I'M HOPEFUL THAT WILL BE ANOTHER GREAT TOOL [29:16] IN OUR TOOLBOX TO GET TO VISION ZERO. SO I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL [29:22] MEMBER OSMAN. >> THANK YOU FOR SHARING THOSE NAMES. IT'S REALLY HARD TO [29:29] IMAGINE WHAT, YOU KNOW, LOSING SOMEONE IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT OR [29:37] TRAFFIC DEATHS. I CAN SEE THE INCREASE OF BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN [29:43] CRASHES LIKE 35% MORE. AND I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO THE [29:49] BEHAVIOR OF THE DRIVER AND THE SPEEDING THAT COMES WITH IT. I'M [29:55] GLAD TO SEE THE PROJECT CITY HAS INVESTED THAT WE'RE NOW SEEING [30:00] CRASHES MAYBE ONE CRASH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. OR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. SO JUST [30:08] ENCOURAGING THE PUBLIC TO BE SAFE AND REALLY DRIVE SAFE. I [30:14] HAD SADLY ON MY WARD, FRANKLIN AND PORTLAND WHERE DRIVER WAS [30:21] SPEEDING AND HIT LIKE FIVE PEOPLE THAT WERE WALKING. AND I [30:26] CAN SEE THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE FOR LAST FEW YEARS WHERE PEOPLE ARE [30:32] JUST DRIVING MORE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES OR MAYBE THERE'S NOT A COP, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NEXT [30:38] TO ON THE ROAD. BUT HOW DOES IT -- HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO [30:45] ONCE YOU IDENTIFY VERY HIGH RISK TRAFFIC STREET OR AREA, HOW LONG [30:52] DOES IT TAKE FOR THE CITY TO SAY, WELL, HERE'S A PROJECT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO HERE. HOW [30:59] LONG DOES IT TAKE IF THAT IS TRAFFIC CALMING, IF THAT IS BUILDING OUT ON THE STREET. I [31:04] KNOW IT COSTS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S RESOURCES INVOLVED. THERE'S PROCESSES INVOLVED. IT TAKES [31:12] LONGER. IS THERE SOME KIND OF TEMPORARY PROTECTION OR MAKING SURE THAT STREET IS SAFER UNTIL [31:17] THE PROJECT GETS COMPLETE? >> CHAIR CASHMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER OSMAN, GREAT QUESTION. I'M GOING [31:24] TO PULL BACK UP A MAP HERE. SORRY. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HEADING IN THIS DIRECTION. SO [31:31] THIS MAP, YOU KNOW, SHOWS OUR SAFE STREETS FOR ALL PROJECTS. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT HAD MORE HIGH [31:38] INJURY STREETS ON HERE ALL TOLD BUT IT DOESN'T. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. ONE THING I JUST WANT TO [31:44] ACKNOWLEDGE IS OF OUR ABOUT 120 MILES OF IDENTIFIED HIGH INJURY STREETS, NEARLY ALL OF THEM ARE [31:52] GOING TO SEE SIGNIFICANT SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE NEXT SIX YEARS. AND SO WE ARE -- OUR SAFE [32:00] STREETS FOR ALL GRANT WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON LOCATIONS WHERE WE DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE PLANS FOR [32:05] SIGNIFICANT TREATMENTS. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO KIND OF FILL THE GAP ON MOST OF THE REMAINING [32:14] PROJECTS. BUT IT STILL TAKES TIME. WE MOVED REALLY RAPIDLY WITH OUR QUICK BUILD TREATMENTS. [32:21] AS I NOTED, MORE THAN 250 INTERSECTIONS WE'VE INSTALLED [32:26] TREATMENTS SINCE 2021. THOSE TYPICALLY, WE IDENTIFIED A [32:33] LOCATION AND DOING SOMETHING WITHIN SIX MONTHS. THAT'S REALLY TRYING TO MOVE QUICKLY. THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE DO ALSO [32:39] OPERATION WISE WITH TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND OTHER THINGS TO IMPROVE SAFETY THROUGH OUR [32:46] TRAFFIC AND PUBLIC. PARKING SERVICES DIVISION. SO WE DO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES WHEN WE'RE [32:51] SEEING TRENDS. SOME OF THE BIGGER PICTURE THINGS TAKE LONGER, BUT WE HAVE BEEN REALLY FOCUSED ON BEING PROACTIVE. [32:57] REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF TIME. NOT WAITING FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO A STREET RECONSTRUCTION TO [33:02] INSTALL THOSE SAFETY TREATMENTS WE KNOW CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. SO THAT'S A BIG FOCUS OF OURS. [33:08] >> I HAVE SEEN THE STREET SPEED [33:13] METER CONTROLLER. DO YOU OFFER THOSE TO THE NEIGHBORS THAT [33:19] MIGHT REQUEST WHEN THEY SEE THAT THE STREET IS -- THE SPEED IS INCREASING AND MAYBE SEEING A [33:25] BIG RED NUMBER THAT YOU'RE GOING OVER THE LIMIT AND FLASHING. IS THAT SOMETHING PUBLIC WORKS [33:31] OFFERS TO THIS NEIGHBORHOODS? >> CHAIR CASHMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER OSMAN, WE DO HAVE A SPEED WAGON [33:37] WE CALL IT OR SPEED TRAILER. COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN REQUEST THE SPEED TRAILER. WE HAVE MULTIPLE ONES OF THOSE AND WE [33:43] MOVE THEM AROUND RESPONDING TO COMMUNITY REQUESTS OR DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING OUT ON THE STREETS AS WELL. SO PART OF OUR SAFE [33:52] STREETS FOR ALL GRANT IS EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF THOSE TO MEET COMMUNITY DEMAND. BUT YES, [33:59] I ENCOURAGE FOLKS IF THEY ARE INTERESTED TO GET IN THEIR REQUEST SOON BECAUSE WE DO GET A LOT OF DEMAND FOR THAT. [34:04] >> THANK YOU. JUST LAST COMMENT. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE PILOT PROGRAM FOR STREET CAMERAS. I BELIEVE THAT THOSE [34:10] WILL BE SUPER HELPFUL AND WILL TELL THESE DRIVERS BEHAVIOR THAT [34:17] NOW, YOU KNOW, IT WILL COST THEM. WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. [34:24] >> NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDHURY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR CASHMAN, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH [34:30] FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AS ALWAYS, ETHAN. I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH ONE THAT YOU HAVE TO COME AND DO [34:35] EVERY YEAR. BUT YOU PUT A LOT OF EFFORT AND PASSION. I KNOW OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT DOES TOO. JUST FIRST WANT TO START [34:43] OFF BY SAYING THIS IS MOVING TOWARDS VISION ZERO AND REALLY [34:48] DOUBLING DOWN ON MAKING SURE THAT WE MAKE OUR STREETS SAFE FOR EVERYONE WHETHER THEY'RE [34:54] BIKING, DRIVING OR WALKING IS A REALLY TANGIBLE WAY THAT OUR CITY IS ENSURING THAT RESIDENTS' [35:00] LIVES ARE SAVED. LIKE WE HAVE THE POWER TO DO SOMETHING IN [35:06] THIS SITUATION. IT'S JUST WONDERFUL TO SEE THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE WHILE TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH IS [35:13] STILL NEEDED. HOW MUCH RESOURCES ARE STILL NEEDED. KIND OF RAISING THE ALARM ON THAT. [35:19] RIGHT. WE'RE STILL NOT BELOW THE PRE-2020 NUMBERS. IN MY WARD IN [35:29] PARTICULAR, THIS LAST FALL THERE WAS A 28-YEAR-OLD WHO STEPPED [35:36] OFF ON TO THE STREET ON TO HIAWATHA AVENUE AND THEY WERE HIT BY A CAR AND THEY WERE IN [35:42] CRITICAL CONDITION. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. AND NOW, MY OFFICE IS [35:49] ENGAGING IN CONVERSATIONS WITH MNDOT TO TALK ABOUT HAVING A SAFE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. WHAT [35:55] IT MEANS TO PREVENT THAT TYPE OF FATALITY OR SEVERE CRASH THAT [36:01] HAS BEEN NOTED FOR THAT SECTION OF THE CORRIDOR AS BEING HIGHER THAN OTHER AREAS. ONE THING THAT [36:09] MY OFFICE WORKED WITH YOU ON AND PUBLIC WORKS WAS AT 38th AND [36:15] LONG FELLOW, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CRASHES THAT WERE OCCURRING. AND [36:22] BALLARDS WERE PUT UP THERE, AND THE NEIGHBORS AND LOCAL BUSINESS [36:27] COMMUNITY COULDN'T BE HAPPIER WITH THE CHANGES. [36:32] THERE WERE CRASHES OR ALMOST CRASHES. SINCE THOSE BALLARDS WENT UP, THERE HASN'T BEEN A [36:39] SINGLE CRASH. I WILL FROM TIME TO TIME WITH WALK OVER THERE OR DRIVE OVER THERE AND IT FEELS [36:44] REALLY, REALLY DIFFERENT. IT'S JUST AMAZING TO SEE HOW A SMALL SCALE PROJECT LIKE THAT COULD [36:51] MAKE A COMPLETE DIFFERENT FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I'M ALSO JUST SUPER PROUD THAT WE'RE GOING TO [36:57] THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR AND ADVOCATING TO OUR STATE LEADERS [37:02] FOR MORE FUNDING FOR TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECTS LIKE THIS ONE. NOT ONLY FOR THE CITY OF [37:09] MINNEAPOLIS BUT OUR ENTIRE STATE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THIS WORK IS NECESSARY FOR THE WHOLE [37:15] REGION, AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE CAN JUST DO IN THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS. IT NEEDS TO BE AN ALL OUT [37:22] EFFORT. IT'S ALSO BEEN A CONVERSATION WE'VE BEEN HAVING AT THE TRANSIT ADVISORY BOARD. [37:27] HOW DO WE GET TO ZERO CRASHES, ZERO FATALITIES. SO I'M JUST [37:33] REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND GRATEFUL JUST TO KIND OF SEE THE ROAD AHEAD OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON TOGETHER [37:39] TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS AND CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR RESOURCES SO WE CAN [37:45] DO IT. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. [37:50] >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN, AND THANK YOU, ETHAN, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I ALWAYS APPRECIATE LEARNING MORE WHEN [37:57] YOU COME TO PUBLIC WORKS AND [38:02] INFRASTRUCTURE -- OR THE CLIMATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE. VERY INSIGHTFUL. I DID HAVE ONE [38:09] QUESTION. ONE, VERY BIG SUPPORTER OF THE VISION ZERO PLAN. I THINK ONE OF THE WAYS TO [38:15] GET TO ZERO IS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING PROGRAM. INCREASE FUNDING FOR. [38:20] ONE OF THE BIGGEST TOPICS THAT I HEAR FROM MY OFFICE IS ABOUT TRAFFIC CALMING IN [38:26] NEIGHBORHOODS. I THINK ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO REDUCE TRAFFIC [38:31] DEATHS, TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, IS THROUGH CHANGING INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR COMMUNITIES TO MAKE SURE [38:37] THAT STREETS ARE ACTUALLY SAFE FOR EVERYONE. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, AND IF THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT PRESENTATION, BUT I [38:43] SAW A SLIDE ON IT, IS DO YOU KNOW THE STATUS OF THE PROGRAM [38:48] THIS YEAR WHEN WE'RE EXPECTED TO HEAR BACK, HOW MANY PROGRAMS ARE FUNDED. I BELIEVE WE ADDED AN [38:54] ADDITIONAL $1.5 MILLION TO THE BUDGET PROCESS IN DECEMBER BECAUSE WE HAD HEARD VERY LOUD AND CLEAR FROM OUR RESIDENTS [39:01] ABOUT THE NEED TO DRASTICALLY INCREASE FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT MORE [39:07] PROJECTS ARE FULFILLED. >> YEAH, CHAIR CASHMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, THANKS FOR THE [39:12] QUESTION. SO I MENTIONED THAT WE WILL BE -- DIFFERENT STAFF WILL BE HERE NEXT TIME TO REPORT BACK [39:19] ON THE DETAILS RESPONDING TO THE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTIVE. I THINK THEY'LL HAVE AN UPDATE FOR THE [39:24] PLANS ON THIS YEAR'S NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING PROGRAM AS WELL. THE STATS HERE, I SHOULD HAVE MAYBE HAD ON THE [39:29] SCREEN. THESE ARE 2024 NUMBERS. SO THESE ARE INSTALLS BASED ON THE 2024 PROGRAM. >> I'LL BE PATIENT. THANK YOU. [39:40] >> THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT THE TRAFFIC CALMING LEGISLATIVE [39:45] DIRECTIVE IS TO COME BACK APRIL 10TH. I THINK WE HAVE THAT IN OUR PLANS. YES. THANK YOU SO [39:53] MUCH. SEEING NO ONE ELSE IN QUEUE, I'LL ASK THE CLERK TO RECEIVE AND FILE THAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. [40:05] OUR NEXT AND FINAL ITEM IS RECEIVING AND FILING A PRESENTATION IN RESPONSE TO [40:10] LEGISLATIVE DIRECTIVE REQUESTING INFORMATION AND DATA RELATED TO NICOLLET MALL, PEDESTRIANIZATION [40:17] AND ASSOCIATED DOWNTOWN TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS. HERE TO PRESENT ON THIS ITEM IS KATHLEEN MAYELL, [40:25] TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR IN THE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, THANK YOU, [40:32] CHAIR CASHMAN, COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M KATHLEEN MAYELL, [40:37] TRANSPORTATION MANAGER WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS. HAPPY TO RESPOND BACK TODAY ON THE LEGISLATIVE [40:43] DIRECTIVE RELATED TO NICOLLET MALL THE DOWNTOWN TRANSIT CHANGES PROJECT. THE DIRECTIVE [40:48] IS LISTED HERE. AT THE CENTER OF THIS WORK IS THE IDEA OF ENVISIONING THE NEXT PHASE OF [40:55] NICOLLET MALL. IT'S A NEW VISION FOR THE MALL FOCUSED ON PEDESTRIANIZATION AND ACTIVATION [41:01] FOR PEOPLE, FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, VISITORS, FOR BOTH EVERYDAY ENJOYMENT AS WELL AS [41:09] ONE-OFF SPECIAL EVENTS. IN THE FALL OF 2024, THE MAYOR RELEASED THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN WHICH [41:14] IS A ROAD MAP FOR REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN IN THE WAKE OF A LOT OF [41:19] CHANGES THAT YOU'RE ALL EXPERIENCING DOWNTOWN. THE WAKE OF COVID, CHANGING WORKPLACE [41:26] DYNAMICS. AND A KEY STRATEGY OF THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN IS TO FOCUS ON PEDESTRIANIZING THE NICOLLET MALL. THERE ARE A [41:34] NUMBER OF SUCCESS METRICS LISTED AT RIGHT THAT THE CITY WILL BE TRACKING AS THIS UNFOLDS. THESE [41:40] HAVE TO DO WITH ACTIVATION, VACANCIES, WHAT TYPES OF NEW [41:45] INVESTMENTS ARE HAPPENING DOWNTOWN AND WHAT SORTS OF ACTIVITIES ARE HAPPENING ON THE MALL. THIS VISION FOR NICOLLET [41:55] MALL IS AKIN TO AND IN THE SPIRIT OF A LOT OF GREAT [42:00] PEDESTRIAN MALLS AROUND THE U.S. AS WELL AS INTERNATIONALLY. [42:09] BURIALINGTON, BOULDER, SANTA MONICA, MIAMI. THESE ARE PLACES YOU WANT TO BRING PEOPLE WHO YOU HAVE PEOPLE VISITING YOU. THE [42:16] SIZES OF MALLS CAN VARY. THE ONE SHOWN ON THE SCREEN ARE THREE TO FOUR BLOCKS. MIAMI IS THE [42:23] LARGEST ONE HERE. NICOLLET MALL IS OVER THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE. AND REALLY, THESE PLACES CAN BECOME THE KEY HEART OF A [42:31] CITY. A PLACE THAT DRAWS PEOPLE FROM ALL SORTS OF WALKS OF LIFE TO REALLY BE A PART OF THINGS [42:37] WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY. SO THERE ARE REALLY TWO PROJECT GOALS HERE. ONE IS ACTIVATING NICOLLET [42:43] MALL FOR PEOPLE. AND THAT IS REALLY BEING UNDERTAKEN BY STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE [42:48] CITY, DOWNTOWN STAKEHOLDERS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, NON-PROFIT [42:54] ORGANIZATIONS. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND DIFFERENT DOWNTOWN [42:59] PARTNERS HAVE BEEN CONVENED THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN ACTION COUNCIL, WHICH IS COMING OUT OF THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN. THIS [43:07] INCLUDES THE MINNEAPOLIS DOWNTOWN COUNCIL, PRIVATE COMPANIES AND SO ON, AND THE [43:14] PUBLIC, PHILANTHROPIC ENTITIES. THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO DETAIL WHAT IS THE NEXT PHASE OF THE STREET'S LEGACY. WHILE THE [43:22] MORE PUBLIC AND MORE VISIBLE PLANNING FOR THAT VISION IS KIND OF STARTING UP AND ONGOING, THERE'S BEEN A KEY PIECE OF [43:28] PREPARATION THAT PUBLIC WORKS HAS BEEN LEADING ON FOR SOME TIME. WE'VE BEEN WORKING IN [43:33] PARTNERSHIP WITH METRO TRANSIT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TRANSIT CAN [43:39] MOVE THAT REALLY UPHOLDS AND UPLIFTS THE TRANSIT SERVICE SO THAT TRANSIT REMAINS JUST AS [43:45] GOOD AS ON NICOLLET MALL OR BETTER. THIS IS THE CITY'S BUSIEST TRANSIT CORRIDOR. WE [43:53] NEED TO ENSURE THAT THAT TRANSIT REMAINS HIGH QUALITY BOTH TO, [44:00] FROM DOWNTOWN AS WELL AS THROUGH DOWNTOWN. THERE ARE ALSO THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT [44:05] RIDE THOSE FIVE TRANSIT LINES THAT GO THROUGH NICOLLET MALL THAT COULD EXPERIENCE IMPROVEMENTS BASED ON OVERALL [44:15] SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS ON THE TRANSIT CORRIDORS. SO ENSURING THAT WE GET THIS RIGHT TAKES [44:22] SOME TIME. WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO UNDERSTAND THE TRADE OFFS OF THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND ENSURE [44:28] THAT WE CAN MOVE TRANSIT IN ORDER TO ALLOW THAT VISION OF NICOLLET MALL TO PROCEED. WE'VE [44:33] BEEN PARTNERING SINCE 2023 WITH METRO TRANSIT AND WE'VE DEVELOPED THREE POTENTIAL [44:39] OPTIONS FOR WHERE TRANSIT COULD MOVE TO. AND WE'VE CONDUCTED TWO PHASES OF ENGAGEMENT TO HEAR [44:44] FROM PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT THESE THREE OPTIONS AND THIS IDEA. WE ANTICIPATE [44:51] TRANSIT WILL MOVE ON TO NEW NORTH SOUTH SPINES NEXT YEAR. AND WE ALSO ARE PLANNING THAT [44:58] WORK AND ENGAGEMENT ON FUTURE NICOLLET MALL WILL BE ONGOING THIS YEAR AND BEYOND AS THAT [45:04] TRANSIT IS MOVING. HERE'S A TIMELINE THAT OUTLINES VARIOUS STAGES OF THIS WORK. THERE ARE [45:11] UNIQUE PIECES THAT BRING THIS ENTIRE VISION TOGETHER THAT ARE ALL RELATED BUT UNIQUE. SO MUCH [45:17] OF WHAT THE LD QUESTIONS IS RELATED TO THIS FIRST PHASE IDENTIFIED IN THIS ORANGE BOX [45:22] WHICH IS ABOUT WHERE TRANSIT WILL MOVE TO. THAT HAS REALLY BEEN THE FOCUS TO DATE. WE'RE [45:29] NEARING THE END OF THIS STEP AFTER UNDERGOING TWO ENGAGEMENT ROUNDS. ONE LAST SUMMER AND ONE [45:35] OVER THE WINTER. AND REALLY DIGGING INTO THE THREE OPTIONS THAT WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER WITH [45:40] METRO TRANSIT TO PROVIDE. THERE ARE A LOT OF STEPS AHEAD OF US IN THIS PROCESS, AND ALL OF THEM [45:45] WILL INCLUDE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, YOU KNOW, [45:51] RELATED TO THE CAPITAL PROJECT ON THE SELECTED CORRIDORS RELATED TO THE FUTURE OF NICOLLET MALL AND MORE DETAILS [45:56] ON WHAT IS INCLUDED THERE. SO TO [46:04] DO INTO THE SIX QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED. I'LL GO THROUGH THEM ONE BY ONE AND HAPPY TO ANSWER [46:09] QUESTIONS AS WELL. SO IN TERMS OF WHAT ARE THE PLANS ON [46:17] NICOLLET MALL, THE CITY HAS BUDGETED $400,000 FOR 2026 FOR [46:23] PROGRAMMING ON NICOLLET MALL. PLANNING FOR THAT ACTIVATION WILL BE UNDERTAKEN AND INCLUDES [46:29] THE PARTNERSHIP OF THE MINNEAPOLIS DOWNTOWN COUNCIL AND THE MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION, [46:34] OTHER DOWNTOWN PROPERTY OWNERS. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EVENTS PLANNED THIS YEAR SIMILAR TO [46:40] YEARS' PAST IN ADVANCE OF A MORE PERMANENT TRANSIT MOVE. TO THE [46:50] TASTE OF MINNESOTA, AQUATENNIAL. THERE WAS EVEN THE ST. PATRICK'S [46:56] DAY EARLIER THIS WEEK. AS TRANSIT MOVES OFF THE MALL PERMANENTLY, IT WON'T JUST BE [47:02] FOR THESE ONE-OFF EVENTS WHERE BUSES NEED TO BE REROUTED AND SO ON. THEY WILL BE MORE OF THOSE [47:09] DAY-TO-DAY PIECES. RIGHT NOW, THE ONE-OFFS WHERE TRANSIT IS MOVED TEMPORARILY. AND [47:16] ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES ARE BEING EVALUATED AND PLANNED FOR BOTH 2025 AND 2026. TO ADDRESS THE [47:25] PLANNED INVTMENTS RELATED TO CORRIDORS WHERE TRANSIT WILL MOVE TO, I'LL START WITH A [47:31] LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND ON THE THREE OPTIONS. ROUTES 11 AND [47:38] 25, TWO OF THE CURRENT ROUTES DOWN NICOLLET MALL ARE PLANNED TO MOVE TO HENNEPIN AVENUE. THIS IS BECAUSE OF ROUTING [47:44] CONSIDERATIONS AND CONNECTIONS ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH END OF [47:50] DOWNTOWN, AND METRO TRANSIT'S PREFERENCE. SO THE THREE OPTIONS REALLY REFER THEN TO THE ROUTES [47:56] 10, 17, AND 18, WHICH IS ALSO THE ROUTING OF THE FUTURE F-LINE [48:02] AND THE NICOLLET BRT. SO LOOKING AT HENNEPIN AVENUE WHERE THE ROUTES 11 AND 25 ARE PLANNED TO [48:07] GO TO, THAT STREET WAS JUST RECONSTRUCTED AND FINISHED IN 2022. SOME OF THE AMENITIES THAT [48:14] WERE INCLUDED AS PART OF THAT STREET RECONSTRUCTION, NEW SIDEWALK, WIDER SIDEWALKS, SPACE [48:20] FOR GREENING, ONE-WAY BIKEWAY BEHIND THE CURB, ENHANCED TRANSIT STOPS IN PREPARATION FOR [48:26] THE E-LINE, WHICH IS ANTICIPATED TO OPEN LATER THIS YEAR. SO [48:31] THESE INVESTMENTS ALREADY SUPPORT TRANSIT RIDERS MOVING FORWARD. AND THEN IN TERMS OF [48:41] WHERE INVESTMENTS WILL BE MADE ON THE SELECTED CORRIDOR OR [48:47] CORRIDORS MOVING FORWARD. SO ONE OF THE OPTIONS -- TWO OF THE [48:53] OPTIONS INCLUDE BOTH MARQUETTE AND 2ND. THE IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE PLANNED TO BE MADE ON THE SELECTED CORRIDORS. IT WILL [48:58] INCLUDE ADA RAMP UPGRADES AS WELL AS TRAFFIC SIGNAL UPGRADES WHERE NEEDED. BRT STATIONS, [49:06] WHICH TYPICALLY INCLUDE ELEMENTS LIKE THE NEW SHELTERS, REAL-TIME SIGNAGE, TRASH RECEPTACLES, [49:13] BENCHES, SAFETY FEATURES, BIKE RACKS. WE'RE ALSO PLANNING ON PRIORITY MARKINGS ON THE [49:19] CORRIDOR WHERE THE 10, 17, AND 18 ARE MOVING TO. AND SO THE [49:25] PICTURE ON TOP IS HENNEPIN AVENUE SHOWING SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT AMENITIES RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED. AND THE BOTTOM [49:32] PICTURE IS LAKE STREET, WHICH GIVES AN IDEA OF SOMETHING THAT [49:37] MIGHT LOOK SIMILAR TO A POTENTIAL SELECTED CORRIDOR FOR [49:42] THE 10, 17, AND 18. TO MOVE TO [49:50] QUESTION THREE SUMMARIZING WHAT WE'VE HEARD TO DATE. WE HAVE [49:56] UNDERTAKEN TWO OF OUR THREE ROUNDS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. SOME OF THOSE ARE UP ON OUR WEBSITE. AND HERE'S A SUMMARY OF [50:03] WHAT WE'VE DONE BY THE NUMBERS. THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE'VE UNDERTAKEN. WE'VE DESIGNED [50:08] MULTIPLE WAYS TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE ONLINE, AT IN-PERSON EVENTS, VIRTUAL EVENTS, GOING TO [50:13] NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, AND ALSO SPENDING TIME WITH TRANSIT RIDERS BOTH ON THE BUS AND AT [50:19] BUS STOPS ASKING THEM WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF THIS IDEA OF THE THREE OPTIONS. HOW IT WOULD [50:24] IMPACT THEM. AND NEEDLESS TO SAY, MANY PEOPLE THINK MANY THINGS ABOUT THIS PROJECT. WE'VE [50:32] GOTTEN THE WHOLE GAMUT AND IT WAS REALLY AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS WORK TO HEAR DIRECTLY [50:37] THROUGH THOSE HOURS OF ON BUS AND INTERCEPT SURVEYS TALKING WITH FOLKS ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD [50:44] BE MOST IMPACTED BY THIS WORK. [50:50] SO JUST A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE THREE OPTIONS. THESE MAPS SHOW THE THREE DIFFERENT [50:56] OPTIONS, AS I NOTED, 11 AND 25 WOULD MOVE TO HENNEPIN. AND THOSE TWO ROUTES TOGETHER CARRY [51:02] ABOUT 20% OF THE ON AND OFFS. SO THE PEOPLE GETTING EITHER ON OR OFF IN DOWNTOWN. AND THEN THE [51:11] OTHER THREE ROUTES CARRY THE REMAINDER OF THE 80%. IN OPTION [51:17] 1, WE WOULD USE MARQUETTE SOUTHBOUND FOR TRANSIT, TWO LANES OF TRANSIT. AND NORTHBOUND [51:25] GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC. 2ND AVENUE WOULD HAVE THE REVERSE. TWO LANES OF NORTHBOUND TRAFFIC [51:30] AND GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC RUNNING SOUTHBOUND. AND THE [51:35] EXPRESS SERVICES THAT CURRENTLY USES MARQUETTE AND 2ND WOULD REMAIN. AND OPTION 2, 10, 17, [51:41] AND 18, AS WELL AS FUTURE BRT WOULD USE MARQUETTE AVENUE ONLY. AND THAT STREET WOULD CHANGE TO [51:47] TWO DIRECTIONAL BUSES AND TWO DIRECTIONAL GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC. AND EXPRESS SERVICE [51:53] WOULD USE 2ND AVENUE IN THAT SAME FASHION. IN OPTION THREE, [52:00] THE LOCAL TRANSIT SERVICE AND THE BRT MOVES OVER TO 3RD AVENUE WITH BIDIRECTIONAL TRANSIT WAYS [52:07] TAKING PLACE OF GENERAL PURPOSE TRAVELINGS, AND EXPRESS SERVICE WOULD REMAIN AS IT IS TODAY. SO [52:14] THE GL OF OUR ENGAGEMENT WAS TO GET FEEDBACK ON THESE THREE [52:20] OPTIONS AND WHICH ONE BEST SUITED THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE DOWNTOWN RIDING TRANSIT. AND [52:29] OTHERS USING THESE CORRIDORS. TO GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON PHASE 1, SO THIS WAS LATE LAST [52:34] SUMMER. WE INTRODUCED THE PROJECT, THE THREE OPTIONS AT A [52:41] HIGH LEVEL AND SOLICIT FEEDBACK ON WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT. AND KIND OF AS EXPECTED, THERE WAS A MIX [52:46] OF FEEDBACK ABOUT THE TRANSIT CHANGES. THIS WORK IS RELATED TO [52:52] THE INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES OF THIS PROJECT. THIS BIG VISION OF NICOLLET MALL. IT'S REALLY OUT IN FRONT OF THAT ACTIVATION [52:57] CONVERSATION. SO THERE'S LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY AND WHAT ABOUT NICOLLET AND WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME ABOUT THIS IF [53:03] WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON NICOLLET. AND I THINK THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. [53:08] RIGHT. WHEN PEOPLE ARE BEING TALKED TO OR BEING IN CONVERSATION ABOUT CHANGE AND [53:14] WANTING TO KNOW THE REAL RATIONALE BEHIND IT. SO AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE TOP THEMES, [53:19] THIS IS THE SUMMARY OF NEAR 1,000 COMMENTS WE GOT ON OUR SURVEY. A LOT OF THESE THEMES [53:27] REFLECT THINGS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON NICOLLET. RIGHT. THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT NICOLLET. THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT [53:32] NICOLLET. THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE VACANCY. THAT TYPE OF THING. THE TOP THEMES THAT DIRECTLY ARE GOING TO BE [53:38] IMPACTED BY THE DECISION ABOUT WHERE TO MOVE TRANSIT REALLY INCLUDE CONCERNS ABOUT WALKING [53:44] DISTANCE TO NICOLLET MALL. AND [53:49] WHAT SORT OF STREETSCAPE THESE NEW TRANSIT CORRIDORS WILL HAVE. [53:56] HOW WILL TRANSIT AND SPEED RELIABILITY -- AND WHAT KIND OF SAFETY WILL THERE BE FOR TRANSIT [54:01] RIDERS ON THESE CORRIDORS. IN OUR FIRST PHASE OF ENGAGEMENT, WE ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT [54:07] WHICH OPTION FOLKS LIKE BEST. JUST OVER HALF OF THE PEOPLE WHO [54:13] RESPONDED, WHICH WAS OVER 1200 PEOPLE, CHOSE ONE OF THE THREE OPTIONS. [54:18] BUT THERE WASN'T A CLEAR FORERUNNER ABOUT WHICH OF THE THREE OPTIONS WAS THE BEST. AND ALSO, ABOUT A THIRD OF PEOPLE [54:26] DID NOT WANT TO SEE TRANSIT MOVE FROM NICOLLET MALL. THIS PAST [54:39] WINTER WE ENGAGED ON THIS PROJECT AGAIN WITH A LOT MORE DETAILS IN TERMS OF THE [54:44] DIFFERENT TRADE OFFS, THE OPTIONS, WHAT THE TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS WERE FOR THE THREE. [54:52] AND ALL THAT INFORMATION AND THE TRADE OFFS ARE SHOWN ON OUR PROJECT WEBSITE. PEOPLE REALLY [54:57] CONTINUED TO BE HONED IN AND TALKING ABOUT NICOLLET MALL. IDEAS THEY THOUGHT THAT WOULD IMPROVE THE EFFORT TO [55:05] PEDESTRIANIZE NICOLLET MALL. THERE WAS INTEREST BROADLY IN TRANSIT, SPEED, AND RELIABILITY [55:10] IMPROVEMENTS DOWNTOWN. AND ALSO THE CONCERN REMAINED RELATED TO THE IMPACT OF INCREASED WALKING [55:16] DISTANCE TO KEY DESTINATIONS, IN PARTICULAR, FOR THOSE WITH [55:21] MOBILITY DEVICES OR IN THE SNOW OR HOW DOES THIS RELATE OR INTERACT WITH SKYWAYS. AND WHAT [55:27] THESE NEW TRANSIT CORRIDORS WOULD FEEL AND MEAN FOR FOLKS. [55:33] PEOPLE, WE ASKED FOLKS TO RANK THE THREE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AGAINST OUR STATED GOALS FOR THE [55:38] PROJECT AROUND DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY AND DOWNTOWN TRANSIT. AND HAD [55:43] OVER 1500 RESPONSES. THERE WAS A SPLIT PREFERENCE. BUT THERE WAS [55:51] A SLIGHT PREFERENCE FOR OPTION 1 WHICH WAS TO MOVE THE BUSES TO MARQUETTE AND 2ND AVENUE, IN [55:58] THAT ONE-WAY PAIR CONFIGURATION, WHICH IS MOST SIMILAR TO WHAT EXISTS ON MARQUETTE AND 2ND [56:04] AVENUE TODAY. MOVING TO QUESTION FOUR, THERE'S TWO PARTS TO [56:09] QUESTION FOUR. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND PART. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO PUT THE [56:15] RIDERSHIP OR THE DATA PIECES FIRST. SO THIS IS SHOWING ALL [56:21] THE REQUESTED DATA. AGAIN, THAT 12,000 RIDERSHIP ACTIVITY. THOSE [56:27] ARE PEOPLE GETTING OFF AND ON. THE TOTAL RIDERSHIP IS NUMBER OF TRIPS PER DAY ON EACH OF THOSE [56:33] ROUTES. LET'S SEE. RIDERS ON THE [56:40] ROUTES THAT GO DOWN NICOLLET MALL. SO 10, 11, 17, 18, 25, ARE MORE LIKELY THAN AVERAGE [56:46] COMPARED TO MINNEAPOLIS AVERAGES TO BE EXPERIENCING POVERTY, [56:53] LIVING IN LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, WITHOUT THE ABILITY OF A CAR. LIVING WITH A DISABILITY. [56:59] THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO BE BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR. YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT STACKS UP TO [57:07] WHERE THE DIFFERENT ROUTES WOULD MOVE TO IN THE THREE OPTIONS COMPARED TO MINNEAPOLIS. THIS [57:14] HIGHLIGHTS IT IS SUPER IMPORTANT WE GET THIS TRANSIT PORTION RIGHT, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO [57:19] MAKING SURE THIS WORKS FOR FOLKS WHO REALLY USE TRANSIT, DEPEND ON IT AND ORDER IT THEIR [57:26] DAY-TO-DAY LIVES AND WHERE THEY ARE GOING. QUESTION 4 FOCUSES ON [57:32] IMPACTS TO TRAVEL TIME FOR A CHANGED TRANSIT CORRIDOR. AND SO [57:39] THIS IS A REALLY COMPLICATED QUESTION GIVING ALL THE ORIGINS, DESTINATIONS AND ALL THE ROUTES [57:44] THAT CONVENE ON NICOLLET MALL AND ALL THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS. IT'S LIKE A PUZZLE IN THREE [57:50] DIMENSIONS. SO WE ADDRESSED THIS LOOKING AT SHOWING HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE OR HOW MUCH TIME WILL [57:57] BE GAINED DEPENDING ON WHERE YOUR DESTINATION IS BOTH BY WALKING AND TRANSIT. SO THE [58:03] AVERAGE PERSON WALKING A DOWNTOWN BLOCK TAKES ABOUT 1.5 MINUTES. NOW THIS DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE THINGS. IT [58:10] DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR A PERSON'S INDIVIDUAL ABILITIES. IF THEY'RE USING A MOBILITY DEVICE, IF [58:16] THERE'S SNOW, IF YOU HAPPEN TO HIT ALL THE RED LIGHTS. RIGHT. THIS IS AN AVERAGE SPEED. IT'S [58:23] MEANT TO BE DEMONSTRATIVE OF WHAT THIS COULD LOOK LIKE FOR FOLKS. AND BASICALLY, IF YOU'RE [58:29] MOVING FROM NICOLLET TO THE EAST, IF YOUR DESTINATION IS TO THE EAST AND YOU'RE ON THE 10, [58:36] 17, OR 18, YOUR WALKING TIME WILL GO DOWN IF YOU'RE TRYING TO GO TO THE WEST AND YOU'RE ON ONE OF THOSE ROUTES, IT WILL GO UP. [58:43] VICE VERSA FOR THE 11 AND 25. RIGHT. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE MAP [58:50] AND WORK OUT A SCENARIO BASED ON WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM OR GOING TO. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE [58:57] TRANSIT TIME ON NICOLLET MALL RIGHT NOW AVERAGES 10 MINUTES TO GET FROM WASHINGTON TO 12th [59:03] STREET, WHICH IS ABOUT A MINUTE A BLOCK. THE NEW TIME ON ANY OF THESE CORRIDORS WOULD BE 6 [59:08] MINUTES. THIS IS METRO TRANSIT ANALYSIS BASED ON OTHER TRANSIT ONLY LANES AND THE CURRENT RUN [59:18] TIMES ON HENNEPIN AVENUE FOR THE NUMBER 6 BUS. SO THAT IS ABOUT AN AVERAGE SAVINGS OF 24 SECONDS [59:26] A BLOCK. NOW THAT SAVINGS IS NOT LINEAR. THE TRANSIT SPEED IS [59:32] GOING TO SPEED UP OR SLOW DOWN DEPENDING ON RED LIGHTS AND THINGS. BUT JUST ON AVERAGE TO [59:38] GET YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOW THIS MAY IMPACT A PARTICULAR ROUTE. [59:44] ALSO NOTABLE, IN PHASE 2, WE ASKED PEOPLE WHERE ARE YOU TRYING TO GET TO DOWNTOWN. AND [59:50] PEOPLE COULD CHOOSE MANY OPTIONS. THEY WEREN'T LIMITED TO ONE. 80% OF PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO GET TO A DESTINATION ON [59:58] NICOLLET MALL. OVER HALF OF THE PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO GET TO HENNEPIN AVENUE. THAT'S WEST OF [1:00:03] NICOLLET. NEARLY 40% GOING TO [1:00:08] MARQUETTE OR 2ND EAST. THIS REALLY IS A PUZZLE. IT'S LIKE A [1:00:15] RUBIK'S CUBE WHEN TALKING ABOUT IMPACTS TO TRAVEL TIME. BIG PICTURE. A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO [1:00:20] GET TO NICOLLET MALL, AND WITHOUT TRANSIT THERE, THERE MAY BE SOME SAVINGS GETTING TO [1:00:27] NICOLLET MALL DEPENDING ON WHERE THOSE FOUR MINUTE SAVINGS ARE. AND MAYBE SOME EXTRA TIME [1:00:32] WALKING. AND AGAIN, IF YOU'RE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE, THAT WOULD CHANGE. COMBINATIONS ON THIS ONE [1:00:39] ARE LITERALLY IN THE THOUSANDS. LET'S SEE. ANOTHER PART OF THIS [1:00:50] QUESTION WAS ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE LATE NIGHT LINE UPS. SO THIS IS A PRACTICE AND A [1:00:58] SERVICE THAT METRO TRANSIT PROVIDES BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 5 A.M. DOWNTOWN, THEY LINE UP [1:01:04] ALL THE BUSES RELATIVELY NEAR EACH OTHER. AND THE BUSES WAIT ABOUT 10 MINUTES TO ALLOW PEOPLE [1:01:10] TO TRANSIT BETWEEN THE BUSES DOWNTOWN AT THIS CENTRAL TRANSFER POINT. SO TOP OF THE [1:01:17] HOUR. 12, 1, 4 A.M., 5 A.M. SO METRO TRANSIT HAS PROVIDED THIS [1:01:23] INITIAL DIAGRAM FOR HOW THINGS WOULD CHANGE. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT ON IT SO I'LL TRY TO EXPLAIN IT. YOU CAN SEE ON HENNEPIN [1:01:30] RIGHT NOW, THE TWO BLACK DOTS SHOW THE EXISTING LINE UP FOR THE HENNEPIN BUSES. THE ROUTE 11 [1:01:36] WOULD JOIN THAT GROUP OF LINE-UP BUSES. GREEN IS NICOLLET AND IT [1:01:42] SHOWS WITH THE GREEN CIRCLE WHERE THE EXISTING LINE-UP IS. THE EXISTING NICOLLET LINE UP. [1:01:48] THOSE WOULD MOVE TO EITHER MARQUETTE, 2ND OR 3RD, DEPENDING [1:01:53] ON THE OPTION CHOSEN. AND THEN THE LINE UP RIGHT NOW ON 6th, 7th AND 8TH MAY CHANGE. METRO [1:02:00] TRANSIT IS COMMITTED TO WORKING THROUGH WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR THEIR RIDERS, THEIR CUSTOMERS IN TERMS OF SECURING [1:02:07] AND PROVIDING A CONVENIENT TRANSFER DOWNTOWN DURING THOSE HOURS. SO THAT ANALYSIS OF WHERE [1:02:14] EXACTLY THOSE WOULD GO UNDER EACH SCENARIO HASN'T BEEN DONE YET. THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE [1:02:20] COMING PROCESS ONCE A SELECTED CORRIDOR IS CHOSEN, OR CORRIDORS. OKAY. MOVING TO [1:02:30] QUESTION 5 ABOUT WHAT ARE THE EXISTING PRELIMINARY PLANS FOR DEDICATED BUS LANES IN DOWNTOWN. [1:02:36] THERE ARE OVER 10 MILES OF EXISTING TRANSIT PRIORITY LANES IN THE CITY. MANY OF THOSE WERE [1:02:43] INSTALLED IN 2024 OVER EIGHT MILES. YOU CAN SEE THE LIST HERE. THIS IS AN IMAGE OF THE [1:02:51] HENNEPIN-LYNDALE COMMONS. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CORRIDORS THAT WERE ALSO INSTALLED PRIOR TO 2024. 7th STREET DOWNTOWN AND A [1:02:59] SMALL STRETCH OF CHICAGO AVENUE. OUR TRANSPORTATION ACTION PLAN HAS TWO ACTIONS THAT TALK TO OUR [1:03:08] PLANS FOR TRANSIT ONLY LANES. TRANSIT ACTION 2.2 TALKS OF A LIST OF CORRIDORS TO INSTALL [1:03:16] TRANSIT ONLY LANES OR OTHER TRANSIT ADVANTAGES. AND TRANSIT 2.3 TALKS ABOUT EVALUATING THOSE [1:03:22] TYPES OF TREATMENTS ON THOSE CORRIDORS. SO SOME OF THESE [1:03:30] CORRIDORS AS NOTED HAVE ALREADY BEEN UNDERTAKEN. OTHER CORRIDORS LIKE PORTIONS OF WEST BROADWAY [1:03:35] AND CENTRAL HAVE PLANNED WORK ABOUT TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS CURRENTLY HAPPENING. AND THEN [1:03:45] THE LAST QUESTION IS QUESTION 6. I'LL FIRST GO OVER THE PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, [1:03:51] AND THEN THE CURBSIDE USES AND IMPACTS THERE. METRO TRANSIT [1:03:56] PROVIDED ESTIMATES OF THESE TRAVEL TRANSIT TIMES, AS I MENTIONED, BASED ON EXISTING [1:04:01] DATA AND OPERATIONS AND OTHER BUS-ONLY LANES. OPTION 1, WHICH AGAIN MARQUETTE AND 2ND BOTH [1:04:07] OPERATING PRETTY SIMILAR TO TODAY BUT MOVING OVER THREE [1:04:12] ROUTES. WE'D SEE FOUR MINUTE FASTER TRANSIT TRIPS BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND 12th. AND IN [1:04:19] TERMS OF THE GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC, THAT WOULD REMAIN RELATIVELY SIMILAR TO TODAY. THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY MAJOR [1:04:25] CHANGES, AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE AKIN TO WHAT THEY ARE NOW. EXPRESS [1:04:32] TRANSIT IS -- SO THERE'S 33 EXPRESS ROUTES THAT RUN ON MARQUETTE AND 2ND. THOSE [1:04:38] SERVICES ARE EXPECTED TO RUN REALLY SIMILARLY TO TODAY AS WELL. THE ADDITION OF THESE [1:04:45] BUSES, UNDER METRO TRANSIT'S ANALYSIS, THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN THESE TWO TRANSIT [1:04:50] LANES TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE SIMILAR TO TODAY. OPTION 2 IS A [1:04:58] LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE WE'RE CHANGING TRAFFIC PATTERNS WITH THIS ONE. BOTH MARQUETTE [1:05:04] AND 2ND WOULD HAVE TWO-WAY GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC, AND TWO LANES OF TRANSIT ONLY LANES. AND [1:05:10] WE USED A CONSULTANT TO DO A [1:05:15] SYNCRO ANALYSIS, A TRAFFIC [1:05:20] ANALYSIS. GENERAL TRAFFIC TRAVEL TIMES. WE'D SEE REALLY SLIGHT [1:05:26] TRAVEL INCREASES ON MARQUETTE AND 2ND. ALL LESS THAN A MINUTE BETWEEN THE CORRIDOR OF 12th TO [1:05:34] WASHINGTON. THE TRANSIT OPERATIONS, SAME THING IN TERMS OF THE ROUTES 11, 25, ROUTES 10, [1:05:39] 17, AND 18. AND THEN THE EXPRESS TRANSIT COULD BE SLOWER [1:05:45] POTENTIALLY. THERE'S NOT THE DOUBLE TRANSIT LANE HERE. SO IF AN EXPRESS BUS IS STOPPED IN FRONT OF ANOTHER EXPRESS BUS, [1:05:52] THAT BUS WOULD NEED TO MERGE INTO GENERAL PURPOSE TRAFFIC. IF THERE WAS TRAFFIC THERE, TO PASS [1:05:58] A STOP BUS. SO THAT IS WHAT THAT IS REFERRING TO. OPTION 3, THIS [1:06:07] IS 3RD AVENUE. THERE'S MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS PROJECTED TO TRAVEL TIME. IN THE MORNING, WE [1:06:15] COULD SEE PEAK TRAVEL TIMES INCREASE BY 5 TO 6 MINUTES, AND 3 MINUTES IN THE AFTERNOON. THE [1:06:23] TRANSIT TRAVEL TIME IS AGAIN, THE SAME AS OPTIONS 1 AND 2 FOR THE FIVE ROUTES IN QUESTION. AND [1:06:32] EXPRESS TRANSIT OPERATIONS UNDER THIS SCENARIO WOULD NOT BE CHANGED. SO THOSE WOULD REMAIN ON MARQUETTE AND 2ND AND NOT BE [1:06:38] IMPACTED BY THIS SCENARIO. NOW [1:06:48] LOOKING AT CURBSIDE ACCESS AND PROPERTY IMPACTS. SO THERE'S A [1:06:53] COUPLE OF WAYS TO TALK ABOUT THIS. ALL PROPERTIES UNDER ANY OF THESE THREE SCENARIOS WOULD [1:07:00] MAINTAIN ALL EXISTING ACCESS TO THEIR PROPERTY. THEIR BUILDING, THEIR DRIVEWAY, THEIR PARKING [1:07:06] RAMP, WHAT HAVE YOU. BUT THERE WOULD BE SOME IMPACTS OR POTENTIAL CONFLICTS ADDED IN. SO [1:07:13] UNDER OPTION 1, IT WOULD REMAIN THE SAME AS TODAY. OPTION 2, [1:07:19] WHICH HAS TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC ON BOTH MARQUETTE AND 2ND. THERE [1:07:24] WOULD BE CONFLICTS FOR [1:07:29] APPROXIMATELY 30-LEFT TURN ACCESS AND 20 RIGHT-TURN. THAT [1:07:35] COULD PRESENT SOME CHALLENGES COMING WHEN IT RELATES TO EITHER SAFETY, CUEING THAT TYPE OF [1:07:42] THING. IT'S JUST ADDED NEW CONFLICT POINTS. OPTION 3, THERE COULD BE TWO DRIVEWAYS THAT ARE [1:07:48] CONVERTED TO RIGHT IN, RIGHT OUT. AND THEN THERE WOULD BE -- [1:07:55] UNDER OPTION 3, THE PROPOSED CONCEPT HAS A TWO-WAY BIKEWAY [1:08:02] BEHIND THE CURB. THERE WOULD BE 12 DRIVEWAYS THAT WOULD CROSS THAT. THOSE ARE NEW CONFLICT [1:08:07] POINTS WITH THAT POTENTIAL BIKEWAY. AND THEN FINALLY, THE [1:08:14] CURBSIDE USE CHANGES. OPTION 1 RIGHT NOW THERE'S OFF PEAK COMMERCIAL LOADING ON MARQUETTE [1:08:19] AND 2ND AVENUES. THAT WOULD GO AWAY UNDER OPTION 1. AND OTHER CURBSIDE USES WOULD REMAIN. SO [1:08:28] THAT'S ONE DIRECT -- THAT'S ON THE TRANSIT SIDE OF BOTH MARQUETTE AND 2ND ON OPTION 1. [1:08:34] OPTION 2, THERE ARE 105 METERS ON NORTHBOUND MARQUETTE AVENUE. THOSE WOULD ALL BE REMOVED UNDER [1:08:41] OPTION 2 TO ALLOW FOR TRANSIT ONLY LANE. THERE WOULD BE SOME [1:08:47] OFF-PEAK PARKING OPPORTUNITY OR LOADING OPPORTUNITY TO NORTHBOUND 2ND. AND THERE WOULD BE A REDUCTION OF THAT OFF-PEAK [1:08:54] PARKING CAPACITY ON SOUTHBOUND 2ND. AND UNDER OPTION 3, ALL [1:09:00] EXISTING PUBLIC PARKING, WHICH IS VERY LIMITED CURRENTLY. THERE'S ONLY SIX PUBLIC PARKING [1:09:05] METERS, AND THE LOADING ZONE, PULL-OUT BAY WOULD BE ELI [1:09:11] ELIMINATED. AND THE NON-PUBLIC PARKING ADJACENT TO CITY HALL WOULD REMAIN ON 3RD AVENUE. SO [1:09:23] THAT IS THE ANSWER TO THOSE QUESTIONS. AND IN TERMS OF WHAT'S NEXT, IN THE COMING WEEK, [1:09:29] STAFF AT BOTH IN MINNEAPOLIS METRO TRANSIT WILL WORK A RECOMMENDATION THROUGH ON A [1:09:34] PREFERRED OPTION. TEEING UP FOR [1:09:41] A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ON THE THIRD OPTION. AND DETAILS ON THAT PLANNED ENGAGEMENT IS SHOWN [1:09:47] HERE. OPEN HOUSES OFFERING AGAIN TO MEET WITH A DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS THAT [1:09:52] WE'VE BEEN WITH, CONTINUED COORDINATION WITH SUBURBAN TRANSIT PROVIDERS WHO CURRENTLY [1:09:57] OPERATE ON MARQUETTE AND 2ND. POTENTIAL METROPOLITAN COUNCIL [1:10:03] TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEETING. THEY'LL WORK ON THAT NICOLLET MALL ACTIVATION. 2026 [1:10:09] IS WHEN WE ANTICIPATE BUSES MOVING FROM NICOLLET MALL AND TRANSIT ON HENNEPIN AND A NEW [1:10:18] CORRIDOR OR CORRIDORS. SO THAT IS WHAT I HAVE. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. AND THANK YOU. [1:10:28] >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DO HAVE ONE BRIEF QUESTION ON THAT LAST SLIDE AND THEN I'LL START THE DISCUSSION. I JUST WANTED TO SEE [1:10:35] WHEN'S THE COUNCIL'S DECISION MAKING POINT IN THIS SLIDE. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN, [1:10:41] COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THE DETAILS OF WHAT -- [1:10:46] THERE ARE DIFFERENT PIECES. HOW WE WORK THAT THROUGH COUNCIL. WE'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU ON [1:10:51] WHEN THAT IS. WE NEED TO DETAIL THAT OUT YET. >> OKAY, THANKS. I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT WE'VE HAD A LENGTHY [1:10:58] DEBATE IN THE LAST MONTH ABOUT HOW TO PEDESTRIANIZE A DIFFERENT STREET IN OUR CITY AND HAD A LOT [1:11:03] OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE LEGALITY DOING THAT, CREATING AN [1:11:09] ORDINANCE THAT WOULD WITHSTAND ABOUT 50% OBJECTION. I WANT TO [1:11:16] MEET WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEYS ON THIS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW AT THIS MOMENT, THEN I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO GET CLARITY ON. [1:11:24] >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. THERE WILL HAVE TO BE SOME CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE GIVEN THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE [1:11:31] CHANGES TO NICOLLET AVENUE ITSELF. HOWEVER, THE PROCESS OF DOING A BRAND NEW PEDESTRIAN MALL IS GOING TO BE QUITE [1:11:38] DIFFERENT IN THIS SITUATION AS THIS IS ALREADY NOTED AS A PEDESTRIAN MALL WITHIN ORDINANCE. I CANNOT GO OVER ALL [1:11:44] THE SPECIFIC DETAILS AT THIS TIME BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SPENT A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF TIME WITH THE ORDINANCE LOOKING OVER THE [1:11:50] SPECIFIC DETAILS THAT WILL NEED TO BE MADE. BUT THERE WILL BE SOME SLIGHT CHANGES. >> OKAY. IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT [1:11:57] ORDINANCE CHANGES WILL BE REQUIRED, WHICH WILL MEAN WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING BECAUSE THERE ARE MEMBERS HERE [1:12:02] FROM PUBLIC HOUSING, AND I'M HEARING MY STAFF ARE ON THE PHONE LITERALLY AT THIS MOMENT [1:12:08] WITH DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS DOWNSTAIRS WHO ARE WANTING TO WEIGH IN TO THE COUNCIL SPECIFICALLY. BECAUSE I KNOW [1:12:14] YOUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN DONE WITH PUBLIC WORKS. SO I WILL RECOGNIZE -- FIRST [1:12:19] RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. THE [1:12:26] CITY'S WEBSITE SAYS THAT THE CITY IS MOVING TRANSIT ROUTES OFF NICOLLET MALL. IT GIVES THE INDICATION THAT THIS IS [1:12:32] HAPPENING REGARDLESS OF WHAT PEOPLE AND THE PUBLIC THINK. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE SURVEY [1:12:39] PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC THAT GAVE THE ABILITY TO GIVE INPUT GAVE THE INDICATION THAT TAKING [1:12:44] BUSES OFF NICOLLET FOR PEDESTRIANIZATION WAS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION AS WELL. CAN YOU [1:12:50] SPEAK TO THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED OF IN THE SURVEY. I BELIEVE THAT IN THE PRESENTATION YOU GAVE, YOU SAID THERE WAS [1:12:57] THREE OPTIONS. RIGHT? WAS THERE A FOURTH OPTION WHICH IS NOTHING HAPPENING? [1:13:05] >> THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, CHAIR CASHMAN, YES. SO PEOPLE DID -- SO THIS IS IN [1:13:11] PHASE 1, WE HAD A QUESTION ABOUT WHICH OPTION DO YOU LIKE BEST. [1:13:17] AND YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE CHOSE OPTION 1, 2, AND 3. SOME PEOPLE CHOSE I DON'T KNOW OR I'M [1:13:25] UNSURE. SOME PEOPLE SAID NONE. MOVE TRANSIT TO A DIFFERENT CORRIDOR. AND SOME PEOPLE SAID DON'T CHANGE IT. NO CHANGE. [1:13:30] >> AND THAT WAS A QUESTION PEOPLE COULD CLICK? DON'T MOVE IT OFF, LIKE NO OPTION? LIKE, [1:13:36] THAT WAS AN ACTUAL MULTIPLE CHOICE? MY UNDERSTANDING WAS PEOPLE WERE GIVEN THREE OPTIONS [1:13:43] SAYING WE'RE MOVING TRANSIT OFF NICOLLET MALL. YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS. DID PEOPLE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CLICK NO? [1:13:49] >> COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ AND CHAIR CASHMAN, I BELIEVE IN PHASE 1, YES. THIS DATA -- I CAN [1:13:57] GO BACK AND DOUBLE CHECK THE ACTUAL TEXT OF THE SURVEY. BUT [1:14:03] THIS DATA -- >> IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD FIND THAT OUT DURING THIS COMMITTEE MEETING. I PUT IN A [1:14:11] REQUEST. I KNOW IT WAS A LAST MINUTE REQUEST BUT I REALLY WANT TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION. FROM WHAT I HEARD IS THAT PEOPLE WERE [1:14:17] NOT GIVEN THAT OPTION. AND I WANT TO BE ABLE TO CLARIFY FOR THE PUBLIC IF THEY WERE GIVEN THAT OPTION. [1:14:24] >> COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, CHAIR CASHMAN, YES, WE CAN CLARIFY THAT. I WILL SAY THAT THE [1:14:29] PREMISE OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING HERE, THE PREMISE IS THAT TRANSIT IS MOVING FROM THE [1:14:35] MALL, AND OUR GOAL WAS TO WORK WITH -- OUR GOAL IS CURRENTLY TO [1:14:40] WORK WITH METRO TRANSIT AND ASSESS WHERE A SUITABLE PLACE IS FOR THAT TRANSIT TO GO TO COULD [1:14:45] BE. SO THAT IS THE DIRECTION THAT WE HAVE BEEN TAILORING OUR [1:14:53] ENGAGEMENT TOWARD IS TRYING TO SUSS OUT WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT PIECES OF THIS THAT ARE [1:14:59] IMPORTANT TO FOLKS IN TERMS FOR MOVE OF TRANSIT. >> OKAY. THANK YOU. SO NOW THAT'S CONCERNING BECAUSE WE'RE [1:15:05] HEARING THAT THE MAYOR IS SAYING THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU THINK. [1:15:10] I'M GOING BACK TO NOW LOOKING AT GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE WHERE WE HAD BEEN FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN [1:15:17] PEDESTRIANIZE THAT AREA. AREA OF SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, WORKING NEIGHBORHOOD, A POOR [1:15:23] NEIGHBORHOOD COMPARED TO DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS. AND WE'RE GETTING PUSHBACK FROM STAFF, PUSHBACK FROM THE MAYOR SAYING YOU CAN'T HAVE A PEDESTRIAN MALL [1:15:30] AT GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE. BUT SOMEHOW IT'S OKAY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN AREA DOWNTOWN IN AN AREA [1:15:37] WITH MORE SERVICES AND MORE WEALTH. AND WE WANT TO TAKE BUSES OFF THERE BECAUSE THERE'S POOR PEOPLE THERE. THIS IS VERY [1:15:43] HARD WHEN I'M LOOKING AT PICTURES OF A PEDESTRIAN MALL, A BEAUTIFUL AREA THAT IT COULD [1:15:50] LOOK LIKE DOWNTOWN. AND NOW I [1:15:55] HAVE TO GO TO MY WARD AND SAY -- THAT IS A HARD PILL TO SWALLOW. [1:16:05] NOW THE DATA IS SHOWING THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE FOLKS, THE PREFERRED OPTION HERE WAS NO [1:16:10] CHANGE, CORRECT? I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT NUMBER CAME FROM BECAUSE THE DATA IS SHOWING THAT THE PREFERRED [1:16:16] OPTION IS NO CHANGE. IT'S IN THE GRAY. HOW DID PEOPLE DECIDE [1:16:22] THAT? WAS IT THE COMMENT SECTION? HOW DID THAT WORK? >> COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ AND CHAIR CASHMAN, WE CAN GET THE [1:16:28] DIRECT QUESTION FROM THE SURVEY THAT THAT CAME FROM. IT'S IN OUR APPENDIX, WHICH IS ON OUR [1:16:34] WEBSITE AND POTENTIALLY STAFF MAY BE LOOKING FOR IT NOW. >> WE CAN ASK THAT AS A STAFF [1:16:40] FOLLOW-UP TOO SO THAT WE CAN GET IT AS A MEMO TO OUR EMAILS AFTERWARDS. NOT ON THE SPOT. [1:16:46] >> COOL. AND I'LL JUST FINISH WITH THIS. IT IS VERY TELLING, [1:16:52] AND YOU AS A STAFF, THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT YOU. THIS IS DIRECTED TO THE MAYOR THAT WANTS [1:16:58] TO TAKE OFF BUSES OFF NICOLLET MALL BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE BOOMING FOR BUSINESSES, WHILE [1:17:07] SC SCARING SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, THAT IT'S GOING TO BE SO BAD AND NOT GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY. THAT IS [1:17:13] VERY FRUSTRATING. WE SEE IT THE [1:17:18] DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS AND THE WORKING POOR COMPARED TO AREAS THAT HAVE [1:17:25] WEALTHY PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES. THAT'S NOT DIRECTED TO YOU AS A STAFF MEMBER. I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION YOU'RE GIVING US. [1:17:30] BUT I AM VERY FRUSTRATED OF WHAT I VERY MUCH SEE HAPPENING IN THE CITY ALL THE TIME. [1:17:37] >> NEXT, I'LL REQUEST COUNCIL MEMBER OSMAN. >> THANK YOU FOR THAT [1:17:42] PRESENTATION. IN THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION, THE IDEA WAS BORNE FROM THE MAYOR'S [1:17:51] VISION, PUBLIC, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. AND THAT'S HOW THE IDEA WAS BORNE. IT WASN'T BORNE [1:17:57] FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM THE [1:18:04] RIDERS. AND IT'S REALLY SAD PEOPLE WERE NOT GIVEN FOUR OPTIONS. THEY WERE GIVEN THREE OPTIONS. AND THERE SHOULD HAVE [1:18:13] BEEN AN OPTION WHERE IT SAYS, [1:18:19] REMAIN NICOLLET MALL. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THERE WAS A RANK CHOICE. YOU KNOW. A RANK [1:18:25] CHOICE FOR THREE OPTIONS. I MEAN, FOUR OPTIONS IS WRITTEN INFORMATION. THAT'S JUST A [1:18:31] DIFFERENCE. I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MISLEADING THAT PEOPLE WERE NOT GIVEN AN OPTION [1:18:36] TO CHOOSE THAT THEY WANT TO REMAIN. THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONTACTING ME IN MY OFFICE. THIS [1:18:44] IS THE BUSIEST TRANSIT. THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COME. IT'S A [1:18:50] PLACE WHERE 25 YEARS AGO, MYSELF, AS A RIDER, WHERE I'M [1:18:56] ABLE TO ACCESS EVERYWHERE ELSE. IT'S EASIER TO GET AROUND. THAT [1:19:03] STREET BRINGS ANY DRIVER -- I'M SORRY, ANY RIDER TO CATCH ANOTHER BUS AND GO OVER THERE AND, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT [1:19:12] THERE'S A FOOD OPTION THERE. THERE'S PHARMACY. THERE'S GROCERY. YOU'RE TAKING THEM AWAY [1:19:17] ALL THOSE STUFF AWAY. ALL THOSE PEOPLE AWAY FROM PLACES THAT THEY DON'T. I CAN'T RECALL 3RD [1:19:25] OR YOU KNOW 2ND HAVING A GROCERY STORE OR PHARMACY. THAT'S WHERE [1:19:34] IT'S A HOP CENTER FOR COMMUNITY. AND IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A [1:19:39] PEDESTRIAN. IT'S REALLY GOOD TO ADVANCE AND SO ON. BUT WE LIVE IN MINNESOTA. IT'S WINTER. IT'S [1:19:46] GOING TO BE NINE MONTHS EMPTY SECTION OF NO BUSES. IN MY OPINION. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE [1:19:52] A FLEXIBLE OPTION WHERE WE COULD HAVE EVENTS AND GREAT THINGS THAT WE DO AND GREAT ACTIVITIES, AND BUSES CAN COME BACK. BECAUSE [1:20:00] BUSES ARE RELIABLE. PEOPLE ARE EVERY DAY GETTING TO WORK, GETTING TO THE DOCTORS, AND YOU KNOW, THIIS SOMETHING THAT [1:20:12] DRIVERS HAVEN'T, AND RESIDENTS OF MINNEAPOLIS SHOULD HAVE A SAY. AND I'M REALLY SUPER -- I [1:20:18] CAN'T REALLY CLARIFY EVEN IF WE HAVE AN OPTION TO VOTE ON THIS BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SAY THAT ON [1:20:24] THAT THING. IS IT MOU WHERE WE WILL HAVE METRO TRANSIT AND THE [1:20:30] COUNCIL AGREE THAT THE BODY OF COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO SAY NO, WE WANT TO REMAIN ON [1:20:36] NICOLLET MALL? THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT IS JUST OUT THERE THAT MANY OF MY RESIDENTS WANT TO KNOW. BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU SO [1:20:43] MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I'M GLAD WE LISTENED TO IT AND THE PUBLIC DID. [1:20:48] >> NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER VETAW. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY SOME [1:20:53] THINGS AND MAKE SURE THAT FACTS ARE STATED. NICOLLET MALL IS ALREADY A PEDESTRIAN MALL, CORRECT? [1:21:01] >> COUNCIL MEMBER VETAW, CHAIR CASHMAN, YES, WITH TRANSIT ON [1:21:06] IT. >> OKAY. WITH TRANSIT ONLY AND EMERGENCY VEHICLES IS WHAT I [1:21:13] RECALL. >> COUNCIL MEMBER VETAW, CHAIR CASHMAN, YES, I BELIEVE EMERGENCY VEHICLES CAN GO DOWN. [1:21:19] >> OKAY. SO IT ALREADY EXISTS. IT IS IN NO WAY COMPARED TO 38th [1:21:25] AND CHICAGO, WHICH IS A MAJOR CORRIDOR IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS. THERE'S LITERALLY NO COMPARISON [1:21:31] HERE. IT'S ALREADY -- I MEAN, IT EXISTS ON NICOLLET MALL. IT HAS FOR A VERY LONG TIME. AND SO I'M [1:21:39] JUST NOT -- I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE EVEN TALKING -- LIKE WHY WE'RE COMPARING THE TWO. [1:21:45] THEY'RE TWO VERY DIFFERENT STREETS. AND JUST THE LAST POINT I WANT TO MAKE, THE LAST TIME I [1:21:51] CHECKED UP TO 70% OF THE PEOPLE ON 38th AND CHICAGO SAID THAT [1:21:56] THEY DIDN'T WANT THE OPTION THAT PEOPLE KEEP BRINGING UP. AND SO I'M SORRY THAT YOU KNOW, THIS IS [1:22:02] EVEN A PART OF THE CONVERSATION. BUT THESE ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT [1:22:07] AREAS. I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THIS [1:22:13] PROJECT. I HEARD ABOUT THE PROJECT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RAINVILLE, NOT THE MAYOR'S [1:22:18] OFFICE. AND I'VE APPRECIATED OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS HOW ENGAGED COUNCIL MEMBER [1:22:24] RAINVILLE HAS BEEN ON THIS VERY ISSUE. I KNOW IT'S A PROJECT THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO HIM. [1:22:29] I'VE SHARED MY CONCERNS WITH STAFF. I APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU ALL HAVE SPENT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS ANSWERING THE [1:22:36] QUESTIONS, AND TRYING TO CONTINUE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE COULD MAKE THIS WORK IF IT IS GOING TO WORK. KEEP UP THE GOOD [1:22:42] WORK. YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> NEXT, I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL [1:22:47] MEMBER CHOWDHURY. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. THANK YOU, KATHLEEN, FOR YOUR [1:22:53] PRESENTATION. AND JUST EVERYONE WHO WORKED ON THIS LEGISLATIVE DIRECTIVE. LIKE VERY HELPFUL [1:23:00] ILLUMINATING INFORMATION ON THIS PROJECT. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW FOR [1:23:05] COMMITTEE. AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT I WANT TO DIRECT [1:23:10] SPECIFICALLY TO STAFF. I WANT TO PREFACE THE COMMENTS THAT I'M GOING TO MAKE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GOOD WORKS THAT CITY [1:23:16] STAFF HAVE DONE ON THIS AND ARE WORKING LIKE THERE'S A CHARGE YOU'RE GIVEN AND YOU'RE TAKING IT UP AND YOU'RE DOING THE WORK [1:23:22] AND I RECOGNIZE THAT 100%. I AS A COUNCIL MEMBER AND A MEMBER OF [1:23:30] THIS COMMITTEE AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF CONSTITUENTS IN THE 12th WARD AND TRANSIT [1:23:37] RIDERS IN THE 12th WARD, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I THINK WE'RE NOT [1:23:43] HEADED IN A GOOD GOVERNANCE DIRECTION AS IT COMES TO THIS PROJECT. I DON'T THINK WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR [1:23:48] SUCCESS. AND I THINK THE PLACE WHERE I CAN PROBABLY POINT TO IS [1:23:55] THINKING ABOUT THE WORK GROUP THAT THE MAYOR PUT TOGETHER ON THIS. AND LOOKING AT THE LIST OF [1:24:00] STAKEHOLDERS THAT WERE A PART OF BEING IN THAT WORK GROUP. I THINK STAKEHOLDERS ARE [1:24:06] ABSOLUTELY MISSING FROM IT. TRANSIT RIDERS IN PARTICULAR I THINK SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PART OF [1:24:12] THIS CONVERSATION. RIGHT. LIKE THIS ISN'T -- WHILE IT MIGHT HAVE THE LEGAL DESIGNATION OF [1:24:18] PEDESTRIAN MALL. THIS IS A TRANSIT MALL. WE HAVE HELD THIS UP AS A PLACE FOR FAST TRANSIT [1:24:25] FOR RESIDENTS ALL THROUGHOUT OUR CITY AND OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY TO COME INTO DOWNTOWN AND LEAVE [1:24:30] DOWNTOWN. LIKE I HAVE MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE 12th WARD, AND ALSO COMMUNITY MEMBERS [1:24:35] WHO HAVE REACHED OUT OUTSIDE OF THE 12th WARD WHO WORK IN OUR CITY WHO HAVE REACHED OUT CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS [1:24:42] FOR THEM IF THE ROUTES ARE CHANGED. AND I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CONVERSATION [1:24:48] OF THERE'S -- IT WOULD BE FASTER -- A FASTER OPTION. BUT [1:24:53] I'M HEARING FROM CONSTITUENTS THAT DOESN'T FACTOR INTO THE WALKING TIME. THAT DOESN'T [1:24:59] FACTOR INTO MY COMMUTE. THINGS COULD BE LENGTHENED FOR ME. A STAKEHOLDER THAT'S ALSO MISSING THAT IS GOING TO MAKE THIS [1:25:07] DIFFICULT FOR US AS THINGS COME BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE CITY COUNCIL, IS MEMBERS OF [1:25:14] CLIMATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE. I DON'T WANT US TO HEAD DOWN INTO A PATHWAY WHERE WE HAVE AN MOU VOTE AND THERE'S [1:25:21] NOT BEEN A CONVERSATION WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE TO TAKE UP THIS VOTE. LIKE, THAT'S THE PLACE THAT WE'RE IN. AND I [1:25:28] THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY DIFFICULT, CONTINUALLY DIFFICULT [1:25:34] CONVERSATION. BECAUSE I AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I'LL JUST SPEAK FOR MYSELF, LIKE THE WAY THAT I'M RECEIVING THIS [1:25:41] PRESENTATION IS IT IS SAID AND DONE AND LIKE THERE IS NOTHING THAT I HAVE AN ACTUAL STEP THAT I HAVE TO COMMIT TO DOING. BUT I [1:25:48] DO KNOW JUST LIKE BY PIECING THINGS TOGETHER I WILL, AND I WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO MY [1:25:54] CONSTITUENTS AND MAKE A DECISION BASED OFF OF THEIR FEEDBACK. WHICH IS A LOT OF THEM ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THIS [1:25:59] IS GOING TO IMPACT THEIR LIVES, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO RESPOND TO AS DO OTHER [1:26:04] MEMBERS. AND I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THIS [1:26:10] CHANGE. AND AGAIN, I DON'T THINK ARE REPRESENTED WITHIN THE [1:26:15] STAKEHOLDERS OF THIS WORK GROUP. PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS, PEOPLE WHO ONLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO [1:26:21] RELY ON TRANSIT. THAT'S HOW THEY GET TO WORK. THAT'S HOW THEY MOVE AROUND OUR CITY. [1:26:27] PREDOMINANTLY PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING CLASS, LOWER INCOME. AND [1:26:33] SO I JUST -- I DON'T KNOW. I'M KINDA LIKE LOOKING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL AND I'M WORRIED [1:26:39] ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS. IF THERE'S AN MOU THAT COMES BEFORE [1:26:44] US FOR SUMMER OF 2025 TO HAVE TO ADMIT, TO SAY, YUP, WE AGREE TO [1:26:51] MOVING TRANSIT OFF OF THIS CORRIDOR AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE FOLD OF THIS [1:26:56] CONVERSATION. THIS IS A MOMENT WHERE THE EXECUTIVE SIDE AND THE [1:27:03] LEGISLATIVE SIDE, THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TALK. I'M LOOKING AT IT AND IT'S ANOTHER CASE OF THE [1:27:09] LEFT HAND NOT TALKING TO THE RIGHT HAND. AND WE'RE GOING -- IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO HAVING [1:27:15] VERY DIFFICULT AND DIVISIVE CONVERSATIONS IN PUBLIC, WHICH [1:27:21] IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I WANT. BUT I DO FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT TO REPRESENT THE THINGS THAT I'M [1:27:27] HEARING FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THIS. AND WHO GETS TO BENEFIT OUT OF THIS PROJECT. I'LL PLAN ON [1:27:35] HAVING OFFLINE CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF ABOUT THINGS THAT I'M HEARING. THERE'S A LOT THAT I GLEANED FROM THIS PRESENTATION [1:27:41] THAT I WANT TO PROCESS. BUT I JUST REALLY FELT THAT WAS WORTH MENTIONING HERE. [1:27:46] >> THANK YOU. NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. I THINK [1:27:52] YOU MENTIONED THAT THE MAYOR, PRIVATE COMPANIES AND THE DOWNTOWN COUNCIL ARE THE ONES ENVISIONING THIS PROCESS. CAN [1:27:59] YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHAT THAT MEANS AND WHAT THAT PROCESS ENTAILS. >> COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, CHAIR [1:28:06] CASHMAN, DIRECTOR OF CPED, ERIC [1:28:11] HANSON. >> THANK YOU, KATHLEEN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS ERIC [1:28:17] HANSON. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF CPED. I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY CUE TO COME UP AND TALK TO YOU A [1:28:22] LITTLE ABOUT THIS. CHAIR CASHMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, SO I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS [1:28:29] PROJECT, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT -- IT'S A VERY -- IT'S COMPLEX. IT'S ABOUT THE FUTURE OF [1:28:35] DOWNTOWN AND WHAT THE NEXT ERA OF OUR CENTER OF TOWN IS GOING TO BE. THE TIMING OF IT IS NOT [1:28:46] LINEAR. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW PEOPLE ARE ACTIVELY USING [1:28:52] DOWNTOWN. DOWNTOWN WENT INTO, YOU KNOW, THE COVID PANDEMIC WAS DETRIMENTAL TO DOWNTOWN. [1:28:57] DOWNTOWN IS IMPORTANT TO NOT ONLY THE HEALTH OF THE CITY, BUT THE HEALTH OF THE REGION AND THE STATE. IT IS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE, [1:29:05] AND IT'S NOT THE ONLY ECONOMIC ENGINE, BUT IT IS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE OF THE CITY. AND PEOPLE [1:29:10] HAVE USED IT AS THE CENTER OF TOWN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE COLONIZATION OF MINNEAPOLIS. WE [1:29:19] ARE SEEING IT TRANSITION. THE LAST MAJOR TRANSITION OF [1:29:24] DOWNTOWN WAS STARTED IN THE LATE 1960s AND BUILT WHAT WE SEE HERE NOW. AND THAT WAS AROUND [1:29:31] OFFICES, THAT WAS AROUND MAJOR FACILITIES AND THEATERS. AND A LITTLE BIT OF HOUSING. NOT MUCH. [1:29:37] AND NOW THIS NEXT TREND IS AROUND CONSUMING DOWNTOWN IN A DIFFERENT WAY. IT'S AROUND HOW [1:29:43] THE BUILDINGS ARE USED, HOW THE STREETS ARE USED, AND HOW PEOPLE ARE CONGREGATING NOT AROUND THE [1:29:50] 8:00 TO 4:00 WORK DAY, BUT AROUND HOW DOWNTOWN AS A NEIGHBORHOOD. WE SEE THAT A LOT. [1:29:55] WE SEE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS HAPPENED IN AND AROUND DOWNTOWN. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT [1:30:00] DOWNTOWN DOES NOT HAVE A LOT OF, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE RIGHT ON THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IS A [1:30:06] LOT OF AREA FOR CONGREGATING OF COMMUNITY. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PARKS DOWNTOWN. IF YOU LOOK AT [1:30:14] OUR FRIENDS IN SAINT PAUL, THEY HAVE WRIGHTS PARK AND A LOT OF [1:30:20] OTHER PARKS. WE HAVE LORING PARK, WE HAVE NICOLLET MALL. WE HAVE SEMI PRIVATE AREAS THAT [1:30:26] PEOPLE -- WE HAVE THE COMMONS AND THE RIVERFRONT PARK. WHEN [1:30:31] THIS TRANSITION STARTED IN DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC AND PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO COME BACK, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PLACES [1:30:41] TO JUST ENJOY MINNEAPOLIS. THEY WANT TO FIND PLACES WHERE THEY CAN CONGREGATE. WE DO NOT [1:30:48] NECESSARILY HAVE THOSE JUST OUT OF THE BOX BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT LAND SET ASIDE IN DOWNTOWN. [1:30:54] ONE OF THE IDEAS OF HOW PEOPLE ARE REALLY CONSUMING DOWNTOWN IS [1:31:00] THROUGH WHERE CAN THEY ACTIVATE IT FOR PEOPLE. NOT FOR CARS OR VEHICLES BUT FOR PEOPLE. AND SO [1:31:06] THE IDEA HERE BASED ON SOME STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND INTEREST IS HOW DO WE TAKE [1:31:13] NICOLLET MALL AND REALLY MAKE IT THE CENTER, THE SPINE, THE MAIN STREET OF MINNEAPOLIS? AND THAT [1:31:23] IS, YOU KNOW, FROM BUILDING PHASE TO BUILDING PHASE. CAN WE [1:31:28] GET IT SO THERE'S SOME PLACE WHERE MASSIVE GROUPS OF PEOPLE CAN COME AND THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY IMPACTED BY WORRYING [1:31:35] ABOUT BUSES, EMERGENCY VEHICLES, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT COME DOWN NICOLLET MALL NOW, AND THEY [1:31:40] CAN CHANGE AND USE THAT PUBLIC SPACE IN A DIFFERENT WAY. AND AS [1:31:46] PART OF THAT, IT'S WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE BUSES. THAT'S WHY IT'S COMING AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT THING GETS [1:31:52] IN THE WAY OF THESE MAJOR EVENTS. THESE MAJOR DAILY EVENTS OF CONGREGATING PEOPLE ON THAT [1:31:57] PUBLIC SPACE. AND SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO LOOK AT OPTIONS OF WHERE [1:32:04] THE BUS IS. AND IT'S NOT TAKING AWAY THE TRANSIT SERVICE DOWNTOWN, BUT REALIGNING THE [1:32:11] TRANSIT SERVICE POTENTIALLY TO TRANSIT DEDICATED LANES ON MARQUETTE AND 2ND, WHICH THE [1:32:16] CITY PUT IN A LOT OF MONEY TO REORIENT HOW TRANSIT GETS IN AND OUT. AND A LOT OF IT IS [1:32:23] PREFERENCING THOSE COMMUTER ROUTES. THIS WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, DIRECT LOCAL SERVICE. YOU SAW [1:32:28] THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE. MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING OFF AND ON THOSE BUSES AND BRINGING THEM DOWN. AND IF LET'S SAY THEY'RE [1:32:35] ON ONE STREET OVER FROM NICOLLET, AND THERE'S A REALLY AMAZING PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GO [1:32:41] ON NICOLLET, HOPEFULLY THERE'S AN INTEREST IN YES, I CAN GET DOWNTOWN AND I CAN GET TO [1:32:46] SOMETHING ELSE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE NOTICING IS, AND I [1:32:52] HEARD COUNCIL MEMBER OSMAN TALK ABOUT THIS, IS THE INTEREST OF [1:32:57] HAVING PEOPLE COME OFF -- GET OFF OF TRANSIT NEXT TO PHARMACIES AND STORES AND THAT [1:33:02] SORT OF THING. AND YOU MIGHT NOT SEE THAT ON ALL OF THE STREETS IN DOWNTOWN. THAT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. WE'RE ALSO NOT SEEING THAT [1:33:09] AS OFTEN ON NICOLLET MALL. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY CAUSING US TO PAUSE ABOUT THE [1:33:15] FUTURE OF RETAIL SERVICES AND ACTIVATING STOREFRONTS. AND MAYBE WE NEED TO START TO LOOK [1:33:21] AT HOW TO CONGREGATE THOSE TYPE OF USES ON PLACES WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF DEMAND. AND MAYBE WE [1:33:28] GET SOME STUFF ON 2ND, AND MAYBE WE GET SOME STUFF ON MARQUETTE, IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT. IT'S [1:33:33] GOING TO BE LESS LIKELY BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF THE BUILDING -- [1:33:39] THE WAY THE BUILDING ARE BUILT. THERE'S NOT AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES. ALL OF THE [1:33:45] STOREFRONTS ARE ON NICOLLET MALL BECAUSE WE'VE REQUIRED THAT. WE'VE REQUIRED ACTIVE STOREFRONTS AND WE WANT TO SEE [1:33:51] THOSE HEALTHY AND THRIVING. RIGHT NOW WE'RE KIND OF ON A PRECIPICE OF WHETHER OR NOT WE [1:33:57] CAN PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES IN DOWNTOWN. AND FINALLY, THE OTHER PART OF HOW PEOPLE ARE CONSUMING [1:34:02] IS PEOPLE WAN TO BE DOWNTOWN FOR OTHER REASONS NOT JUST COME IN TO WORK. AND SO SOME OF THE [1:34:08] BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOW LIKE DPIEDED TOWARDS OFTEN, THEY NEED TO TRANSITION INTO DIFFERENT [1:34:14] USES. AND SO WE ARE DOING A LOT OF WORK AROUND, YOU KNOW, TAX CREDITS TO POTENTIALLY MOVE [1:34:20] THAT. WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR PROCESS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIVISION OF CPED. OF [1:34:28] HELPING PEOPLE MOVE FROM AN OFFICE USE TO MAYBE RESIDENTIAL USE OR SOME OTHER THINGS. WE'RE [1:34:34] LOOKING AT CREATIVE USES FOR BUILDINGS BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO BE DOWNTOWN BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE NEXT TO -- THEY DON'T WANT [1:34:40] TO BE IN A CUBICAL AS MUCH AS THEY USED TO BE. AS WE GET MORE PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, MORE PEOPLE [1:34:46] LIVING, I THINK WE'RE UP TO 60,000 PEOPLE DOWNTOWN LIVING. ONCE WE GET MORE PEOPLE, WE'LL [1:34:51] SEE MORE OF THAT STREET ACTIVITY AND THERE WILL BE MORE DEMAND FOR THAT SPACE. THAT PUBLIC [1:34:56] PEDESTRIAN SPACE. AND SO THIS IS PART OF IT. OUR COLLEAGUES IN PUBLIC WORKS HAD TO KIND OF GO [1:35:02] FIRST. SOMETHING HAS TO GO FIRST. BUT THAT'S THE IDEA HERE IS WHY, YOU KNOW, STAKEHOLDERS [1:35:09] THAT ARE DOWNTOWN, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, THE DOWNTOWN COUNCIL IS ONE OF OUR [1:35:16] LONG-STANDING PARTNERS IN ACTIVATING THINGS DOWNTOWN. THEY DO THE HOLIDAZZLE, THEY DO OTHER [1:35:22] EVENTS. HOPEFULLY THEY CAN HELP US WITH FUNDRAISING FOR SOME OF THESE OTHER COOL ACTIVITIES THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO BE. [1:35:29] AND WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE DO THAT. IT'S EASY TO BREAK IT INTO PIECES AND TALK JUST ABOUT WHAT [1:35:34] IS GOING TO BE THE EXPERIENCE OF SOMEBODY ON THE MALL MOVING TO 2ND. BUT IF YOU SEE IT IN LIKE A [1:35:42] MORE COMPLEX VIEW OF IT, IT'S POSSIBLE AND HOPEFUL THAT ACTUALLY DOWNTOWN IS ACTUALLY [1:35:47] MUCH MORE INVITING AND INCLUSIVE OF A PLACE. WITH PLACES PEOPLE CAN SET UP SHOPS AND HAVE [1:35:55] PARTIES AND DO SOME FUN THINGS IF WE HAVE THAT SPACE. AND THAT'S THE THING THAT WE'RE [1:36:01] SEEKING RIGHT NOW. >> THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HANSON FOR BRINGING IN THE CPED ELEMENT TO THIS. BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF [1:36:08] THE QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT WHAT'S THE COST TO ACTIVATE NICOLLET MALL, BUT WHAT'S ALSO THE COST [1:36:13] OF ACTIVATING ALL OF THESE STREETS THAT WE'RE SAYING TRANSIT RIDERS SHOULD BE TAKING [1:36:18] INSTEAD. >> I WASN'T DONE YET. >> OH, I'M SORRY. >> THANK YOU. THAT DIDN'T FULLY ANSWER MY QUESTION. BUT I [1:36:27] APPRECIATE IT. MY QUESTION WAS IN THE PRESENTATION, IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THE DOWNTOWN COUNCIL, PRIVATE COMPANIES AND [1:36:32] MAYOR WERE LEADING THE ENVISIONING SESSION. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO [1:36:39] KNOW. MY CONCERN IS TRANSIT RIDERS, PUBLIC HOUSING, FOLKS THAT ARE LIVING AROUND THE AREA [1:36:46] ARE NOT INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. THEY SERVE A SPECIAL INTEREST IN [1:36:53] THE CITY, WHICH IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PRIVATE INVESTMENT, YOU NAME IT. BUT IT HAS A [1:36:58] DIFFERENT COMPONENT THAN THE TRANSIT RIDER OR PEDESTRIAN OR PERSON THAT LIVES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I GUESS THAT'S MY [1:37:04] QUESTION. I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE FOLLOW UP. MY QUESTION WOULD BE FOR OUR CLERK STAFF IS WHO IS IN THE MAYOR'S [1:37:12] WORK GROUP THAT'S WORKING ON [1:37:19] THIS? >> CHAIR CASHMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ, IT'S THE DOWNTOWN COUNCIL. WE CAN GET YOU A LIST OF THE PEOPLE ON THAT COUNCIL. [1:37:24] WE CAN DO THAT THROUGH A FOLLOW UP. >> PERFECT. AND THEN MY LAST COMMENT IS I'M GOING TO KEEP ON [1:37:30] SAYING THIS, I DO NOT SEE THIS AS DIFFERENT AS THE CONVERSATION WE'RE HAVING AROUND GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE. I DON'T, AND I'M NOT [1:37:36] GOING TO. I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING I'M GOING TO KEEP ON TALKING ABOUT THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. IT'S CLEAR THAT WE'RE [1:37:43] HAVING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TREATING THESE AS DIFFERENT THINGS BUT WE'RE NOT. AND I KEEP HEARING [1:37:49] THE SURVEY BEING THROWN AROUND AS A JUSTIFICATION. I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT IN THE SURVEY, [1:37:56] I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THIS ON THE PROCESS BUT I'M GOING TO SAY IT [1:38:01] NOW. ON DECEMBER -- POSTED NEWS ON THE SURVEY THAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT, GEORGE FLOYD [1:38:07] SQUARE. THE TEXT OF THE POST INCLUDED THE SURVEY. THIS IS A [1:38:12] BS SURVEY ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE. BUT FILL IT OUT ANYWAYS. WE [1:38:19] SUGGEST A JAIL SHOULD BE IN PLACE. GET CREATIVE. IN THE TWO [1:38:25] DAYS, DECEMBER 4TH AND 5th, 2,000 RESPONSES CONSTITUTING 34% [1:38:30] OF ALL RESPONSES RECEIVED ON THAT GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE SURVEY. I ALSO WANT TO BE CLEAR WHEN IT [1:38:36] COMES TO WARD 9 DEMOGRAPHICS, THE AREA I REPRESENT, IT IS MAJORITY RENTER. WHEN IT COMES [1:38:42] TO THE SURVEY, 75% OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE HOMEOWNERS. WHEN IT COMES TO WARD 9 [1:38:52] DEMOGRAPHICS, 31% ARE WHITE. WHEN IT COMES TO THE SURVEY, 69% [1:38:58] WERE WHITE. WHEN IT CAME TO BLACK RESIDENTS IN MY WARD, THEY REPRESENT 29.2%. WHEN IT CAME TO [1:39:04] THE SURVEY RESULTS, ONLY 11% WERE BLACK. WHEN IT CAME TO THE [1:39:09] LATINO COMMUNITY THAT I REPRESENT IT IS 28.8% OF MY WARD. WHEN IT CAME TO THE [1:39:15] SURVEY, THERE WERE ONLY 9.9% OF THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS. RIGHT. [1:39:20] SO THE KURA SURVEY KEEPS GETTING THROWN AROUND. IT IS NOT [1:39:26] REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT I REPRESENT. WHEN IT KEEPS GETTING MENTIONED, I'M GOING TO KEEP SAYING THE FACTS IN THE [1:39:32] ROOM. I DO NOT SEE IT DIFFERENTLY THAN GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE. I DON'T. I FEEL LIKE [1:39:38] THERE'S DIFFERENT INTEREST IN DOING SO. I FEEL LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PEDESTRIANIZING [1:39:44] NICOLLET MALL, IS IT FOR THE BUSINESS OR FOR THE REGULAR TRANSIT RIDER. [1:39:50] >> NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE DIRECTOR SEXTON. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND I DID JUST WANT TO RESPOND TO YOUR [1:39:57] EARLIER QUESTION. I DON'T RECALL IF IT WAS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDHURY OR CHAVEZ ABOUT THE [1:40:02] COUNCIL ACTIONS AND WHERE THAT INVOLVEMENT IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE. THE LEGISLATIVE [1:40:08] DIRECTIVE, WE WANTED TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF VERY QUICKLY. YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THAT IT WAS [1:40:13] SORT OF ATYPICAL OF ONE CYCLE FROM ONE PRODUCTION TO RESPONSE. [1:40:20] THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE STAFF IS PLANNING TO GET TO A POINT WHERE THEY'RE MAKING [1:40:25] RECOMMENDATIONS INTERNALLY ON THIS PREFERRED OPTION. AT THAT POINT WE'RE HOPING TO ENGAGE [1:40:33] WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND METRO TRANSIT AND MET COUNCIL WILL ALSO BE DOING THE SAME. THAT'S A [1:40:38] POINT WHERE WE ARE PLANNING CONVERSATIONS, AND HAVING MORE ROBUST CONVERSATION. I KNOW [1:40:43] WE'VE BRIEFED SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS ALONG THE WAY AS WELL. BUT DID JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE -- THIS IS GOING TO BE A CONVERSATION [1:40:51] BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION AND COUNCIL. RIGHT. THERE IS A ROLE. IN TERMS OF WHAT THOSE ACTIONS ARE, WE ARE STILL WORKING [1:40:57] THROUGH TO DETERMINE WHAT THOSE OFFICIAL AND FORMAL ACTIONS ARE. BUT INFORMALLY, WE ARE PLANNING [1:41:03] CONVERSATIONS WITH MANY OF YOU. WE CAN DO WITH MORE IN TERMS OF [1:41:08] WHAT THAT PREFERRED OPTION COULD LOOK LIKE, ALONG WITH THOSE FINAL OFFICIAL APPROVAL STEPS. [1:41:13] SO WE'RE JUST NOT QUITE THERE YET TO DEFINE THOSE. BUT I JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR THAT WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S A ROLE AND WE [1:41:19] HOPE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT. >> NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL [1:41:26] MEMBER OSMAN. >> I REALLY WANT TO APPRECIATE DIRECTOR HANSON FOR COMING UP [1:41:32] AND EXPLAINING THAT. THAT ACTUALLY CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE OF THE IDEA OF THINKING ABOUT IT. THE WAY YOU EXPLAINED THE [1:41:39] WAY THAT YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN AND ECONOMIC [1:41:47] INVOLVEMENT AND WHAT OUR CITY WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED. WE ARE THE FINAL [1:41:53] DECISION MAKERS. WE'RE THE ONE WHO SAY, AYE OR NO. WE SHOULD BE [1:42:01] INVOLVED. THAT EXPLANATION GIVES US -- THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I HEARD ABOUT THIS NICOLLET MALL. ALL I HEARD WAS WE'RE MOVING AND [1:42:10] PRESIDENT BLOWING MY PHONE AND SAYING NO, THAT'S NOT HAPPENING. I JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE THAT [1:42:17] AND I LOOK FORWARD LONGER INVOLVEMENT ON THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> COUNCIL MEMBER VETAW. [1:42:23] >> THANK YOU, CHAIR. NICOLLET MALL IS NOT FOR RICH PEOPLE. [1:42:28] NICOLLET MALL IS FOR EVERYBODY. IF YOU GO DOWN ON NICOLLET MALL, IT IS REPRESENTED BY EVERYONE IN [1:42:34] THIS CITY AT ANY GIVEN TIME OF THE DAY. IT'S A HUGE MISCONCEPTION. AND IT'S REALLY KINDA SAD TO SEE THESE TWO [1:42:41] STREETS BE PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER. BECAUSE I MEAN, THERE ARE [1:42:47] SHELTERS NEAR NICOLLET MALL AND YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNHOUSED ON NICOLLET MALL. YOU SEE PEOPLE [1:42:52] WHO ARE TAKING THE BUS TO GO TO WORK ON NICOLLET MALL. YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO A [1:43:00] BASKETBALL OR FOOTBALL GAME WHO DON'T LIVE IN THE CITY. YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO JUST LIKE LOOKING AT [1:43:06] TALL BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS. YOU SEE ALL PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, ALL ABILITIES DOWN IN NICOLLET MALL. THERE IS NOT [1:43:12] ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE. IT IS NOT A RICH PERSON'S STREET. THERE'S NOT SIGNS OUT THERE SAYING, COME [1:43:18] WEALTHY, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONES ALLOWED ON NICOLLET MALL. EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO NICOLLET MALL RATHER THEY'RE WALKING OR [1:43:25] ON A BUS OR WHATEVER THEY'RE DOING. SO THIS IS NOT THAT. THIS IS NOT -- JUST BECAUSE IT'S [1:43:31] LOCATED SOMEWHERE THAT HAS A PERCEPTION OF BEING FOR WEALTHY PEOPLE, DOWNTOWN IS VERY [1:43:36] DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN LOOK DIFFERENT THAN THE [1:43:43] PEOPLE WHO LIVED DOWNTOWN 10, 20 YEARS AGO. THE PEOPLE WHO VISIT DOWNTOWN LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT. [1:43:49] WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SAYING HERE OR MAYBE WE NEED TO VISIT DOWNTOWN AND [1:43:56] SEE WHO IS WALKING ACCESSING NICOLLET MALL IN MINNEAPOLIS. [1:44:02] >> NEXT I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER CHAVEZ. >> I'M GOING TO MAKE MY POINT VERY CLEAR. I AM TALKING ABOUT THE DECISION TO REMOVE BUSES OFF [1:44:09] NICOLLET MALL. IS THAT THE DECISION TO BENEFIT THE WEALTHY BUSINESSES AND CORPORATIONS OR [1:44:16] TO IMPACT THE PEOPLE WHO NEED SERVICES DOWNTOWN. THERE ARE [1:44:22] MANY RESIDENTS WHO NEED ACCESS TO THIS CORRIDOR. THE QUESTION I AM BEGGING FOR ANSWERS TO BY [1:44:27] REMOVING BUSES OFF NICOLLET MALL, ARE WE DOING THAT BECAUSE WE WANT TO IMPACT THE WORKING PEOPLE OF DOWNTOWN, THE RESIDENTS OF DOWNTOWN THAT USE [1:44:34] THIS, ARE WE DOING IT TO BENEFIT THE BIG BUSINESSES IN OUR CITY? THAT IS MY POINT. [1:44:42] >> THERE ARE POOR PEOPLE WHO NEED ACCESS TO BUSES ON CHICAGO AVENUE AND 38th THAT ARE ASKING [1:44:47] FOR THEM. >> I WANTED TO JUMP IN QUEUE [1:44:54] HERE AS WELL. I DO REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OF NICOLLET MALL FROM 3RD ALL THE WAY GOING SOUTH. SO [1:45:00] I AM DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT AND HAVE BEEN SINCE I JOINED THE COUNCIL. THIS PROJECT [1:45:05] WAS PITCHED TO ME BY THE MAYOR, MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION AND COUNCIL MEMBER RAINVILLE. I WILL [1:45:13] CONCUR THE FACT THAT TRANSIT RIDERS DID NOT WANT THIS CHANGE. [1:45:18] THIS CAME FROM REVITALIZATION EFFORTS FROM BUSINESS AND GROWTH AND USING PUBLIC SPACES TO [1:45:25] FACILITATE THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S A WONDERFUL THING. I DO THINK THAT PEDESTRIANIZING SPACES IS A GREAT THING TO DO. I [1:45:31] WOULD LOVE TO SEE SO MANY MORE PEDESTRIAN MALLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AT GFS, THROUGHOUT [1:45:38] DOWNTOWN, ON QUINCY, NORTHEAST, LIKE ALL OF THESE SPACES I THINK THAT PEDESTRIANIZATION IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS. THE PROBLEM HERE [1:45:46] IS THAT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MOVING BUSES OFF, AND WHAT THAT MEANS [1:45:51] IS 10,000 PEOPLE PER DAY HAVE TO MOVE OFF. AND SO THERE'S A TENSION HERE BETWEEN HOW ARE WE [1:45:58] GOING TO FILL NICOLLET MALL WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE WHEN THE PEOPLE WHO CURRENTLY FILL IT ARE THE ONES WHO TAKE THE BUS. AND SO [1:46:04] ARE WE GOING TO BE EMPTYING THE STREET BY MOVING BUSES OFF? THAT'S A HUGE CONCERN FOR ME. [1:46:14] THERE'S ALSO A BIG TAX PAYER COST TO THIS BECAUSE I THINK IF WE ARE GOING TO IMPROVE TRANSIT [1:46:19] ON ALL THESE OTHER STREETS, MARQUETTE, 2ND, 3RD, HENNEPIN, [1:46:27] WHICH I THINK WE SHOULD. WE NEED BUSES, BUS SHELTERS, THESE ARE [1:46:36] AMENITIES THAT COST MONEY. SO I'M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THAT ELEMENT BECAUSE WE ARE IN A [1:46:42] BUDGET SQUEEZE RIGHT NOW. I SAW $400,000 NOTED FOR PROGRAMMING ON NICOLLET MALL FOR 2026. I [1:46:47] THINK THAT IS NOWHERE NEAR THE COST THAT THIS PROJECT WILL TAKE. AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT BEFORE THE [1:46:54] COUNCIL MAKES DECISIONS ABOUT HOW WE PROCEED. WE'RE NOT IN THE SAME BUDGET SITUATION AS WE WERE [1:46:59] LAST YEAR. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE RECEIVING FEDERAL GRANTS. THAT'S THE REALITY. AND FINALLY, I JUST [1:47:07] WANTED TO POINT OUT, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING TO HEAR THAT 80% OF USERS OF [1:47:13] NICOLLET MALL TRANSIT ARE COMING TO THE SERVICES ON NICOLLET MALL. SOME OF MY RESIDENTS ARE [1:47:18] HERE TODAY THAT DO GO TO THE PHARMACIES, THAT DO GO TO THE [1:47:23] TARGET, THAT DO GO TO THE MEDICAL FACILITIES ON NICOLLET MALL. SO THERE IS A LOT OF [1:47:30] SERVICES AND PEOPLE ON NICOLLET MALL FOR THAT REASON. SO I'LL JUST CLOSE BY READING A COUPLE OF SENTENCES FROM A LETTER I GOT [1:47:35] FROM A LORING PARK RESIDENT WHO IS A BUS OPERATOR WHO OPERATES THE BUSES ON NICOLLET MALL. [1:47:41] NICOLLET MALL IS FAR FROM DEAD. THE PEOPLE WHO USE NICOLLET MALL ARE MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR AND TYPICALLY HAVE LOWER ECONOMIC [1:47:48] STANDING, PEOPLE IN EXPENSIVE BUSINESS SUITS WERE ORIGINALLY [1:47:54] CATERED TWO, AND FIVE YEARS LATER, THERE'S PEOPLE WHO NEVER LEFT, BUS RIDERS. NICOLLET MALL [1:47:59] IS THE HEART OF THE TRANSIT CITY. WHEN YOU RIDE THE BUS, IT IS AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF [1:48:08] INFRASTRUCTURE THAT RUNS THE SAME OF 1962. IT'S THE HEART OF MINNEAPOLIS. IF WE ARE TRULY [1:48:13] CONCERNED ABOUT BRINGING LIFE AND VITALITY BACK TO NICOLLET MALL, WE SHOULD START WITH [1:48:18] PEOPLE WHO NEVER LEFT THROUGHOUT THE 62 YEARS, THE BUS RIDERS. I [1:48:24] WILL CONTINUE TO CENTER TRANSIT RIDERS IN THIS CONVERSATION WHO ARE MY RESIDENTS WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN WHO TAKE THE BUS AND [1:48:31] WHO LOVE NICOLLET MALL BECAUSE OF THE BUS. THAT DOESN'T PRECLUDE US FROM MAKING [1:48:39] DECISIONS ABOUT OPTIONS OR -- BUT THAT IS MY POSITION RIGHT NOW BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT [1:48:46] I'M GETTING FROM MY RESIDENTS IN DOWNTOWN. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I'M NOT SEEING [1:48:53] ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. I'LL JUST DO A LAST CALL FOR ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM [1:49:01] BEFORE WE -- YES, COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDHURY. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR CASHMAN. I'LL KEEP IT REAL SHORT. THIS IS [1:49:06] JUST KIND OF IN RESPONSE TO DIRECTOR SEXTON IN TERMS OF [1:49:12] POINTS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ENGAGE. WHILE I APPRECIATE THAT, [1:49:18] I THINK LIKE MY POINT IS WE'RE HEADED IN A DIRECTION WHERE THE CAKE IS PRETTY MUCH BAKED AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A [1:49:24] VERY BIG DECISION. AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE PROCESS. AND I JUST WANT TO [1:49:31] REMIND FOLKS THAT OUR JOB IS NOT TO RUBBER STAMP. OUR JOB IS TO [1:49:37] REPRESENT 35,000 TO 40,000 PEOPLE IN EACH WARD THAT WE REPRESENT. DOWNTOWN [1:49:42] REVITALIZATION IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I DO CARE ABOUT THAT. AND THE CHANGES THAT WE MAKE HERE ARE GOING TO IMPACT ALL OF [1:49:49] OUR CONSTITUENTS. I MENTIONED THE MAYOR'S STAKEHOLDER GROUP [1:49:55] BECAUSE IT'S AS IF LEGISLATORS ARE NOT STEAK -- STAKEHOLDERS [1:50:03] IN THIS WHICH WE VERY MUCH ARE. I DON'T THINK INFORMAL MEETINGS [1:50:10] ARE GOING TO BE SUFFICIENT IN TERMS OF OUR STAKEHOLDER GROUP, IN TERMS OF OUR CONSTITCH [1:50:21] CONSTITUENTS. I WORRY ABOUT A BIG VOTE IN WHICH NOBODY IS HAPPY AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO REACH OUR GOALS REGARDING [1:50:28] DOWNTOWN REVIOLATIONIZATION. ACCESS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. I THINK WE HAVE SOME TIME TO [1:50:33] FIGURE OUT WHAT'S A BETTER GOVERNANCE APPROACH. I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBERS UP HERE ARE [1:50:40] READY TO LEAD ON THAT. AND I THINK A LOT OF THAT LEADERSHIP IS GOING TO FALL ON THE MAYOR OF OUR CITY AND I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT [1:50:46] SHOW UP. I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S POINTS COMING. BUT I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE [1:50:54] ATTENTION. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY FOR THE CLERKS THE TWO FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. ONE [1:51:00] IS ABOUT THE MEMBERS OF THE DOWNTOWN ACTION GROUP, AND THE OTHER IS THE COUNCIL'S DECISION IN THIS, INCLUDING THE ORDINANCE [1:51:08] CHANGES THAT WILL NEED TO BE MADE. AND I HAVE TO CORRECT [1:51:14] SOMETHING FROM EARLIER TODAY. JUST TO CLARIFY A PUBLIC HEARING DATE. SO I'M GOING TO CALL ON [1:51:21] CLERK KENDALL TO CLARIFY THAT BEFORE WE ADJOURN. >> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CLARIFY ON THE RECORD. ITEM 10 ON THE [1:51:28] CONSENT AGENDA SET A PUBLIC HEARING FOR APRIL 8TH. THERE IS [1:51:33] NOT A CLIMATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE MEETING THAT DAY. THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE SET FOR [1:51:38] APRIL 10. THAT WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICES. BUT WANTED TO SAY ON THE RECORD [1:51:44] FOR THE COMMITTEE AND THE PUBLIC, THAT IT WILL BE ON APRIL 10TH. [1:51:49] >> THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. SEEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, WE ARE ADJOURNED.