## Richfield Transportation Commission Agenda March 4, 2026 -- 7:00 PM ## Richfield Municipal Center ## Bartholomew Conference Room ## 6700 Portland Avenue South 1. Call to Order ## 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of the Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes a. February 4th, 2026 Minutes ## 5. Regular Business and Public Hearing Items ## a. Metro Transit BRT Study Update - K Line ## b. Public Engagement Strategies 6. Updates ## a. City Staff b. Liaisons ## 7. Future Agenda Items ## a. April 1st: Penn Avenue Phase 3 Kickoff Discussion ## 8. Upcoming Meetings a. Tuesday, March 10th - 5:15pm, Joint Work Session with City Council b. Wednesday, March 11th -- 6:00-7:00pm, Commissioner Training ## c. Wednesday, March 18th - 6:00-7:00pm, Commission Chair Training ## 9. Other Business 10. Adjournment Auxiliary aids for individuals with accessibility needs are available upon request. Requests must be made at least 96 hours in advance to the City Clerk at 612-861-9739. Includes Materials - Materials relating to these agenda items can be found in the Transportation Commission agenda packet located by the entrance. The complete Transportation Commission agenda packet is available electronically on the City of Richfield’s website. Page 1 of 21 ## MINUTES ## RICHFIELD TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING ## BARTHOLOMEW ROOM, CITY HALL Wednesday, February 4th, 2025, 7:00 PM ## Attachment ## Commissioners in Attendance: Brinnon Kubista, Adam Knosalla, Eli Straub, Louis Dzierzak, David Gepner, Stella Yang, Eli Straub, Josh Kloehn, Jacob Olsen ## Commissioners Absent: McKenzie Burke, Jaz Warren ## City Staff: Joe Powers and Olivia Wycklendt Liasons: Sean Hayford Oleary (City Council), Tim Brackett (RPS), Jan Matheus (Bike/Walk) 1. Call meeting to order City Engineer Joe Powers called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM. 2. Election of Officers for 2026-2027 Term • Chair - Commissioner Dzierzak was the sole nominee for Chair, nominated by Commissioner Knosalla. Commissioner Kubista moved to accept nomination of ## Commissioner Dzierzak as Chair. Seconded by Commissioner Gepner. Motion carried. Louis Dzierzak was elected Chairperson for the City of Richfield – Transportation Commission for the 2026-2027 term. • Vice-Chair - Commissioner Knosalla was sole nominee for Vice-Chair, nominated by Chair Dzierzak. Commissioner Yang moved to accept nomination of Commissioner Knosalla as vice-chair. Seconded by Commissioner Kubista. Motion carried. Adam Knosalla was elected to be the Vice-Chairperson for the City of Richfield – Transportation Commission for the 2026-2027 term. 3. Review & approve agenda Commissioner Gepner moved to approve the agenda. Second by Vice-Chair Knosalla. Motion Carried. 4. Review & approve minutes for December 3rd, 2024 meeting Commissioner Gepner moved to approve the agenda. Second by Vice-Chair Knosalla. Motion Carried. ## 5. Review and Approval of Commission By-Laws Commission members discussed the by-law amendment to have an elected commission secretary that would be in charge of taking attendance and minutes. Commissioners discussed how they appreciate city staff’s role in taking minutes and attendance. Commissioner Kubista motioned to approve the By-Laws without the change of adding an elected secretary. Second by Vice-Chair Knosalla. Motion carried. Commission requested that staff clarifies if it’s within Commission’s purview to discuss and make recommendations regarding fiber-optic build-out and installation projects that have occurred in recent years throughout the City. ## 6. Transportation Commission Overview ## Presenter: Joe Powers, City Engineer Page 2 of 21 ## MINUTES City Engineer Joe Powers presented an overview of the Transportation Commission. This presentation included expectations and restrictions that come with being a commissioner for the City, as well as a history of projects the Commission has worked on. Powers highlighted that new commissioners and chairs will need to attend training ## upcoming. New Commissioner training Wednesday March 11 th from 6:00PM-7:00PM. ## Chair and Vice-Chair training Wednesday March 18 th from 6:00PM-7:00PM. Councilmember Hayford Oleary clarified that the commission needs to hold a quorum to vote and approve any agenda items, and to respect the chairperson during active discussion. Quorum is simple majority of 5 commissioners. Commission requested that staff send reminders as these dates get closer. City Staff agreed with the request. ## 7. Consider Recommendation to City Council on Temporary Suspension of ## Vehicle Impoundment Commissioner Yang led the discussion on the city ordinance regarding impoundment for cars abandoned or left on City streets for an extended period of time. Commissioner Yang suggested to make a recommendation to City Council to edit the existing City ordinance to assist residents who have been impacted by Operation Metro Surge and/or have been forced to leave their vehicles behind. Commissioners discussed their opinions on how the city should or should not temporarily change the ticketing and towing of vehicles in the city of Richfield. Powers clarified that city staff and the city attorney would work out the fine details of the recommendation. Powers estimated that the recommendation would be ready for council in approximately a month for either March or April council meetings. ## Directly in response to Operation Metro Surge, the Transportation Commission recommended to City Council to cease the impoundment of abandoned vehicles, excluding instances where the vehicle poses a threat to public safety, and that the City does not issue associated City fines for the impoundment of the vehicle. If fees must be assigned, the Commission recommends the opportunity for fees to be retroactively waived should proof of detainment resulting in the abandonment of the vehicle be provided. Commissioner Yang motioned the above recommendation be brought to the City ## Council. Second by Commissioner Kubista. Commissioner Gepner abstained. Motion carried. 8. Penn Avenue Planning & Land Use Presenter: Sam Crosby, City Planner City Planner Sam Crosby presented on Penn Avenue from a city planning perspective, highlighting current use of the corridor, current zoning along Penn Avenue, as well as ongoing and future redevelopment projects. Commissioners discussed differing lot sizes on the west side, which tend to be larger, versus the east side lot sizes, which tend to be smaller, off Penn Ave North of 66 th Street. Chair Dzierzak mentioned the disconnect between what is being built in the public right-of-way in contrast to what has been proposed in previous comprehensive Page 3 of 21 ## MINUTES plans for private property along the corridor. Commissioner Gepner asked the County and planning staff if it’s feasible to acquire property along the corridor to relieve some of the parking constraints. Councilmember Hayford Oleary clarified to the commission that it is ultimately up to the landowner to decide how they want to develop their property (with some exceptions and approval processes from the city). While the plan for Penn Ave from 2008 is unlikely to come to fruition, any plans going forward for the corridor are feasible but do rely on landowners on how and if they choose to redevelop their property. Hayford Oleary also wanted to remind the commission that the City has more relaxed parking requirements than they have had historically, and with redevelopment of any property there is potential for parking needs to increase to support those businesses, which may result in more cars parking on streets adjacent to Penn Ave than current conditions. He emphasized that these impacts should also be taken into consideration when it comes to the design for the reconstruction of Penn Ave. ## 9. Penn Avenue Phase 2 Engagement Results ## Presenter: Matt Huggins, Hennepin County Senior Professional Engineer ## Hennepin County Senior Professional Engineer presented the results from Penn Avenue’s Phase 2 Engagement. He emphasized that the actions he is looking for from the Transportation Commission are any comments on the preliminary recommendations resulting from the Phase 2 engagement results. Major themes from the engagement were requests for controlling vehicle speeds and improving multi-model crossings at Highway 62, as well as general support for walkability and pedestrian infrastructure. Councilmember Hayford Oleary asked for clarification about street/pedestrian lighting discussion and engagement. Huggins answered that the comments were mostly that people want better visibility at crossings. Hayford Oleary also asked if MNDOT plans on changing any access to Penn Ave. Powers and Huggins answered that they do not believe there is a change in access from France Ave or Xerxes Ave in the foreseeable future. Huggins to follow up. City Engineer Joe Powers mentioned that Hennepin County is doing a comprehensive review of the county’s cost participation and maintenance with cities in Hennepin County. City staff will be advocating for the city’s best interest during this review. Commissioner Gepner asked if there was data showing the number of Richfield residents using Penn Ave and how many people were using Penn Ave as a thoroughfare through Richfield. Huggins answered that Hennepin County has that data, but not with him. Commission would like to see that data. Joint Work Session with Hennepin County project staff (Penn Ave) and Richfield City Council on March 10 th . Huggins mentioned that project staff would like to be back for the May Transportation Commission Meeting to kick off Phase 3 engagement, which is how the project will meet the goals established in Phase 2 and provide input on the options chosen by project staff. Huggins presented on the low demand from the community events for on-street bike lane facilities and on-street parking in residential areas (south of 68 th Street). Page 4 of 21 ## MINUTES The preliminary recommendations to the Transportation Commission were: • Not proceed with buffered on-street bike lane alternative • Not proceed with on-street parking alternatives south of 68 th ## Street Councilmember Hayford Oleary and Commissioner Gepner asked for clarification on what on-street bike facility was not being considered. Huggins answered on-street bike lanes delineated by striping. Commissioner Gepner disagreed with not proceeding with the buffered on-street bike lane alternative. The Commission informally agreed to discuss proceeding with buffered on-street bike lane alternative at the upcoming work session, and agreed with not proceeding with on-street parking alternatives south of 68 th St. Commissioner Olson asked about the safety of having on-street bike facilities and if they are recommended in this area. Huggins answered that based on MNDOT’s guidance and the number of vehicles on Penn Ave (ADT), it is not recommended to have on-street bike lane. Chair Dzierzak moved to approve with not proceeding with buffered on-street bike lane alternative for Penn Avenue Reconstruction. Second by Commissioner Knosalla. Commissioner Gepner Opposed. Majority rule motion carried. Commissioner Yang moved to approve not proceeding with on-street parking south of 68 th Street. Second by Commissioner Olson. Motion carried. 10. Updates ## a) City Staff – Project Updates o Powers made note of several ramp and roadway closures along the 494 corridor. Nicollet Ave ramps are permanently closing February 23 rd , ## Nicollet Ave Bridge will close March 13 th at 10PM until August. 12 th ## Ave ## Pedestrian Bridge closes March 9 th until August 12 th Ave bridge closes March 20 th for 150 days, with 2 full weekend closures for demolition of the bridges. o 2026 sidewalk projects are anticipated to go out to bid in early spring, with construction starting in late spring of this year. 2026 Sheridan Hill SRTS Project to be completed by end of summer before school starts. Sidewalk projects (non-SRTS) will likely finish in Fall 2026 o Metro Transit is recommending the Nicollet Ave corridor for the K-Line BRT Route. Metro Transit will be at the March Transportation Commission meeting b) Liaisons ## o City Council Councilmember Hayford-Oleary updated the commission on the current ICE operations within Richfield. He highlighted that the city passed an ordinance stating that ICE agents are not able to use City owned parking lots for staging operations. Mayor Supple has joined the Coalition of Suburban Mayors to talk about the impact Operation Metro Surge in suburbs, smaller cities, and surrounding areas. ## 11. Other Business Page 5 of 21 ## MINUTES This happened after meeting was adjourned – request from Commission to have visiting presenters present earlier in the Commission meeting. 12. Upcoming events/meeting(s) ## a) Wed, March 4th, 7:00pm: Transportation Commission Meeting b) Tue, March 10 th ## , 5:15pm-7:00pm: Joint Work Session with City Council – Penn ## Avenue c) Wed, March 11 th , 6:00pm-7:00PM: commissioner Training d) Wed, March 18 th ## , 6:00pm-7:00pm: Commission Chair Training 13. Adjournment Commissioner Knosolla moved to adjourn. Seconded by Commissioner Kubista. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:20 PM Page 6 of 21 ## Transportation Commission Meeting 3/4/2026 ## Agenda Section: Regular Business and Public Hearing Items Agenda Item: 5.a. ## Report Prepared By: ## Matt Hardegger, Transportation Engineer ## Department Director: ## Item for Consideration: ## Metro Transit BRT Study Update - K Line ## EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Metro Transit has completed their arterial BRT study and selected Nicollet as the K Line. Metro Transit Arterial BRT Planning Manager Kyle O'Donnell Burrows will be giving a brief presentation and will be available for questions about the study. More information about the process, including technical memos from each stage, can be found at: https://www.metrotransit.org/arterial-brt-plan-corridors ## RECOMMENDED ACTION Receive a presentation from Metro Transit about the BRT Study and provide a recommendation to the City Council that they support the selection of the Nicollet corridor as the K Line. ## HISTORICAL CONTEXT ## EQUITABLE OR STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS OR IMPACTS ## POLICIES (RESOLUTIONS, ORDINANCES, REGULATIONS, STATUTES, ETC.) ## CRITICAL TIMING ISSUES ## FINANCIAL IMPACT ## LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS ## ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATION(S) ## ATTACHMENTS Page 7 of 21 ## 1. ABRT Plan Update Slides for City of Richfield Page 8 of 21 Arterial BRT Plan Update – Recommended J Line and K Line ## City of Richfield ## Kyle O’Donnell Burrows | Planning Manager, Arterial BRT Page 9 of 21 ## Agenda ## •Arterial BRT Plan Update Process Recap •Recommendations •Next Steps ## 1.IDENTIFY Spring 2025 ## 2. SCREEN Summer 2025 ## 3. EVALUATE Fall 2025 ## 4. PRIORITIZE Winter 2025/26 ## We are here 2 Page 10 of 21 ## 2025 ABRT Plan ## Update •Identify the next three arterial BRT lines: ## –J Line, K Line, and L Line –Planned to open between 2030 and 2035 –J Line to be submitted to ## 2026 Regional Solicitation ## A ## B ## C ## D ## E ## F ## G ## H 3 Where should the next lines go? Page 11 of 21 Four-step 2025 plan update process ## 1.IDENTIFY Spring 2025 Identify large set of candidate corridors for consideration for arterial BRT ## 2. SCREEN Summer 2025 Conduct simple screening to narrow consideration to most promising corridors ## 3. EVALUATE Fall 2025 Perform detailed technical evaluation of corridors and rank by technical score ## 4. PRIORITIZE Winter 2025/26 Apply technical evaluation and readiness criteria to prioritize next three lines High technical score Medium technical score Low technical score ## METRO J Line ## METRO K Line ## METRO L Line 4 ## We are here Page 12 of 21 ## Step 1: Identify ## Candidate Corridors (March 2025) •17 candidate corridors for consideration •Screening criteria applied to narrow to corridors to advance for evaluation 5 Page 13 of 21 Step 2: 11 Advanced Corridors for Evaluation (July 2025) 1.63rd Avenue / Zane 2.66th Street 3.Bloomington / Lyndale N 4.Broadway 5.Franklin / Grand / 3rd Street 6.Johnson / Lyndale S 7.Lowry 8.Nicollet 9.Payne / Westminster 10.Randolph / East 7th Street 11.West 7th Street (added) Corridors listed in alphabetical order, not screening rank. 6 Page 14 of 21 ## Step 3: Technical Evaluation Results (November 2025) 10 8 14 14 8 16 16 12 15 24 23 14 15 12 16 14 14 13 18 14 17 15 7 13 7 8 19 4 8 17 23 8 11 15 12 17 14 13 22 21 14 16 20 22 46.0 48.4 49.3 52.2 53.7 55.9 5 7. 4 60.0 6 7. 9 68.9 70.5 ## Lowry 66th Street ## Randolph / East 7th Street ## Broadway 63rd Avenue / Zane ## Johnson / Lyndale S ## Bloomington / Lyndale N ## Payne / Westminster ## West 7th Street Franklin / Grand / 3rd Street ## Nicollet RidershipEquityCostsLand use Each goal is scored out of a maximum of 25 points (100 overall) 7 Page 15 of 21 ## Step 4: Prioritize •Assess each corridor for readiness for implementation: –How compatible are current and future roadway conditions with arterial BRT infrastructure and service? –How well does each corridor fit within the existing and planned transit network? –Are there major unanswered questions about the arterial BRT corridor alignment? •Coordinate with agency partners (cities, counties, MnDOT) on timing of future roadway projects –Align planned arterial BRT projects and planned or programmed roadway projects –Efficiently deliver major infrastructure investments –Avoid future delays in BRT implementation 8 Page 16 of 21 ## Recommendations ## •J Line: West 7th Street ## •K Line: Nicollet Avenue •Complete additional study in 2026 before identifying ## the L Line: –Answer key questions about feasibility of Franklin / Grand / 3rd Street corridor –Following corridor study, recommend L Line from three candidate corridors •Complete feasibility study of C Line extensions (north and/or south) on separate path 9 ## Recommended ## K Line: Nicollet ## Recommended ## J Line: West 7th Page 17 of 21 ## Recommended ## METRO K Line: Nicollet corridor 10 ## Recommended ## K Line: Nicollet •Downtown Minneapolis to ## American Boulevard, serving ## South Minneapolis, Richfield, ## Bloomington •Top ranked corridor in technical evaluation •No major outstanding questions about alignments, termini, or network structure •Clarity on downtown alignment of Nicollet corridor is a key need Page 18 of 21 ## Timeline for Arterial BRT Plan Update next steps •February/March 2026: Business item recommending J Line and K Line for ## Met Council adoption •Spring 2026: Submit J Line (West 7th Street) for 2026 Regional Solicitation •Spring 2026: Initiate TPP amendment to include J Line and K Line •METRO K Line planning anticipated to begin in 2027 11 Page 19 of 21 ## Transportation Commission Meeting 3/4/2026 ## Agenda Section: Regular Business and Public Hearing Items Agenda Item: 5.b. ## Report Prepared By: ## Matt Hardegger, Transportation Engineer ## Department Director: ## Item for Consideration: ## Public Engagement Strategies ## EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Richfield's Public Engagement Plan for Infrastructure projects is heavily dependent on in person events to engage the public about upcoming projects. Since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge in December, many residents from communities that are already traditionally underrepresented in these public engagement settings have been staying at home. Staff are seeking direction on how to best approach engagement for these projects over the next few months to best serve the community. ## RECOMMENDED ACTION Discuss and provide direction to staff on how to approach public engagement for infrastructure projects during periods of increased ICE activity in the city. ## HISTORICAL CONTEXT ## EQUITABLE OR STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS OR IMPACTS This discussion is intended to be centered around how to equitably engage the community. ## POLICIES (RESOLUTIONS, ORDINANCES, REGULATIONS, STATUTES, ETC.) ## Infrastructure projects follow Richfield's Public Engagement Plan ## CRITICAL TIMING ISSUES Penn Avenue Open House #3 and Phase 3 are tentatively scheduled for mid-April. ## FINANCIAL IMPACT ## LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS ## ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATION(S) ## ATTACHMENTS Page 20 of 21 ## None Page 21 of 21