Statement on Upcoming Municipal Consent Votes for the Blue Line Extension
My office and I have been closely involved with the planning and development process for the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit project. This effort has been underway for decades, and in the last few years, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council has shifted the direction of the project to ensure fast, safe, reliable, and affordable transit service for the residents of North Minneapolis and our northwest suburban communities.
Historically, our system too heavily prioritized suburban commuters coming in and out of downtown, as well as riders who are able to choose transit. Given the shifts in work locations and patterns, as well as a growing chasm in household income levels, equitable design requires deeper commitment to workers and families—so that night-shift health care workers can travel safely, elderly can ride confidently, and a mother with grocery bags and a toddler can efficiently get home.
In Hennepin County, our focus is to complete a regional transit network built around high frequency transit lines like light rail and bus rapid transit that meet the needs of our diverse communities through incorporating equity and environmental justice into the design, construction, and operations.
This fall, cities along the corridor will vote to approve the Preliminary Design Plans of the 13.4-mile Blue Line Extension route that will extend the existing METRO Blue Line from Target Field Station northwest to Brooklyn Park and connect communities along the way.
Why the Blue Line Extension is a Critical Investment for our Community
This project is positioned to serve among the most racially and economically diverse communities in Minnesota, while also connecting transit-reliant residents to the broader regional transit system. It is a historic investment in our community which has been historically underinvested in.
This project will change the trajectory of what’s possible for so many of our neighbors for generations to come—connecting students to education, patients to healthcare, families to resources, and workers to jobs. It will ignite much needed and long overdue economic development for small businesses, while building wealth for working families.
Transit investment must also advance equitable economic and housing development. Hennepin continues to deepen and broaden our commitment to these areas through investments in affordable housing and access to homeownership, transit lines and transit-oriented development, and support to entrepreneurs and small businesses.
What is Municipal Consent?
State law requires the Metropolitan Council, as the regional transit authority, to send Preliminary Design Plans to the cities and county on the route. The local jurisdictions then must review the major physical design components and vote to give approval of these plans, often referred to as “municipal consent.”
Municipal consent is not a vote on whether or not to build the project; it is a State-required process so cities provide formal and public input on the project in order to better serve their communities. It is common for cities to vote for municipal consent and approve of major design elements in the Preliminary Design Plans, while being clear about their priorities for future collaboration and work that still needs to be done as the project advances into more detailed design phases.
If a city votes to disapprove Preliminary Design Plans, they must also identify specific changes to the major physical design elements of the project (e.g. station and track location) they would like to see. The Metropolitan Council will then hold a hearing to review these specific changes and decide how to move forward. Voting no does not stop this project from progressing.
I encourage all cities to vote yes and to work with Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council as the design process continues.
The project is still in the early design phases and much work remains to refine design details and develop plans for construction. The Preliminary Design Plans represent about 30% of the design work that will be done on the project. That means there are still many important details that have not been determined and will need input and partnership from communities and cities.
What is the Timeline?
On July 24, the Metropolitan Council voted to send the proposed project plans to the cities of Minneapolis, Crystal, Robbinsdale, and Brooklyn Park, which will all be served by this project.
These plans represent years of collaborative work with the cities, incorporating countless points of input and changes made at cities’ direction. That deep partnership with our municipal partners will continue to be critical to the success of this project as we continue to refine and advance plans together.
Each city has held public hearings and received comments from residents. Next, each city will hold a public meeting before October 10, 2024, to discuss the plans, and then vote on them. Project staff are working closely with cities to address outstanding questions related to the municipal consent process and project design.
Hennepin’s Commitment to Anti-Displacement
After a century of disinvestment, racial covenants, and redlining, we have a duty to ensure current residents, small businesses, and cultural institutions are both engaged in and able to benefit from the increased development and investment in their neighborhoods that comes with light rail. That is why our teams work deliberately every day to ensure the Blue Line Extension benefits corridor residents; and minimizes physical, cultural, and economic displacement.
Hennepin County recognizes the urgency Blue Line Extension neighbors feel for strong anti-displacement measures. We have an obligation to eliminate disparities by whatever means possible. This requires a systematic approach, embedding equity in decision-making and removing inequities in policies that are barriers to equal opportunity.
Hennepin County and partners have created a Coordinated Action Plan for Anti-Displacement, which is an overview of programs and strategies designed to prevent displacement of existing residents and businesses before, during, and after construction of the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit project.
The Coordinated Action Plan builds on recommendations of the Anti-Displacement Work Group published in May 2023. Hennepin County contracted with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) which centered community voices and brought together diverse stakeholders to study and recommend strategies to ensure the construction of light rail will benefit current corridor residents and businesses.
In May, the Minnesota Legislature created the Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity Program, which turned the community work group into an official state board to oversee the use of program funds. The legislation also allocated $10 million with a required match to this work. This is a significant investment, but is only the start of what I believe is possible to not only prevent displacement, but to build prosperity in corridor communities. Hennepin County is working closely with its partners at every level to fund anti-displacement and prosperity initiatives long into the future.
Hennepin County will play a lead role in coordinating the Coordinated Action Plan on behalf of partners listed below. The county is also a primary funder and partner in the development of the Blue Line Extension project and is working with partners to ensure that the light rail project benefits existing residents and businesses in the corridor.
I was glad to see policy recommendations like tenant opportunity to purchase (TOPA); right to return; rent stabilization; commercial and residential land trusts; small business grants/small business support; inclusionary zoning; guaranteed basic income; and cultural placemaking in the CAP. I look forward to working across government jurisdictions to achieve the implementation of the community recommendations and ensure community prosperity and anti-displacement along with massive community investment in the corridor.
What Happens After Cities Vote?
After Preliminary Design Plans approval by the cities and county, there is much work to be done in partnership with cities and communities to continue to refine these designs and make sure this project best serves us.
During the 60% design phase, project staff will seek input on more detailed design elements, including:
Refinements to typical sections (such as width of vehicle lanes, sidewalks, etc. and access)
Site plans for park-and-rides
Traffic plans
Environmental mitigation measures
Intersection design
During the 90% design phase, project staff will seek input on refining details, including:
Station architectural design (i.e., platform, shelters)
Lighting plans
Landscaping plans
Architectural treatment of retaining walls and noise walls, where applicable
Construction planning
The project is developing the Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement to be released for comments and review mid-next year. This document will outline specific commitments from the project to address impacts identified in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement, supporting people through construction and mitigating other environmental and economic potential impacts. This is where many of the project’s anti-displacement commitments will be finalized.
Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council hope to submit and secure a full funding grant agreement from the Federal Transit Authority sometime next year, following the official approval of the project by the federal government.
