The Wells Fargo/Hospitals Complex is cited in the Minneapolis Plan, together with Downtown and the University, as a "growth center." The plan reads,
"Minneapolis' existing growth centers, in downtown, at the University of Minnesota, and the Honeywell/Hospitals complex in South Minneapolis, must continue to have high quality transit service." The 35W Access Project ignores that distinction and treats the Wells/Fargo/Hospitals complex as if it were a strip mall, ramming through a flyover ramp that eliminates 17 units of affordable housing. Rather than suffer the significant costs to our pocketbooks, environment and affordable housing stocks, let us consider a transit solution. Run an opposite-direction bus lane and two-way bikeway along 26th. Picture Hennepin Avenue downtown. Doing this would make 26th Street a two-way for transit and a allow for badly needed bus-service through the corridor. A new "route 1" would connect Hiawatha Light Rail, on the east, and the Uptown Transit Station on the west, via 26th Street. The 26th Street transit corridor could also serve express routes from all over the suburbs to the Wells Fargo/Hospitals complex, much as the 52 routes do for the University. The transit route along 26th would be a practical and cost-efficient route. East Phillips has more car-free transit riders than any other neighborhood. Abbott Northwestern and Wells Fargo employ thousands and thousands of people, and the hospital receives thousands more as visitors. Twenty Sixth has major nodes at Nicollet, Lyndale and Hennepin. For all of this high-density urban use along the corridor, the closest east-west transit routes are nearly a mile away in each direction (Lake Street to the south and Franklin Ave. to the north.) Who walks four long blocks to the bus in winter? New transit on 26th would eliminate the need for an Access Project. It would create a more walkable, pedestrian friendly corridor. It would connect the new Hiawatha Light Rail Station and the Uptown Transit Station to the Wells Fargo/Hospitals complex. It would provide efficient transit for major business nodes and high density residential areas that are currently underserved. A new transit route along 26th would pay for itself in high ridership sales. For next to nothing, we could accomplish what Smith Parker can't even dream of with $155 million: community. I hope that both Wells Fargo and Allina will consider this proposal. They have everything to lose if they insist on a state-subsidized flyover ramp and continue to ignore the glaring transit needs along 26th. I truly believe that those two institutions will come to their senses and begin to embrace this sensible, cost-effective solution for a high-density corridor. Jeff Carlson, Whittier __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus � Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
