Keith says; I pointed out in the past that Teddy was bearish toward West Broadway advancement. While he was directing the Met Council we gained no heavy lifting of West Bro, the main commercial corridor of the Northwest quadrant of Mpls. into the larger metro grid.
We garnered no high density mixed use development on West Bro., like Excelsior Blvd. developed in St. Louis Park. We gained LESS access to reverse commute jobs via the proposed Red Rock Commuter Rail line as the proposed Broadway/Central station was moved farther south; away from Northside commuters. We were never allowed a continuous MTC bus route. That is, one for the full width of West Broadwat/Broadwcontinuaceay St. NE. Again, denying job access to Northsiders. The Met Council did not partner with anyone here to clean up any "brownfields" for development here; yet we have many. And most all appear blighted. The Met Council led by Teddy did nothing for us; not even a visit. A huge new transit station sits nearly vacant, quiet as a morgue, over the hill, near DT Robbinsdale. It promotes no readily apparent tie in to adjacent North Mpls. portions of West Broadway; or our commuter needs. Here comes BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), and the reconstruction of Hwy. 81, (Suburban West Broadway). One would think planners would cross the Mpls. border, Wirth Parkway, and talk to our West Broadway planners. Two occurrences, in three years, may be the sum total of our access to our broader future. 1, An informational meeting at St. Ann's Church regarding the Suburban Hwy. 81 plan held about a year ago. 2, County Commissioner Opat stepped across the street from his district, onto our portion of West Bro. to talk to our West Broadway Area Coalition Board (last month). Though no flyers, maps or written information did he offer to us at that meeting, we all did appreciate the information he shared with us. We learned (none of us knew-I polled) that OUR West Bro. from Wirth Parkway to Penn Ave had become part of the Big, Suburban, Plan. Thanx Mike Opat: I hope you come back before another three years elapses. And bring more news. I can hardly blame an elected official, Mike Opat, charged with representing his own constituents, for not reporting to us. I HAD thought I could expect a transcendent Teddy to bring ALL stakeholders together, across municipal boundaries, to optimize outcomes. I was 100% wrong, then. I will wait and observe the new Met Council appointee, Peter Bell. I do still await a return of my call to him; a callback I requested as (I am) a member of our WBAC Board. I wait for my phone bell to toll. I look forward to the advancement of West Broadway in tandem with the Northwest quadrant of the Metro Area, and beyond. I am confident Peter Bell will bring more to us then Teddy brought us (nothing). Mr. Bell, I want to tell you, by phone, our next Board meeting is Wed. Feb 18, at 8:30 AM, at 1011 West Broadway. Mr. Bell, come on down as our guest; bring some flyers and maps, please. Keith Reitman NearNorth TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ 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
