Six Ways Southwest LRT Could Hurt Hopkins

Hopkins has so far escaped most of the Southwest Light Rail Transit controversies that have plagued other cities—but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways the project could hurt the community.

Below are (some) elements that Hopkins must get right in order to avoid undue pain from the Southwest LRT project.

Want to help keep these hardships from coming to pass? Project designers and engineers will be seeking feedback on proposed station sites at an open house in Hopkins and Minnetonka from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
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An operations and maintenance facility

The light rail line will need an operation and maintenance facility to service trains along the corridor. Hopkins accounts for four of the sites on a short list of possible locations for the facility. City officials say it’s unfair for a small city like Hopkins to take such a hit to its tax base. City Engineer John Bradford noted that a facility would take away .5 to .75 percent of the city’s tax base compared to .1 to .2 percent in other communities. Meanwhile, residents worry that putting the facility near the Blake Road Corridor would disrupt life in the rapidly improving area. (Southwest LRT planners say the facility won’t be as intrusive as residents fear and that it will only be used for daily cleanings and light maintenance.)

Creating concentrated parking in the wrong spots

Early parking projections estimate that Hopkins’ three stations would need to provide about 835 spots between them in order to make the line viable. However, Hopkins officials worry that parking could create traffic problems and take land that could be used for redevelopment. The city has particular worries about parking at the Downtown Station. Planners have long envisioned the station as a so-called “kiss and ride” that would have minimal parking and an active Eighth Avenue streetscape to entice light rail riders in the downtown. And at the Blake Station, the city worries that a standalone park and ride would create traffic problems and fail to benefit the community. They’d prefer to integrate it with some type of development.

Damaging the Depot’s historical quality

The exact impact of the project on the coffee house isn’t yet known, but the draft environmental impact statement identified the Depot Coffee House as one of three historic sites near the line. Light rail likely wouldn’t hurt either of the first two sites, but the new route is supposed to run right by The Depot—a former Minneapolis & St. Louis train depot built in 1903—as the line rises to cross over Excelsior. The line will likely need to start climbing near The Depot. Planners don’t yet know the exact impact on The Depot, but Chris Weyer, the Southwest LRT project director, said such a bridge structure would likely affect the view of the site.

Failing to make Downtown Station stand out

Hopkins wants to make the Downtown Station a destination stop that entices riders into the community’s downtown. To do that, the stop must communicate that there’s something special there—what the city has called “wow factor.” A remade Eighth Avenue is a large part of this (see below), but planners are also considering art elements, a transit plaza, redevelopment of the Johnson Building, directional signs and other features to make the station pop.

Putting the Blake Station platform in the wrong spot.

Local officials want to put the park and ride southwest of the light rail line, where it is more visible and less disruptive to traffic circulation than the current proposed location of 43 Hoops.

Not building out related infrastructure

The Southwest Light Rail Transit project doesn’t just need tracks, trains and stations to be successful. It needs roads, trails and sidewalks to get people to the platform. In the Blake Road Corridor, planners envision a “complete streets” upgrade that would make the area more pedestrian and bike friendly between Excelsior and Highway 7. Near the Downtown Station, planners are considering remaking Eighth Avenue into a beautified one-way street with a bike lane and wide sidewalks that would connect the downtown to the light rail station.