Workshop Item: 1 - Robert Therres, Public Services Manager
Title
AMENDMENT TO BLAINE'S 2030 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Background
Metropolitan Council has adopted a 2030 Transportation Policy Plan (TPP) and MN Statute requires communities to review the impact of the revisions to their Comprehensive Plans. The Blaine City Council considered proposed amendments to the Blaine 2030 Comprehensive Plan on March 1, 2012. Two amendments were approved and two (Transit Market Areas and Aviation) were sent to Council Workshop for additional discussion.
Transit Market Areas
Met Council's TPP states that Blaine lies in Transit Market Areas 3 and 4 as shown on their Figure 7-19. Blaine's 2030 Comprehensive Plan - Page 7-34 indicates that Blaine was in Transit Market Areas 2 and 3. These designations are based on a Met Council formula that takes into account population, employment density, and the number of people who depend on transit.
Market Area 3 has typical services that include express, urban radial, suburban local, circulators, and general public dial-a-ride. Market Area 4 has typical services that include peak period express and general public dial-a-ride. Attached is Met Council's Pages 123 - 124 and Appendix G on Transit Market Areas from their 2030 TPP and Page 7-34 from Blaine's Comp Plan.
Since the Market Area designations of 3 and 4 are consistent with the existing transit services available in Blaine, Staff recommendation is to amend Blaine's Comprehensive Plan to indicate that Blaine is in Transit Market Area 3 and 4 as shown on Met Council's 2030 TPP - Figure 7-19.
Aviation
Met Council's TPP includes 2025 Comprehensive Plan information for the Anoka County - Blaine Airport. Table 10-23 in the TPP indicates airport classifications and was consistent with Blaine's Comp Plan except for the State classification change from an intermediate to a key airport.
Blaine's Comp Plan stated that the City agreed with the State classification of intermediate and would not support a status change. The State's explanation of the status change is based on the runway extension to 5000 feet. The State indicates that a 5000 foot runway, per MN State Statute, puts the airport in the key airport classification.
Attached are pages from the Met Council's TPP. Table 10-5 provides Airport facility status information, Table 10-23 provides the airport classifications, Table 10-25 provides airport functional and operational characteristics, Table 10-50 provides system development phasing priorities, and Figure I-5 listed specific objectives for the Anoka County - Blaine Airport from their 2025 Long Term Comprehensive Plan (LTCP). Also attached is Page 7-38 and 7-39 from the Aviation section of the Blaine Comp Plan and Page 7-46 and 7-47 that list Blaine's Transportation Implementation items.
The 2030 TPP and 2025 LTCP do not indicate structural improvements proposed for the Anoka County - Blaine Airport that would be necessary to accommodate commercial users as shown for MSP, St Cloud, and St Paul. This is the basis for the staff recommendation to acknowledge the State of MN's change in classification to a key status due to the 5000 foot runway extension, but continue to affirm that the City does not support a change in aircraft use at the airport.
In summary, it is MN Statute that requires communities to review the impact of Metropolitan Council's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan revisions and make amendments to Blaine's 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Potential consequences of not following through with this Statute requirement could lead to Met Council's holding up future sanitary sewer extension requests that could halt development, not approving future development comprehensive plan amendments, or not approving grant program applications that they have direct or peripheral review of.
Recommendation
In the Blaine 2030 Comprehensive Plan:
1. Modify Transportation Implementation No. 18 on Page 7-47 to indicate that Blaine is in Transit Market Areas 3 and 4.
2. Modify Transportation Implementation No. 20 on Page 7-47 to: The City of Blaine supports continued use of and improvement of the Anoka County - Blaine Airport as long as it does not upgrade the airport's classification at the federal or local level. The City acknowledges the State of MN's change in classification to a key status due to the 5000 foot runway extension, but does not support a change in aircraft use at the airport.