Based on the context provided and the self-identifications within the audio, here is the transcribed townhall meeting with speaker names. [0:12] Alyssa Olson: Yeah all right good evening everybody we are gonna get started as soon as commissioner um all right welcome to the annual joint meeting of the City Planning Commission and the capital long-range Improvement committee today is Thursday May 11th my name is Alyssa Olson I'm the president of the Planning Commission. [0:40] Alyssa Olson: Okay sorry I thought I counted 14. [0:48] Alyssa Olson: Oh my gosh. [0:54] Alyssa Olson: Okay brief pause and we will continue when we get another member all right. [3:06] [Background Noise] [3:27] Alyssa Olson: All right we're gonna start again sorry for that um good evening everyone welcome to the annual joint meeting of the City Planning Commission and the capital long range Improvement committee uh today is Thursday May 11th my name is Alyssa Olson I'm the president of the Planning Commission at this time I'll ask the or I will call to order the special meeting of the Planning Commission once we have done that I will turn it over to the chair of the click um to convene The Click meeting will the Planning Commission clerk please call the roll to verify quorum commissioner Alper commissioner Baxley oh and I should add that I don't have [4:12] Alyssa Olson: The we don't have a central control for the microphones can you hear me we don't have a central control for the microphone so only four can be on at a time but you'll have to turn it on and off your own microphones so if you're wondering why you don't hear yourself on the loudspeaker that's why so I have Albert I have Baxley commissioner Conley because these are it is present all right commissioner Koski present commissioner Meyer here and commissioner Olsen here all right we have seven members present thank you all right we have a quorum with that we'll proceed to the agenda a copy of which was posted for public access to the city's legislative [4:59] Alyssa Olson: Information management system which is available at limbs.nn.gov could I have a motion to adopt the agenda from a planning commissioner all right we have a motion and a second is there any discussion seeing Oh wait hold on I'm off script Rachel changed it um uh do we need to call the roll on the motion or can we just Voice vote okay all in favor say aye aye all opposed any abstentions all right that motion passes and the agenda is adopted with that I will turn it over to not John Bernstein Erica Mauter. [5:44] Erica Mauter: The chair of the capital long range Improvement committee also the click good evening my name is Erica Mauter and I am the vice chair of the capital long-range Improvement committee I will now call this meeting to order and ask the click clerk to call the roll so that we may verify the presence of a quorum Adam on present Bakken present Bernstein Bridges bursting Cabrini present Driscoll erlinson here [6:30] Erica Mauter: Foster here Hansen hell Houston here Jones Katie Jones Kelly here kazinka kamaraski here like present matter [6:59] Erica Mauter: McConnell McCormick McMahon present Miller Roach sethanandan here Schmitz joke here Schroeder Juan Woodworth there are 15 members present thank you with that we have a quorum and we will proceed to our agenda a copy of which was also posted for public access to the city's legislative information management system which is available at limbs.minneapolis mn.gov may I have a [7:47] Erica Mauter: Motion from a click Committee Member to adopt the agenda and a second please moved and seconded to adopt the agenda all in favor please say aye opposed and the click agenda is adopted and I will hand it back to president Olson you. [8:15] Alyssa Olson: All right uh moving on to our discussion items there's only one discussion item this evening with public hearing and it is to consider the proposed capital projects for the 2024 through 2029 Capital Improvement program and staff is Shanna Souther good evening commissioners yep okay here uh my name is Shanna. [8:35] Shanna Sether: Sether I am a planner with the Department of Community planning and economic development thank you all for being here this evening the item being introduced is a state law and Charter required joint public hearing between our Capital long-range Improvement committee and our City Planning Commission the purpose of this meeting is to receive testimony for the capital budget requests as part of the 2024 and 2029 Capital Improvement program all written comments and this a summary of today's meeting will be included in the final click report which will be provided to the mayor and city council the public hearing will be open for any members of the public to speak and once testimony is complete the public hearing will be closed. [9:21] Shanna Sether: The City Planning Commission will have the opportunity also to ask questions of the capital long-range Improvement committee about the process or any proposals cped staff will return to the following City Planning Commission Committee of the whole meeting on May 25th to review the eight new projects proposed for a location and design review our analysis is determination for consistency with the city's comprehensive plan Minneapolis 2040. [9:50] Shanna Sether: Public Works and Park Board staff were not able to attend today's meeting so if there are any questions we'll collect those and we will follow up with answers following today's meeting thank you very much. [10:15] Alyssa Olson: Thank you Shanna I will now open the public hearing for the proposed 2024 through 2029 Capital Improvement projects is there anyone here who would like to speak on this item if so please approach the podium um and state your name and neighborhood. [10:30] Steve Brandt: Good evening my name is Steve Brandt and I'm in the Kingfield neighborhood 3916 Pleasant been at that address for 47 years now because I'm an elected official I should clarify that tonight I'm speaking personally and as a representative of the Great Northern Greenway Coalition on Whose steering committee I've served for the last six years I was also nice to see on click some familiar faces I served on clicked for five years you might ask what is the Great Northern Greenway it is a recreational trail that bisects the north half of Minneapolis it extends from worth Parkway to the [11:17] Steve Brandt: Quarry Shopping Center unfortunately and the north side portion is finished which is wonderful and we've gotten excellent cooperation from Public Works in completing that and most of the Northeast section is completed but there are two gaps and I'm here to talk about one in particular uh quick members will recall a capital budget request bp006 that's by pedestrian uh the 18th Avenue Northeast Trail Gap this involves two blocks immediately east of Marshall Avenue Northeast and this is an important segment because it would connect the Great Northern Greenway which generally follows 18th [12:03] Steve Brandt: Avenue Northeast with essentially the riverfront and with the East Bank Trail which extends all the way down into Boom Island uh this is part of the city's all ages and abilities Network which was adopted as part of the transportation plan even Public Works has called this a significant East-West pedestrian bike system the problem is that the project hasn't proceeded despite favorable recommendations from click the public works first proposed this project in 2018 for completion in 2022 in other words it should be built by now [12:50] Steve Brandt: It hasn't been quick supported that recommendation then in 2022 last year Public Works pushed the proposed construction back to 2024. that was disappointing but public works this year came back and proposed extending the project back to 2028 obviously we're going backwards here we're headed in the wrong direction and that has Financial consequences just in the five or six years that that's been on the project has been on the city's Capital list the estimated cost has gone from 605 thousand dollars to 871 thousand dollars we've gotten really no explanation for [13:36] Steve Brandt: These delays but the project is starting to be you know the the 18th Avenue Bikeway portion of the Great Northern Greenway is starting to get the reputation of the trail to nowhere and we'd like to erase that and get it completed so that Northeast has the same access to the riverfront by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe bridge that the north side now enjoys along 26th Avenue North so we're asking that the project be restored to 2024 and we're asking quick to support that and in a comment in your annual report we would request that click urge the Public Works director to personally intercede with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad railroad [14:22] Steve Brandt: Whose property the trail would abut to help negotiate Trail easements with your help the Great Northern Greenway can be finished and it can become the north half of the city's equivalent of the Midtown Greenway on the south side I thank you for considering my request thank you. [14:50] Alyssa Olson: Is there anyone else here who would like to speak on this item a member of the public I believe I'm not seeing any so I will now close the public hearing um is there any discussion or questions by the commission and I'm going to ask maybe Shannon or the clerk this is a [15:09] Alyssa Olson: Discussion amongst both bodies correct okay all right um so I guess maybe raise your hand or I can do you want to go first Amity. [15:25] Amity Foster: Hi first hi Steve thank you thank you for bringing this up I live [15:35] Amity Foster: Sorry I live about three blocks away from where Steve is referring to bp06 I will be writing a comment about this again and I appreciate the input that you gave and I will add that into the comments so thank you it is a priority it's a gap that is unsafe for bikers Walkers and the railroad is not following up or responding the way that they should so I will add that into the comment thank you. [16:22] Erica Mauter: Anyone else go ahead um actually if it would be helpful in general if I just said a little bit about clicks role in this whole thing I could do that all right um so click the capital long range Improvement committee is defined in the charter and the role of the committee is to assess requests for Capital investments in City assets facilities Etc the committee is comprised of two residents per award plus seven additional pointees from the mayor so the entire city is represented we the committee does its work a lot of its work in two working groups once the transportation working group one's the human development working group projects are split between those working groups more or less thematically but [17:07] Erica Mauter: It's also just sort of a structure for dividing up the work so we assess uh more than 100 capital budget requests every year hear presentations from departments and we have a whole rubric of objective and subjective criteria by which we evaluate do projects how do they contribute to City goals sustainability Financial leveraging et cetera et cetera um as in so and and take those ratings to prioritize which projects to recommend for funding um over a six year period um and then the committee's work product is that recommendation for those six [17:52] Erica Mauter: Years as well as comments that Emily spoke to either on specific projects or more broadly about City's approach to these kinds of projects so we're about halfway through that process right now so uh we have heard the presentations we are in the comment writing period so the kind of input that Steve gave us today feeds directly into where we are in the process right now thank you for that um we will have coming up to public listening sessions one on the North side one on the South Side um it's it's sometimes not clear for how the public could and should engage in this role one of the best ways is actually just talk to your friendly neighborhood click member [18:38] Erica Mauter: Um but we appreciate the time today to join the Planning Commission and the opportunity to hear from the public on projects as we're evaluating them um I think the last thing I'll say is just that click is strictly advisory nothing that we recommend is binding however the vast majority of what click ends up recommending does eventually get adapted by the mayor in the council so um we are glad to contribute that um uh evaluation recommendation and but it is up to your elected officials to make their final decisions thank you for that any anyone else any comments questions. [19:24] Commissioner Thor Baxley: Um commissioner Thor born yeah Thor's easier for the first name but yeah I have a question on just process um we received a written submission uh on a project are those will we is there lists of those comments that will be forwarded to click for us to see this was about a project that was um has been removed a Paving project. [20:00] Alyssa Olson: Um yes bring that to our next meeting um and it can be is it it's it's a comment about a project from a member of the public that yes we were we were Adam's going to comment for us here yeah thank you tell me about this comment yep. [20:14] Adam Miller: Great I don't know if we heard that I'll say it again on the mic staff will make sure click members receive all the comments that are submitted by the public so yeah. [20:30] Alyssa Olson: Um Shannon Shannon I just wanna I'm gonna try to say this but I just want you there in case I mess it up um so every year the the Planning Commission does this and it's not always clear like what the process is but I was talking to Shannon about it earlier so we will have this meeting but this isn't the last time that we will see these items so we will see these items that Committee of the whole correct. [21:01] Shanna Sether: There are eight new projects that are proposed this year uh there are five Park projects and then there are three Public Works projects okay so staff will present a staff report that will be available in limbs for the Planning Commission Community hold meeting on May 25th and at that meeting that Planning Commission will take action um in determining whether or not those eight projects are consistent with the comprehensive plan or not and then you will uh take that up at the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting on June 12th and and that's kind of the last stop um for click projects for the Planning Commission in 2023. [21:35] Alyssa Olson: And when we see those projects we'll have more details on what they are because right now we just have a list and numbers and years. [21:40] Shanna Sether: Uh yes and the link that was provided um in the staff report today um you can click into each of those projects as well. [21:46] Alyssa Olson: Okay we'll we'll provide a little more detail next time thank you thanks so much all right anyone else otherwise we'll close the discussion okay see no further discussion I will direct the clerk to receive and file that report with that we have completed the items on the agenda for this meeting I will ask members and staff if there are any other matters to become before this meeting if not and without objection I'll declare this meeting adjourned our next Planning Commission meeting will be Monday May 22nd and our next Committee of the whole meeting will be Thursday May 25th additionally I will turn it over to the vice president of click to adjourn their meeting. [22:32] Erica Mauter: Thank you and with that we have completed all items on the agenda for this click meeting I will ask members and staff as well if there are any other matters to come before this click meeting if not without objection I will declare this click meeting adjourned our next meeting will be Wednesday May 17th thank you.