As a resident living near the proposed 46th St Station, I wonder what actual material impacts will be brought to our neighborhood by LRT and if these changes are really what we want?
First, I don't see any transportation benefit since we are already served by buses and, unless you are very close to a station, there won't be a significant time savings for the communte. Second, bus traffic will increase significantly on existing, and possibly new lines, resulting in decreased property values in these areas. Third, initial plans show property which is currently residential will be rezoned to commercial and high density housing to support LRT ridership. Is this really what we want in our "traditional bungalow community?"
This spring Sen. Roger Moe at a DFL meeting in Longfellow stated that our community is the looser when it comes to LRT, but that it is for the greater good of the state. (Of course during this meeting Sen. Flynn also said LRT was cheaper because "you didn't have to hire bus drivers and such," so I'm not sure anyone had a clue as to what they were talking about.) We've already lost significant green space at Minnehaha Park and the next thing to go is our time-proven residential design.
Ted Mondale referred to smart growth in a recent Messenger article. But don't we already have smart growth in Longfellow? We have a realitively high density neighborhood, 40 foot lots, designed around our park system with scattered retail. If one looks at our low crime rate and the increase in our home property values relative to other areas, we seem to be pretty healthy. I would say ours is a neighborhood that isn't broke and doesn't need fixing.
My own conclusion is the LRT and the associated projects is more about the developers ability to lobby money than it is about us, the residents of Longfellow.
By Craig Larson
First, I don't see any transportation benefit since we are already served by buses and, unless you are very close to a station, there won't be a significant time savings for the communte. Second, bus traffic will increase significantly on existing, and possibly new lines, resulting in decreased property values in these areas. Third, initial plans show property which is currently residential will be rezoned to commercial and high density housing to support LRT ridership. Is this really what we want in our "traditional bungalow community?"
This spring Sen. Roger Moe at a DFL meeting in Longfellow stated that our community is the looser when it comes to LRT, but that it is for the greater good of the state. (Of course during this meeting Sen. Flynn also said LRT was cheaper because "you didn't have to hire bus drivers and such," so I'm not sure anyone had a clue as to what they were talking about.) We've already lost significant green space at Minnehaha Park and the next thing to go is our time-proven residential design.
Ted Mondale referred to smart growth in a recent Messenger article. But don't we already have smart growth in Longfellow? We have a realitively high density neighborhood, 40 foot lots, designed around our park system with scattered retail. If one looks at our low crime rate and the increase in our home property values relative to other areas, we seem to be pretty healthy. I would say ours is a neighborhood that isn't broke and doesn't need fixing.
My own conclusion is the LRT and the associated projects is more about the developers ability to lobby money than it is about us, the residents of Longfellow.
By Craig Larson
