1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to community development; appropriating money 
  1.3             for specified projects in the city of St. Paul; 
  1.4             providing for a comprehensive planning process. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [CITATION.] 
  1.7      This act is the Great Northern Corridor Community 
  1.8   Development Act. 
  1.9      Sec. 2.  [COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION; GRANT FOR ST. 
  1.10  PAUL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.] 
  1.11     $....... in fiscal year 1998 is appropriated from the 
  1.12  general fund to the commissioner of transportation for a grant 
  1.13  to the city of St. Paul for transportation planning and 
  1.14  improvement projects in the city.  The city shall spend the 
  1.15  grant for the purposes in this section, subject to section 6: 
  1.16     (1) $....... for connecting Pierce Butler Road with the 
  1.17  Dale Street Shops/Maxson Steel industrial sites and regional 
  1.18  access roads to the west of the sites; 
  1.19     (2) $....... for connecting Pierce Butler Road with 
  1.20  regional access routes to the east of the Dale Street 
  1.21  Shops/Maxson Steel industrial sites, including but not limited 
  1.22  to Pennsylvania Avenue; and 
  1.23     (3) $....... for upgrade of Como Avenue, at least between 
  1.24  the state capitol and Como Park, to improve its lighting, 
  1.25  landscaping, transit, pedestrian and bicycle uses, and to 
  2.1   emphasize the historical importance of the roadway. 
  2.2      Sec. 3.  [BICYCLE PATH.] 
  2.3      $....... in fiscal year 1998 is appropriated from the 
  2.4   Minnesota future resources fund to the city of St. Paul for 
  2.5   construction of a bicycle path between Minnehaha Avenue and Como 
  2.6   Park. 
  2.7      Sec. 4.  [CIRCULATOR.] 
  2.8      $....... in fiscal year 1998 is appropriated from the 
  2.9   general fund to the city of St. Paul for purchase or lease of 
  2.10  equipment for rubberized trolleys or vans for a circulator 
  2.11  system that would circulate within an area approximately bounded 
  2.12  by Como Boulevard, Lexington Parkway, East Minnehaha Avenue, and 
  2.13  Dale Street in St. Paul, and also including the state capitol. 
  2.14     Sec. 5.  [LIVABLE COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATION; SAINT PAUL.] 
  2.15     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL.] The area of the city of St.  
  2.16  Paul that is northeast of Como Parkway and east of Dale Street, 
  2.17  known as the North End area, shall be a livable communities 
  2.18  demonstration project area.  The metropolitan council, the 
  2.19  commissioner of transportation, and the Ramsey county and 
  2.20  Hennepin county regional railroad authorities shall provide 
  2.21  assistance to the organization or organizations that coordinate 
  2.22  and develop the project. 
  2.23     Subd. 2.  [COMMUTER RAIL.] The project must include 
  2.24  connection to the commuter rail system between downtown St. Paul 
  2.25  and downtown Minneapolis.  The commissioner of transportation 
  2.26  and the Ramsey county and Hennepin county regional railroad 
  2.27  authorities shall oversee the development of the commuter rail 
  2.28  line.  The metropolitan council is responsible for operation of 
  2.29  the commuter rail service.  The commissioner of transportation 
  2.30  and the Ramsey county and Hennepin county regional railroad 
  2.31  authorities shall apply for all federal funding available for 
  2.32  commuter rail development and operation.  The commissioner and 
  2.33  the regional railroad authorities shall use, to the extent 
  2.34  possible, any federal funds previously made available for 
  2.35  planning and development of the central corridor for light rail 
  2.36  transit, for commuter rail development.  After the effective 
  3.1   date of this section, proceeds of any levy by the Ramsey county 
  3.2   or Hennepin county regional railroad authority must be used for 
  3.3   commuter rail development and operation. 
  3.4      Subd. 3.  [COMMUTER RAIL LINE.] (a) $....... in fiscal year 
  3.5   1998 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
  3.6   of transportation for costs associated with development of a 
  3.7   commuter rail line between downtown St. Paul and downtown 
  3.8   Minneapolis, including: 
  3.9      (1) the purchase or lease of rolling stock and other 
  3.10  equipment necessary to operate the commuter rail; 
  3.11     (2) entering into a joint trackage agreement with the 
  3.12  Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad Company; and 
  3.13     (3) construction of platforms, parking facilities, and 
  3.14  other ancillary services related to the system. 
  3.15     (b) The appropriation in paragraph (b) may be used as a 
  3.16  match for a grant from the metropolitan livable communities fund 
  3.17  and is available until June 30, 1999. 
  3.18     (c) $....... in fiscal year 1998 is appropriated from the 
  3.19  general fund to the metropolitan council for operation of the 
  3.20  commuter rail line between downtown St. Paul and downtown 
  3.21  Minneapolis by the metropolitan council transit operations.  
  3.22  This appropriation is available until June 30, 1999. 
  3.23     Sec. 6.  [PLANNING; COORDINATION.] 
  3.24     (a) Planning councils in the Frogtown and North End areas 
  3.25  of the city of St. Paul shall coordinate comprehensive planning, 
  3.26  including the community visioning process for the Dale Street 
  3.27  Shops/Maxson Steel sites and other community-based planning 
  3.28  processes, for development and coordination of the projects and 
  3.29  expenditures authorized in sections 2 to 5 pertaining to the 
  3.30  Frogtown and the North End area of St. Paul. 
  3.31     (b) A committee is created to review projects for which 
  3.32  funds are appropriated under sections 2 to 5 for consistency 
  3.33  with the comprehensive plan developed under paragraph (a).  This 
  3.34  committee shall consist of one representative appointed by each 
  3.35  of the following entities:  the city of St. Paul, the St. Paul 
  3.36  port authority, the county of Ramsey, the Minnesota department 
  4.1   of transportation, the Minnesota department of trade and 
  4.2   economic development, the St. Paul trades and labor assembly, 
  4.3   and the metropolitan council, and the following representatives 
  4.4   appointed by planning councils in the Frogtown and North End 
  4.5   areas of St. Paul, one business representative from Frogtown, 
  4.6   one business representative from the North End, one Frogtown 
  4.7   representative from the Dale Street Shops/Maxson Steel community 
  4.8   process, one North End representative from the Dale Street 
  4.9   Shops/Maxson Steel community process, and two representatives 
  4.10  each from the Frogtown and North End planning councils. 
  4.11     (c) Planning councils in the Como Park and Midway areas of 
  4.12  St. Paul (including district 12) shall be included in an 
  4.13  advisory capacity and shall be consulted with in the process 
  4.14  established in paragraphs (a) and (b) for the projects planned 
  4.15  and implemented which directly affect the geographic areas in 
  4.16  those planning council districts. 
  4.17     (d) Money appropriated on or after the effective date of 
  4.18  sections 2 to 5 for projects authorized or described in those 
  4.19  sections is only available upon review and determination by the 
  4.20  committee described in paragraph (b) that the uses proposed are 
  4.21  consistent with comprehensive planning developed and coordinated 
  4.22  under paragraph (a).