Messages from the Council Chair

I can always find evidence of how the Metropolitan Council’s partnerships with local communities benefit the region at a local ‘state of the city’ address. I enjoy attending these events, and if you haven’t been to one in your community I suggest you attend the next time one is held.
 
Just this week I was in Apple Valley where Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland talked about the aspirations of her community and touted some of its successes. I was proud of the Metropolitan Council’s partnership with Apple Valley on the Village Pointe Plaza project. Our Livable Communities programs is contributing a $1.14 million grant to move ahead with a mixed-use development that will provide housing for seniors and 30,000 square feet of commercial development.
 
Since the Red Line bus rapid transitway went into service almost four years ago, more than $270 million in new development has occurred along the route. One of the most recent projects is the Legends at Apple Valley housing development, 163 units of affordable housing for senior citizens located at Cedar Avenue and 140th Street.
 
Apple Valley is in the process of its own long-term planning and visioning program called Imagining Apple Valley 2040. The Metropolitan Council’s planners and staff are working with city officials and staff with research and other resources.
 
Common themes come up, regardless of which city you’re in: attracting new development and creating jobs; attracting and retaining talented, young workers; and improving transit. City leaders brag about their parks and trails, the new businesses coming to town and the long-time institutions that have built their communities.

It’s affirming to see how often the work of the Metropolitan Council intersects with local communities. It's that partnership between the Council and local communities that makes our region thrive and overcome so many of the challenges we face, especially when we face them together. 

Adam Duininck