Southwest LRT

Public Involvement

Public involvement helped shape the design of the Southwest LRT Project through comments on proposed plans and discussion of engineering options. The Metropolitan Council and project partners, including cities along the Green Line Extension route, hosted numerous workshops, open houses, and other events that involved community residents in the design process.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

No events currently scheduled.

Advisory Committees

The Project's advisory committees provide guidance and oversight.

Past Meetings and Events

Information on past public involvement activities, including meeting materials.

2012

The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) published the Southwest Transitway Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on October 11, 2012. HCRRA, which served as the project sponsor and Responsible Governmental Unit during preparation of the Draft EIS, hosted three public hearings in November 2012 to receive comments on the document. The purpose of these hearings was to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the content of the Draft EIS document; no action was taken at the hearings.

2013

Freight Rail and Route Alternatives (2013)

Freight Rail Open Houses, June 2013

Two public open houses were held on June 13, 2013 on engineering concepts for resolving the location of freight rail in the design of the Southwest LRT project.

June 13, Benilde-St. Margaret's School, St. Louis Park

Station Location Open Houses, June 2013

Six open houses for the public to learn and provide feedback on proposed locations for all 17 Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension) stations were held in June 2013.

June 17, Metro Transit Heywood Office Building, Minneapolis
June 17, Harrison Recreation Center, Minneapolis
June 18, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins
June 20, Beth El Synagogue, St. Louis Park
June 24, Kenwood Community Center, Minneapolis
June 26, Eden Prairie City Center, Eden Prairie

Freight Rail Engineering Concepts Community Meetings, July 2013

The project hosted community meetings on July 17 and 18, 2013, on engineering concepts for resolving the location of freight rail in the design of the project. The concepts explored various possibilities for co-locating freight and LRT tracks in Minneapolis, as well as options to reroute freight rail traffic in St. Louis Park to make way for LRT tracks. The relocation concepts presented differed from the one described in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Feedback from these community meetings was shared with members of the project’s Business and Community Advisory Committees, the Corridor Management Committee and the Metropolitan Council to help them understand the issues around co-location and relocation as they provide input. The event flyer [PDF] includes a map showing freight rail relocation and co-location concepts.

Minneapolis Segment Recommendation Open House, October 2013

The Metropolitan Council hosted a public open house on October 10, 2013 to receive public input on the project office’s draft recommendation for the scope and basic design of the Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension) project in Minneapolis. This event followed the Southwest LRT Project Office's presentation of a draft recommendation to the project's Corridor Management Committee on October 2, 2013. This draft recommendation is described in the event flyer [PDF].

2014

Freight, Water, and Landscape Studies

In January 2014, the Metropolitan Council hosted facilitated public community meetings focused on studies of freight rail, water resources and landscaping/greenscaping in the Kenilworth area of Minneapolis.

SWLRT Jan. 2014 community meetings: display boards PDF 9.3 MB
SWLRT Jan. 2014 community meetings: introductory letter from Sue Haigh PDF 218 kB
SWLRT proposed freight and water evaluation metrics (Jan. 2014) PDF 95 kB
SWLRT community meeting table questions (Minneapolis, Jan. 4, 2014) PDF 109 kB
SWLRT community meeting table questions (St. Louis Park, Jan. 9, 2014) PDF 92 kB
SWLRT community meeting comment cards (Minneapolis, Jan. 7, 2014) PDF 254 kB
SWLRT community meeting comment cards (St. Louis Park, Jan. 9, 2014) PDF 198 kB
SWLRT community meeting evaluation (Minneapolis, Jan. 7, 2014) PDF 480 kB
SWLRT community meeting evaluation (St. Louis Park, Jan. 9, 2014) PDF 482 kB
SWLRT community meeting table discussion transcript (Jan. 7, 2014) PDF 147 kB
SWLRT community meeting discussion transcript (St. Louis Park, Jan. 9, 2014) PDF 231 kB
SWLRT responses to community meeting questions (Minneapolis, Jan. 7, 2014) PDF 192 kB
SWLRT responses to community meeting questions (St. Louis Park, Jan. 9, 2014) PDF 178 kB
SWLRT categorized community meeting comments (Minneapolis, Jan. 7, 2014) PDF 381 kB
SWLRT categorized community meeting comments (St. Louis Park, Jan. 9, 2014) PDF 422 kB
SWLRT Hennepin County route selection handout PDF 582 kB

In February 2014, the Metropolitan Council hosted public community meetings focused on the independent consultants' draft reports on freight rail location alternatives, water resources and landscaping/greenscaping in the Kenilworth area.

SWLRT Feb. 2014 community meetings: presentation PDF 6.5 MB
SWLRT Feb. 2014 community meetings: TranSystems freight rail map PDF 888 kB
SWLRT community meeting comments (Minneapolis, Feb. 10, 2014) PDF 112 kB
SWLRT community meeting transcript (Minneapolis, Feb. 10, 2014) PDF 267 kB
SWLRT community meeting comments (St. Louis Park, Feb. 12, 2014) PDF 179 kB
SWLRT community meeting transcript (St. Louis Park, Feb. 12, 2014) PDF 285 kB

Municipal Consent Hearings (2014)

Municipal consent is process of local review and approval by communities affected by a transit project, and is required under Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. 473.3994). During municipal consent, the public is also invited to review preliminary design plans and provide comments directly to local governments or to the Metropolitan Council. The Southwest LRT Project received municipal consent approval twice: once in 2014, and again in 2015 for a revised project scope including design changes in several areas along the LRT route.

The Metropolitan Council released preliminary design plans for the Southwest LRT Project on April 22, 2014. The Metropolitan Council and the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) held a joint public hearing on May 29, 2014. Minnetonka, Hopkins, Eden Prairie, and St. Louis Park held public hearings on municipal consent for Southwest LRT in May and June 2014.

The Metropolitan Council approved revisions to the project scope and budget affecting the Minneapolis portion of the Southwest LRT Project on July 9, 2014. The Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) held a joint hearing on August 13, 2014 to consider revised preliminary design plans. Minneapolis held a public hearing on municipal consent for the revised plans on August 19, 2014. The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners granted municipal consent for the Southwest LRT Project at a special board meeting on August 29, 2014.

SWLRT St. Louis Park municipal consent presentation (May 19, 2014) PDF 1.4 MB
SWLRT Eden Prairie municipal consent presentation (May 20, 2014) PDF 1.2 MB
SWLRT Metropolitan Council/HCRRA municipal consent presentation (May 29, 2014) PDF 3.1 MB
SWLRT Metropolitan Council/HCRRA muncipal consent hearing transcript (May 29, 2014) PDF 195 kB
SWLRT Minnetonka municipal consent presentation (June 2, 2014) PDF 1.2 MB
SWLRT Hopkins municipal consent presentation (June 3. 2014) PDF 1.5 MB
SWLRT Metropolitan Council/HCRRA municipal consent presentation (Aug. 13, 2014) PDF 2.1 MB
SWLRT Metropolitan Council/HCRRA municipal consent hearing transcript (Aug. 13, 2014) PDF 590 kB
SWLRT Minneapolis municipal consent presentation (Aug. 19, 2014) PDF 6.4 MB

2015

Station Design

The Southwest LRT Project developed several different station architecture concepts to fit into different settings. These open houses provided an opportunity for community residents to learn about station design and give feedback to project staff. A brief presentation on station design was given at the beginning of each open house.

Open houses were held on the following dates:

Minneapolis: April 2 and April 8, 2015
St. Louis Park: April 8, 2015
Eden Prairie: April 9, 2015
Hopkins and Minnetonka: April 14, 2015

SWLRT station design: open house presentation (April 2015) PDF 6.4 MB
SWLRT station design: historic properties overview (April 2015) PDF 992 kB
SWLRT station design: historic properties in Hopkins (April 2015) PDF 2.1 MB
SWLRT station design: historic properties in Minneapolis (April 2015) PDF 3.3 MB
SWLRT station design: historic properties in St. Louis Park (April 2015) PDF 2 MB
SWLRT station design: integrated public art (April 2015) PDF 1.9 MB
SWLRT station design: joint development overview (April 2015) PDF 806 kB
SWLRT station design: joint development at Beltline Station (April 2015) PDF 1.7 MB
SWLRT station design: joint development at Blake Station (April 2015) PDF 1.7 MB
SWLRT station design: Operations and Maintenance Facility (April 2015) PDF 1.7 MB
SWLRT station design: route and stations by city (April 2015) PDF 18.1 MB
SWLRT station design: station architecture (April 2015) PDF 2.9 MB
SWLRT station design: accessibility and weather protection (April 2015) PDF 997 kB
SWLRT station design: design approach (April 2015) PDF 2.6 MB
SWLRT station design: public comments (April 2015) PDF 1.6 MB
SWLRT station design: layout and features (April 2015) PDF 1.2 MB
SWLRT station design: Eden Prairie station sites (April 2015) PDF 31 MB
SWLRT station design: Hopkins station sites (April 2015) PDF 13.8 MB
SWLRT station design: Minneapolis station sites (April 2015) PDF 38 MB
SWLRT station design: Minnetonka station sites (April 2015) PDF 4 MB
SWLRT station design: St. Louis Park station sites (April 2015) PDF 13 MB
SWLRT station design: suggested station types by location (April 2015) PDF 375 kB

Kenilworth Landscape Design

Plans for landscape design in the Kenilworth area of Minneapolis were created with input from the community and guidance from the Kenilworth Landscape Design Committee.

SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: workshop presentation (June 13, 2015) PDF 2.1 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: workshop boards (June 13, 2015) PDF 6.2 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: design principles (June 13, 2015) PDF 195 kB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: historic features (June 13, 2015) PDF 276 kB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: bridge options (June 13, 2015) PDF 846 kB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: workshop presentation (Aug. 8, 2015) PDF 12.6 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: design concept overview (Aug. 8, 2015) PDF 1.2 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: concept roll plots (Aug. 8, 2015) PDF 33 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: bridge options (Aug. 8, 2015) PDF 2.1 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: seating nodes and landscape typologies (Aug. 8, 2015) PDF 1.3 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: draft 5-year vegetation plan (Oct. 26, 2015) PDF 22 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: draft 15-year vegetation plan (Oct. 26, 2015) PDF 22 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: draft 25-year vegetation plan (Oct. 26, 2015) PDF 22 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: meeting announcement (Nov. 18, 2015) PDF 1.6 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: presentation (Nov. 18, 2015) PDF 9.7 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: meeting display boards (Nov. 18, 2015) PDF 12.1 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: opening year design concept (Nov. 18, 2015) PDF 2.3 MB
SWLRT Kenilworth landscape design: 25-year design concept (Nov. 18, 2015) PDF 2.3 MB

Meeting materials from Kenilworth Landscape Design Committee meetings are listed below.

SWLRT KSALC Agenda (May 19, 2015) PDF 92 kB
SWLRT KSALC Materials (May 19, 2015) PDF 2 MB
SWLRT KSALC Agenda (June 25, 2015) PDF 85 kB
SWLRT KSALC Materials (June 25, 2015) PDF 4 MB
SWLRT KSALC Agenda (July 16, 2015) PDF 89 kB
SWLRT KSALC Materials (July 16, 2015) PDF 6.3 MB
SWLRT KSALC Agenda (August 24, 2015) PDF 80 kB
SWLRT KSALC Presentation (August 24, 2015) PDF 2.7 MB
SWLRT KSALC Agenda (Oct. 26, 2015) PDF 85 kB
SWLRT KSALC Agenda (Jan. 20, 2016) PDF 89 kB

Supplemental Draft EIS Hearings

The Metropolitan Council published the Southwest LRT Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on May 22, 2015 and held three public hearings to receive comments on the document in June 2015. An open house was held in conjunction with each public hearing. The purpose of these hearings was to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the content of the Supplemental Draft EIS document; no action was taken at the hearings.

Hearing Dates and Locations

Hopkins Center for the Arts, June 16, 2015
Eden Prairie City Center, June 17, 2015
Dunwoody College of Technology (Minneapolis), June 18, 2015

SWLRT SDEIS Open House Boards PDF 14.8 MB

Municipal Consent Hearings (2015)

In July 2015, the Metropolitan Council approved a revised scope for the Southwest LRT project, reducing the estimated cost of the project by approximately $250 million. The revised project scope included design changes in several areas along the proposed LRT route. In light of these changes, the Council released revised preliminary design plans on July 23, 2015 and sought municipal consent from Hennepin County and the five cities along the proposed LRT route.

The Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) held a joint public hearing on the physical design component of the revised preliminary design plans on August 27, 2015. Cities along the proposed Southwest LRT route held public hearings in September 2015. The Council accepted public comments on the revised plans from July 23 through September 11, 2015. Comments were also accepted by Hennepin County and the cities along the alignment.

SWLRT municipal consent guide (2015) PDF 406 kB
SWLRT municipal consent comments received Aug. 27 -- Sept. 11, 2015 PDF 3.8 MB
SWLRT Metropolitan Council/HCRRA municipal consent hearing presentation (Aug. 27, 2015) PDF 1.9 MB
SWLRT Metropolitan Council/HCRRA municipal consent hearing transcript (Aug. 27, 2015) PDF 111 kB

2017

Proposed Freight Rail Corridor Protection Wall

Public Open House
November 15, 2017, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Bryn Mawr Elementary School Cafeteria, 252 Upton Avenue South, Minneapolis

An opportunity to learn about the design of the proposed corridor protection wall between freight rail and light rail tracks in Minneapolis, and give input on aesthetic design options. Printable event flyer [PDF].

2018

Community Town Hall Meeting on the Supplemental Environmental Assessment and Amended Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation

The Metropolitan Council hosted a community town hall meeting on the Southwest LRT Supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) and Amended Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation on March 22, 2018 at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis. This event provided an opportunity to learn about the impacts of changes in the design of the Southwest LRT Project since the completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2016, including the proposed construction of a freight rail corridor protection barrier in Minneapolis, and to give feedback.

The community town hall meeting materials are available as PDF documents:

Presentation [1MB]
Display Boards [33MB]