Transit village could include affordable senior housing along with access to Link line

Apr. 29—ROCHESTER — Affordable senior housing could be one of the first elements of the transit village being planned for the west end of

Rochester's proposed Link Rapid Transit project.

Minneapolis-based affordable housing developer Aeon is proposing construction of a 94-unit apartment complex in coordination with a 2,500-stall employee parking ramp.

"The benefits beyond just affordable housing is it screens the ramp and creates a better urban environment from the street, so you are not just walking by a ramp," the city's strategic initiatives director, Josh Johnsen, told the Rochester City Council during an update Monday.

The parking ramp is being built by Mayo Clinic alongside the city's efforts to develop the Link Rapid Transit system, which is a 2.8-mile route largely along Second Street with a turn down Third Avenue Southeast to connect to an eastern end spot near the former AMPI lot at the intersection with Sixth Street.

With the plan to use anticipated $84 million in federal funds and state Destination Medical Center funds to cover the bulk of the $143.4 million project, Deputy City Administrator Cindy Steinhauser said the creation of the transit service isn't expected to rely on local tax dollars.

A

20-year agreement with Mayo Clinic

is also set to cover related operating expenses of the new rapid-transit line, providing public access without individual fares.

Council member Patrick Keane said the private support to keep the project fare free and allow any employee, visitor or resident to board without a pass is critical.

"It is not free, and it is not falling to the taxpayer to pay for it," he said.

The system also supports the creation of proposed parking and housing on a section of what is currently a nearly 16-acre Mayo Clinic parking lot along Second Street Southwest.

The site currently provides nearly 950 parking spaces for employees using Mayo Clinic's shuttle service, but plans call for it to be transformed into a transit plaza, as well as space for a mix of housing and commercial spaces.

A general development plan filed with the city on Monday indicates approximately 5 acres of the Mayo Clinic-owned parking lot will become public right-of-way for new city streets and infrastructure, as well as a public transit plaza designed to provide end-point access to the new Link project, as well as the adjacent Cascade Lake Park.

Steinhauser said one of the key goals for the transit site is to reduce the potential for traffic congestion as the city grows.

"If we didn't do something about getting vehicle off the street, we would be seeing a lot more congestion, a lot more vehicles," she said.

Council member Molly Dennis voiced specific concern about the planned bus traffic, especially since a second Aeon affordable housing project is being proposed on the west side of the lot.

"I know they are not the shuttle buses and diesel, but you are still having a tremendous amount of traffic," she said of the rapid-transit system set to use electric buses to provide stops in the transit plaza every 5 minutes during peak periods and every 10 minutes during the rest of the system's anticipated 18-hour schedule.

She questioned whether people would want to live there and whether it's the right place for affordable housing.

"There are so many different issues," Dennis said.

Steinhauser said she believes the site will draw people seeking quality living provided by easy access to services and amenities along Second Street and in downtown without needing to drive their own vehicle.

"There are people who all they want to do is live in these spaces, and they are willing to pay for it," she said, adding that Mayo Clinic's work with Aeon has the potential to open opportunities to others and provide multi-generational and multi-economic opportunities.

"The beauty of this is we are saying it's not just going to be for those who can pay for it," she added.

Proposals for the center of the current lot show plans for a mix of commercial and mixed-income housing.

Steinhauser said it's too early to say what type of housing and businesses will move into the available spaces. Aeon is still working to seek Minnesota Housing Finance Agency funding, and Kraus Anderson is working to line up potential commercial tenants as Mayo Clinic's chosen developer of record.

"I know they are having active conversations with potential tenants to understand what their needs might be,"she said of the developer's efforts.

Council President Brooke Carlson voiced a desire to see a daycare provider added to the list of possible tenants, but Steihauser said the city's ability to name what opens its doors in the future private buildings is limited.

The council, however, could approve incentives that might draw certain businesses to the area. She said those would likely be parts of future discussions as plans move forward.

Council member Mark Bransford, who represents the district that includes the planned transit village, said he envisions the broader project drawing a variety of development and new business to the western end of Second Street as well as the rest of the corridor.

"There are going to be a lot of really good things," he said.