Downtown Mobility and Parking Study

Project Status
Underway
Project Type
Planning
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Description

The FINAL Downtown Mobility & Parking Study and Appendices are available. 

 

 

The City of White Bear Lake is completing a Mobility and Parking Study which will:

  • Review vehicular, transit, bicycle and pedestrian movements to and through the downtown area. 
  • Analyze parking availability and needs in the downtown area.
  • Assess concepts for public realm improvements including landscaping, public spaces, lighting and wayfinding.

Steering Committee:The steering committee consisting of elected officials, downtown property and business owners, City commission members, civic organization representatives, residents and City staff will provide input and guidance for the Study.  This committee will review the data, analysis and concepts developed by the PMT to assist in making final recommendations to the City Council.

Steering Committee Members
Lisa Beecroft Mainstreet
Bryan Belisle Park Advisory Commission
Sheryl Bolstad Environmental Advisory Commission
Pamela Enz Planning Commission
Vicki Ford Resident
Sharon Hanifl-Lee Arts Representative
Heidi Hughes City Council
Jerry Kwapick Economic Development Coordinator, President
Dr. Michael Lovett Resident
Eli Rupnow Business Representative
Kim Schoonover Business Representative
Shari Wilson Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director

 Project Management Team (PMT):The project management team consists of members of the Consultant team as well as City staff representatives from the engineering, community development and administration departments.  This group is tasked with completing the data collection, analysis and development of concepts for the project area.

Project Management Team - Consultant Members
Mark Nolan SEH, Project Manager and Senior Planner
Erin Jordan SEH, Traffic Engineer
Jody Rader HKGI, Landscape Architect
Natalie Strait HKGI, Planner

 

Project Management Team Members
Lindy Crawford City Manager
Paul Kauppi City Engineer/Public Works Director
Jason Lindahl Community Development Director
Nathan Christensen Assistant City Engineer
Ashton Miller City Planner
Tracy Shimek Housing and Economic Development Coordinator
Carisa Vermeersch Engineering Administrative Assistant

 Public Engagement:There will be public engagement opportunities to allow for additional input to help shape outcomes of the study. Final Report:The final product will be a plan to guide future road and infrastructure projects in the downtown area. The first project is anticipated to include the area south of 4th Street and various municipal parking lots.  The process to develop the final recommendations report will be iterative, consisting of multiple reviews and revisions based on feedback from the steering committee, downtown businesses and property owners, residents and the City Council. Schedule: 

  • March 2023 – Study Kick Off 
  • Spring 2023 – Data Collection
  • Summer 2023 – Community Workshop, Online Survey, and Pop Up Events
  • Fall 2023 to Winter 2024 – Development of Mobility, Parking, and Public Realm Enhancements Report
  • Spring 2024 – Community Open House (March 7) and Final Study Presentation (at a City Council Meeting, Date TBD)

Project Contact:Paul Kauppi, PEPublic Works Director/City EngineerPhone: 651-429-8563Email: pkauppi [at] whitebearlake.org (pkauppi[at]whitebearlake[dot]org)

Status Updates

City Council Accepts Report on January 14, 2025

City Council accepts the Final Downtown Mobility & Parking Study for future consideration.

Online Survey for Draft Recommendations

White Bear Lake Mobility & Parking Study
If you were unable to attend the March 7, 2024 open house in person, please take this online survey to provide feedback.
 

Project Kick-off

The project kicked off in April of 2023 with the PMT gathering and analyzing data including inventorying existing infrastructure; reviewing pedestrian and traffic volumes, patterns and accident history; and completing a parking inventory and utilization counts.

Steering Committee Meetings

  • Meeting #1 (August 2023) – reviewed public engagement themes, along with data collection and analysis
  • Meeting #2 (October 2023) – reviewed parking, circulation and access analysis along with potential design considerations
  • Meeting #3 (November 2023) – reviewed DRAFT parking strategy recommendations, concept design alternatives and public realm framework
  • Meeting #4 (February 22, 2024) – the committee will review further refinements in the draft concept alternatives and public realm framework

Public Engagement Opportunities

  • Sidewalk decals with QR code link to project website promoting the August 2023 open house and online survey were placed on June 30, 2023.
  • Flyers promoting the project website and August 2023 open house were delivered to downtown area business the week of July 26th.
  • An online survey to collect feedback on such items as downtown use, walkability, bikeability, parking, access and mobility was live from June 30, 2023 to September 17, 2023.  This survey had 215 responses.
  • Pop up events at Marketfest were held on July 13 and 27, 2023 to collect on feedback on such items as downtown use, walkability, bikeability, parking, access, and mobility.  The two events had 347 visitors that stopped to provide feedback.
  • An open house was held on August 3, 2023 to collect feedback on such items as downtown use, walkability, bikeability, parking, access, and mobility.  Approximately 20 people attended the event.
  • Mainstreet
    • February 2, 2023 – staff presented the scope and schedule for the upcoming Mobility and Parking Study.
    • February 10, 2024 – the PMT presented DRAFT parking strategy recommendations, concept design alternatives and public realm framework
  • Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
    • February 7, 2023 – staff presented the scope and schedule for the upcoming Mobility and Parking Study.
    • January 11, 2024 – the PMT presented DRAFT parking strategy recommendations, concept design alternatives and public realm framework
  • A final open house was held March 7, 2024 to gather public input on DRAFT recommendations for parking strategies, design alternatives and public realm improvements.  Approximately 70 people attended the event.

Next Steps

The project team is currently gathering feedback from people unable to attend the March 7th open house via an online survey.  The survey will be open until Wednesday, March 27, 2024 and can be accessed via this link.

Following the open house, the PMT and Steering Committee will finalize recommendations and DRAFT design options based on feedback gathered at the open house. The final recommendations and DRAFT options will be reviewed with the City Council before a final report is adopted. City Council dates have not yet been selected. Watch this project site for updates.

Files & Resources

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