Council Says 'No' to Freight Reroute

After months of discussing the issue of a potential freight reroute through the city, the St. Louis Park City Council on Tuesday was fairly quick to formally voice its opposition.

By a vote of 6-1, the council passed a resolution stating that the city is ultimately opposed to a reroute plan that would bring new traffic to the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway (MN&S) route in St. Louis Park because the council believes a viable alternative exists—namely, leaving freight trains in Minneapolis’ Kenilworth Corridor, despite a plan to add light rail in the same area.

The resolution was at a meeting last week, but the council on Tuesday acknowledged that much of what needs to be said on the issue already has come out.

“I think we’ve had plenty of discussion,” councilman Phil Finkelstein said. “Full and robust discussion.”

That is certainly true, as the council has met numerous times to examine the issue. In the end, the six council members in support of the ordinance said they felt that rerouting traffic on the MN&S line—which runs right past —would be too much of a detriment for the city, both because of safety concerns and property value issues.

Only Ward 2 councilwoman Anne Mavity, who said she supports the rerouting of trains to the MN&S route, voted against the resolution. Mavity said leaving the freight trains in the Kenilworth Corridor—which leads to tracks in her ward—would create safety and traffic nightmares if the light rail gets built, as that line is supposed to run in the same area. In particular, the areas near Highway 7 and Wooddale and Beltline avenues—where two light rail stations are expected to go—would be troublesome for drivers, pedestrians and nearby residents, Mavity said.

“Both (St. Louis Park) routes have costs and benefits,” the councilwoman said. “I want what’s best for the community.”

Mavity added that a lot of people in her ward haven’t had their voices heard throughout the process, and she said she is advocating on their behalf.

“We do not have one opinion for all of us in St. Louis Park,” she said.

While the council was not unanimous in its support of the resolution, there is full agreement that a number of mitigation measures not included in current MN&S plans need to be added in the event that the reroute goes forward.

Among those measures is the addition of a pedestrian overpass near the high school to get students safely from the school to the football field. Other proposals include the creation of a structural improvement program that homeowners affected by a reroute could use, as well as buying a number of homes right by the tracks to make a wider, safer corridor for the MN&S traffic.

“All seven of us agree that more mitigation is needed,” councilman Finkelstein said.

Later this month, the council is expected to send a list of mitigation requests to the Minnesota Department of Transportation as part of the . City officials have said that MnDOT, along with Hennepin County and the impacted rail companies, have a lot more say on what route is picked—and how mitigation dollars get spent—than the city.

“I wish St. Louis Park had more control over the reroute in general,” Mayor Jeff Jacobs said.