Rail

Met Council soliciting feedback on Blue Line anti-displacement recommendations

July 3, 2023

The recommendations by the University of Minnesota note the focus of the line’s development should be on the benefits it brings to the people currently living and working along the proposed route.

Mischa Wanek-Libman

A Metro Transit Blue Line train in downtown Minneapolis, Minn.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) in Minnesota will be gathering community feedback on the Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Recommendations that were developed by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the request of Met Council and Hennepin County.

The proposed Blue Line Extension would run from Target Field in downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park and serve neighborhoods that make up the most racially and economically diverse communities in Hennepin County. The formation of the Blue Line Anti-Displacement Work Group (ADWG) and the CURA recommendations followed concerns expressed by the community that the proposed Blue Line Extension would displace residents of these neighborhoods.

According to the recommendation report’s executive summary, the recommendations “prioritize outcomes first”, but there is caution the recommendations “fall short of being implement-ready policies and strategies.” The recommendations are meant to provide a guiding framework for policies and strategies.

The recommendations are broken down into underlaying principles and outcomes by jurisdictions, including Brooklyn Park, Minneapolis and Crystal/Robbinsdale. The 17 desired outcomes listed in the report would ensure business owners can stay in business, residents can still afford their rent, rising property taxes don’t force homeowners to sell, public infrastructure and other amenities are improved and that rich culture of the communities served are further enriched by the presence of the light-rail line.

Met Council says it agrees with the CURA report, with Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle explaining the “line should be an engine of opportunity for people who are living there today, instead of a catalyst for displacement.”

In June, Met Council’s Blue Line’s Corridor Management Committee passed a resolution to create a framework and public engagement plan to advance the recommendations within the CURA report. It will include extensive public engagement with community members, public, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and business members.

“This is an important next step,” said Zelle, who chairs the committee. “We can only move at the speed of trust.

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The CURA report, Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Recommendations, can be read on the Met Council's website.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.