urbanMSP

I think boosting internet connectivity through rural towns would be good.

This is something that everybody loves to get behind, but where's the cut-off where a part of the state is too remote or too sparsely populated to justify extending this service to? Especially if there are satellite based options as an alternative? (Sorry, off topic.)

Now THIS is legislation: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.p ... _year=2023

This bill would legalize studying rail transit between the Cities and Rochester, and between Minneapolis and Northfield (Dan Patch).

This is something that everybody loves to get behind, but where's the cut-off where a part of the state is too remote or too sparsely populated to justify extending this service to? Especially if there are satellite based options as an alternative? (Sorry, off topic.)

We forced the electric companies to wire everyone, we forced Bell to connect everyone, and then we broke them up.

Now it seems all we're able to do is give the providers subsidies in exchange for upgrades they never complete, or to directly fund the infrastructure ourselves. It'd be nice if we still had leaders brave enough to stand up to their big telco donors, since this only gets more and more expensive the longer we allow these companies to dig their heels in.

Governor Walz's capital project proposals: here

Includes:

• $250 million in housing infrastructure bonds
• $60 million to rehab public housing
• $72 million for Met Council busway development
• $20 million for railroad capacity improvements between Minneapolis and Duluth
• $132 million for the DNR
• $222 million for water infrastructure
• $25 million for Avivo in Minneapolis
• $7 million for the Upper Harbor Terminal performance venue
• $6 million for Water Works phase II

Notably missing: Ramsey County's reduced request for bonding help with the Riversedge podium, which I think was in his last proposal.

Re Riversedge: HF 964 dropped today with 35 sponsors (half the DFL House caucus!) to fund the podium over Shephard Road to the tune of $26 million via bond sale. See here

Quick scan of the names, and I see members of DFL leadership and at least four outstate members (including Lislegard, the last DFLer from the Range.)

Let's Go Queer Caucus!
https://www.startribune.com/minnesotas- ... 600247544/

Let's Go Queer Caucus!
https://www.startribune.com/minnesotas- ... 600247544/

This makes my gay heart so happy!

This bill would allow cities to establish land-value taxes: here

Would be an excellent pro-development change for our cities

First traunch of capital projects just dropped: here

Notables:

• Riversedge money (not the full request, but a good start)
• Kellogg bridge reconstruction money
• Two river-oriented visitor centers in St Paul
• Minneapolis Grand Rounds missing link
• Bruce Vento trail improvements

In total, about $1.9 billion. I don't think this will be the last list of funded projects. These are just the ones that are being carried over from last year and/or could make it into a bonding bill which requires Republican support. Good chance the DFL pays for more projects with cash, or that the two parties agree to more bonding, or both.

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Representative Mike Howard, the House Housing chair from Richfield, tweeted today in support of "banning exclusionary zoning practices." After a historic budget year and going into a policy year, I hope metropolitan zoning reform is a target of some attention, though I have to think it would need to get GOP votes to offset suburban DFL opposition (but who knows, the DFL was pretty unrelentingly bold this year.)

My 2024 legislative wishlist:

• Statewide/metropolitan land use reform
• A partisan elected Met Council
• Uber/Lyft worker protections after this year's dust-up
• Land-value taxation (my recollection is that LVT is illegal right now; simply legalizing it would satisfy me)
• Legalized sports betting

I wonder if there is any hope next year for the sort of alliance that Montana had this past legislative season for cutting housing obstructions. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... ly/674950/

Keeping housing costs low needs to be seen as critical need.

Here's something interesting: House Republican leader Lisa Demuth said on a podcast this week that there are stirrings of a 2024 bonding bill on top of this year's bonding bill.

It's not rare that a bonding bill would come in the second year of the session, but it is rare that we'd get two in a single session. Demuth signalled that it won't be as easy this time for the DFL to get the Republican caucus's votes for it.

She also mentioned that the DFL might do a legalize euthanasia/dignity in dying bill, but that might have been her attempt to fearmonger.

And here are the requests for money.

Some notable ones:

• Met Council requests $75 million to "advance the development of J, K, and L lines" beginning in late 2024. Not surprisingly, they identify "Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis and Richfield, Randolph/East 7th, Grand Avenue and West 7th in St. Paul, and 63rd/Zane in Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center" as candidates.
• MNDOT mentions reconstruction the 610 bridge over the Mississippi in the next ten years
• MNDOT also discusses improvements to "trunks highways where ABRT lines will be located for elements that are beyond the ABRT project scope." They too call out the potential for West 7th to shift from LRT to ABRT.
• Anoka County wants money to fill in the missing link in the Rice Creek Regional Trail.
• Becker looking for $48 million for an interchange at US 10 and MN 25, including grade-separating the Staples Subdivision at two intersections.
• Chaska wants $20 million for "City Square West," a redevelopment of a downtown block with a new plaza, performing arts space, and parking.
• Coon Rapids wants $23 million to make the MN 610 interchange with East River Road a full-movement interchange.
• Cottage Grove requests $12.5 million for a new arterial road connecting the Keats Avenue exit at US 10/61 with Lower Grey Cloud Island.
• Dakota County wants $64 million to reconstruct the I 35 interchange with CH 50 in Lakeville. They mention grade separating the Dan Patch Line as well (though I'm not sure exactly where.)
• Gem Lake asking for about $7 million to get on municipal water.
• Hastings wants $62 million to get PFAs out of its water (it's not included in the 3M settlement,) and $20 million to improve US 61 through its downtown.
• MPRB wants $7 million for the Grand Rounds missing link, $5 million for Water Works Phase II, $13 million to redo the parkway system and remove redundant parkways, and $16.5 million for the Cedar-Riverside Community Center.
• Minnetonka wants $15 million for a new Opus Public Space next to the same-named Southwest station.
• Plymouth wants $32 million to revitalize its "City Center."
• Ramsey County wants $25 million for Rice Creek Commons infrastructure, $20 million for the RiversEdge park, and $5 million for its portion of the Rice Creek trail.
• St. Cloud is asking for a whooping $100 million to revitalize its downtown.
• St. Louis Park hoping for $7 million to ready the Louisiana Avenue Station area for TOD.
• St. Paul wants $23 million for the Mississippi River Learning Center, $26 million for the cat habitat at the Como Zoo, $25 million for the downtown River Balcony, $28 million to connect the Bruce Vento and Sam Morgan trails with a bridge, $36 million for a regional sports facility, $40 million for the Kellogg bridge in front of the RiverCentre, $11 million for the Lake Phalen boat house, $35 million for the Como Pavillion, $5 million for Robert Street predesign south of the river in anticipation of an eventual turnback, and $9 million for Pedro Park.
• Three Rivers Park District wants $33 million to upgrade, like, the entire regional bike network, including 16 miles of new construction and 20 of reconstruction.
• Washington County wants $3 million to plan a new interchange at MN 36 and MN 120, and $1 million to fill in a gap on the Hardwood Creek trail.
• Wayzata wants $12 to finish its Panoway project on Lake Minnetonka.

Common other stuff includes a ton of wastewater and water treatment plants, lots of public safety and public works facilities, and a good few playgrounds, parks, and athletic facilities.

'$35 million for the Como Pavillion'

Uh, would it be cheaper just to rebuild it all over again?

St. Cloud is asking for a whooping $100 million to revitalize its downtown.

Did they just pick a number out of the air, go-big-or-go-home style? The details for this project ("Downtown St. Cloud Catalyst Infrastructure and Reinvestment Improvements") are not a lot more than just "Downtown St Cloud needs some work".

St. Cloud is asking for a whooping $100 million to revitalize its downtown.

Did they just pick a number out of the air, go-big-or-go-home style? The details for this project ("Downtown St. Cloud Catalyst Infrastructure and Reinvestment Improvements") are not a lot more than just "Downtown St Cloud needs some work".

Probably this proposal. Quote: "Both Leinberger and Peter said the effort must be led by the private sector, but noted the city can help by creating infrastructure that's more walkable, offering development incentives and requesting state bonding."

The MN Senate State Fair poll will include a question on whether the state should ban single-family zoning.

Also of interest, the House Commerce chair Zack Stephenson tweeted that he's looking into X's (Twitter's) throttling practices.

On the DFL Debrief, Speaker Hortman discussed reforming solid waste management (return it to the Met Council, anyone?), sports betting, and a state Equal Rights Amendment (wouldn't be surprised to see this paired with an abortion amendment and a renewal of the Legacy sales tax.)

Bill looks to supersede residential zoning rules across the state

Pleasantly surprised that this bill has bipartisan support - as it should!