Item Description:
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Agreement A2412533 with Metropolitan Council for lease of vacant land at 3001 Ewing Ave S, Mpls
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Administrator be authorized to negotiate Agreement A2412533 with the Metropolitan Council for lease of vacant land at 3001 Ewing Avenue South, Minneapolis; that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the Chair of the Board by authorized to sign the Agreement on behalf of the county, and the County Administrator be authorized to sign any related secondary documents on behalf of the county.
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Background:
Hennepin County received ownership of property located at 3001 Ewing Avenue South, Minneapolis (the “Property”) by a jurisdictional transfer from the State of Minnesota in 1988. The Property had been acquired by the State in the 1950s for a planned highway project that was never built. The Property has historically been used as a Metro Transit turnaround and layover point for local bus routes serving Minneapolis and St. Louis Park.
Public transit bus layover points serve as a break location for bus operators and thus require access to restroom facilities. Metro Transit previously had an agreement with a nearby business which allowed Metro Transit bus operators to utilize its restroom facilities, however that agreement was recently terminated by the business owner. In 2023, Hennepin County executed a license agreement with the Metropolitan Council to allow the placement of a temporary portable restroom on the Property for use by its bus operators. Metro Transit has requested a lease agreement to allow the construction of a restroom facility on the Property to replace the temporary portable facility. The new facility would serve existing local routes as well as planned expanded bus service related to the B-Line bus rapid transit project beginning in 2025.
A prior board action (17-0399) declared the Property surplus to county needs and directed staff to coordinate with the City of Minneapolis (“City”) to offer the Property and several adjoining properties (the “Site”) for sale for redevelopment through a request for proposals process. Subsequent due diligence efforts in coordination with City staff revealed several title deficiencies which currently limit the ability of the county to sell or develop the Site for non-transportation uses. The proposed lease agreement would provide for the Metro Transit restroom facility to be located on a portion of the Property that is currently unutilized Ewing Avenue right of way, so as not to limit or preclude future redevelopment of the Site should the title issues be resolved. Additionally, the facility will be minimally designed such that it could be replaced with a facility integrated into a new building when redevelopment occurs.
Current Request:
Authorize the negotiation and execution of Agreement with Metropolitan Council for lease of land at 3001 Ewing Avenue South, Minneapolis.
Impact/Outcomes:
This action will allow the construction of a bus driver restroom facility supporting Metro Transit local bus routes and B-Line bus rapid transit service.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval