St. Louis Park Site Among Southwest LRT Maintenance Facility Finalists

UPDATE: The Met Council recently released the full list of candidate sites, which is larger than initially reported.

Those sites are:

• City Garage West: Technology Drive and Wallace Road in Eden Prairie
• City Garage East: 15150 Technology Drive in Eden Prairie
• Mitchell East: Technology Drive and Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie
• Shady Oak/West 70th Street: Shady Oak Road and Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie
• K-Tel: Shady Oak Road and K-Tel Drive in Minnetonka
• K-Tel East: Fifth Street South and 15th Avenue South in Hopkins
• 11th Avenue West: Fifth Street South and 11th Avenue South in Hopkins
• Excelsior West: 8098 Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins
• Excelsior East: Excelsior Boulevard and Powell Road at the border of Hopkins and St. Louis Park

ORIGINAL STORY

One St. Louis Park site is among the list of seven finalists for the Southwest LRT Operation and Maintenance Facility (OMF), according to a St. Louis Park official.

During a study session on Monday, April 22, St. Louis Park City Council members received an update on the Southwest LRT project from Community Development Director Kevin Locke. Locke reported the Met Council had narrowed its initial list of 18 sites to seven, including one St. Louis Park location.

The site is located right on the border of Hopkins and St. Louis Park, sandwiched between Excelsior Boulevard and Cedar Lake Trail. It measures approximately 15 acres and currently houses multi-tenant office buildings.

Locke said the short list also includes several locations in Eden Prairie, one in Hopkins and one near the Minnetonka/Hopkins border. He said it would not be a surprise to see one of the sites outside of St. Louis Park selected as the eventual OMF location, as city officials have indicated they don't necessarily want the facility in St. Louis Park.

"We frankly have told them if you've got a site the local community supports, that would seem like a really smart one to pursue," Locke said.

The OMF locations will go before the Corridor Management Committee in May, with open houses on the topic planned in the various communities. Met Council officials previously stated they plan to identify the final OMF site in either June or July.

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