
Planners of a proposed light rail line serving the northern suburbs want input on whether it should stop in north Minneapolis and Golden Valley.
A public meeting next Thursday will focus on whether the 13-mile line should include stops at Plymouth Avenue, Golden Valley Road or both. The Plymouth Avenue stop in Theodore Wirth Park is technically located just across the Minneapolis border in Golden Valley, though the park is controlled by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. would be one of just three Minneapolis stops outside downtown.
Laura Baenen, a spokeswoman for the project, said the Met Council is opening to building one or both stations, "depending on engineering factors, environmental factors, cost and community support."
Above: Renderings of the proposed Golden Valley station, from a Bottineau project video.
The Plymouth Avenue station is under discussion because Minneapolis did not request it until after the project's draft environmental impact statement was nearly complete.
The project office and local leaders will make a formal recommendation this spring on whether to build the stations, which will eventually be forwarded to the Met Council.
The current route follows Olsen Memorial Highway to Wirth Park, where it would travel north along the park's edge. That was chosen several years ago over another route that would have turned north on Penn Ave.
The Plymouth Ave. stop is very close to the Theodore Wirth golf course and chalet, a popular recreation center.