TO A POINT: No, the depot task force hasn't been a decision yet

What's the passenger rail depot task force up to these days?
Apparently, there are a few rumors floating around. The most prevalent seems to be that the decision has already been made about where to locate the depot. As a member of the task force, I can assure you that's not the case. We have not determined that the City Center is the best possible location – contrary to what you might be hearing around the tables at Herman's Bakery.
What group members are doing is evaluating the pros and cons of five different sites. These sites are areas with enough space for a building, parking lot and future expansion, as well as land for possible development of shops and apartments. Being organized by the Cambridge City Council, this group is focusing on sites within the city of Cambridge. From the south to north, possible areas include Westrom's Corner, the former Hayford Ford property, the area near First Baptist Church (where the depot was up until the 1980s), the City Center, and the area on the north side of town near the Great River Energy peaking plant.
The task force is using a long list of criteria to evaluate these sites. They're focusing what will be nearby to offer passengers getting off these trains. Amenities at either the First Baptist or City Center sites are easy: Northern Lights Express (NLX) riders will have all of downtown within a few-blocks walk. Task force members also want to make sure that folks can get to other main attractions, such as the medical center, community college and shops on the east side of town. While it's easiest if riders can get there with their own two feet, we also see the Heartland Express city bus being extraordinarily useful. Thus, task force members are keeping in mind that the main hub of the local bus line (which connects Isanti and Chisago counties) is also located downtown at Buchanan and Second Avenue Southeast. Another important item of note is that the original report that came out advocating Cambridge as one of the sites for a passenger rail depot stressed that the depot be located downtown.
The possibility for development near the depot is huge. Riders will want shops; others will want to live nearby so they can avoid driving their cars to work altogether. Thus, any potential depot location needs to be in a spot that can accommodate future growth by willing landowners. By that criteria alone, the large open space on the north side of town looks best – but then you're isolating this one use from what is already here, and you're contributing to urban sprawl. Is that in the best interest of the city in the long run?
Traffic is also on the forefront of every discussion about the potential depot location. Every single person on the depot task force knows how bad congestion is along Highway 95. In fact, a large number of them also served on the Highway 95 Task Force last year; while on that task force they studied possible traffic solutions and then recommended that the city pursue widening Highway 95. The depot task force knows that there were other options the original group threw out because they were too expensive, such as constructing either an overpass or underpass at Highway 95 and the railroad tracks. But if Cambridge could obtain federal funding for such an option as part of the depot project, well, as task force member Susan Morris put it, it could be the ticket to solving a lot of the Highway 95 issues.
Just how people will get to the depot and how they will get out of the depot is critical. A potential depot need to be situated along major roads, and several major roads, not just one. We don't want to see traffic funneled to one artery – or we'll have the same problem we do now along Highway 95. To understand the impact, task force members are using their common sense. In addition, a feasibility study will be done in the future to study the effect of a couple hundred more cars a day in the city.
The task force has a lot of work left to do. There are many unanswered questions at this point, answers that need to come from the broader Passenger Rail Alliance. How fast will trains be coming through town? Will there be a dual track or a siding? Will we get the funding for an underpass? Will there be a Northstar commuter rail line coming in the near future, as well?
These questions won't be answered tomorrow. Nor will the passenger rail depot task force be ready next week with a recommendation. No, it will take months. Once things have been flushed out at a committee level, the broader public will be invited to come and have their say. Until then, feel free to share your opinions with task force members (Susan Morris, George Larson, Bob Voss, Pat Johns, Nicki Klanderud, Jon Ward, Bob Guetschoff, Greg Carlson, Kim Erickson, Mark Anderson, Jackie Forner, Marlys Palmer, Dave Schornstein and Tesha Christensen). Call city hall (763-689-3211) and speak to Dave Carlberg, the city's development director.
This will be a great thing for the area; there's no doubt about that. It will not only benefit Cambridge itself, but cities all around. I know folks in Kanabec County are excited about the opportunity to drive a bit south and then hop aboard. There is so much potential, you can be assured that the depot task force is doing its homework to make this thing work.