For four northwest suburbs, the prospect of heightened housing and commercial development got a potentially big boost this month with the Metropolitan Council's approval of the proposed Bottineau light-rail corridor.

The council's action places the 13-mile Bottineau Transitway in line for possible federal funding, which previously has paid for half of such projects. An environmental review of the corridor will be done this year.

If built, the estimated $1 billion rail line would run from the Target Field Station in Minneapolis out Hwy. 55 to Golden Valley, and north on tracks near West Broadway Avenue through Robbinsdale and Crystal to 73rd Street in Brooklyn Park. There, new tracks would be laid to carry the train north along West Broadway to a terminal just past Hwy. 610.

"Bottineau is key to the region's future development and continued economic success," Met Council Chairwoman Susan Haigh said in a statement after council approval this month.

The light-rail line "will be huge," said Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, whose district includes most of the proposed route. Met Council approval "makes the project much more of a certainty, although we still need work on funding." He noted that cities along the route have approved the light-rail line, which would be expected to start operating after 2020.

'A very big deal'

The 11-station rail line could have a major impact on residential and commercial development in north Minneapolis and the four suburbs along its route. According to U.S. Census data, 14 percent of households in the Bottineau service area do not own a vehicle, nearly double the metropolitan area average of 8 percent.

The train would make stops in several low-income areas in southern Brooklyn Park where people depend on mass transit.

"It is a very big deal for the city in many ways," said Brooklyn Park Mayor Jeff Lunde. "We view this as a ladder for success" for residents who could take the train to work or ride a few stops to North Hennepin Community College or to a stop planned near a county library, he said. "This is about connecting the people in our city who need education, training and jobs."

Lunde said prospect of light rail makes the city more attractive to several large companies that are considering bringing offices and plants with thousands of jobs to town. He cited Baxter International, which noted the proposed line would have a West Broadway stop near the vacant plant it recently bought.

Bottineau's northern terminal at 97th Avenue would abut the North Campus of Target, which has supported the line. Target is building twin towers on the campus to house about 3,000 high-tech workers to be transferred from its downtown Minneapolis headquarters.

The 15-mile Southwest line was the last light-rail project approved by Met Council, in May 2010. The estimated $1.25 billion line from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie will receive funding before Bottineau, officials said. Both lines are included in Met Council's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan, which notes that one more corridor, of six being studied, could be approved and opened by 2030.

Council officials expect the Southwest line to open by 2020 and Bottineau, after 2020.

Projected growth

Between 2010 and 2030, communities along the Bottineau Transitway are expected to grow by 140,000 people. The line is forecast to provide about 27,000 rides a day by 2030. Many riders would head downtown, where about half of jobs in the service area are located.

People along the line could also ride downtown and transfer at Target Station to the Hiawatha light-rail line that runs south to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

The Bottineau line was recommended by a local advisory committee, chaired by Opat, of city officials, residents and businesses along the proposed route. The group chose the Target campus end point, instead of an option running west to the Maple Grove shopping center, Opat said. The line was next endorsed by the Hennepin County Board, sitting as the Regional Rail Authority, and then sent to Met Council.

Historically, the cost for light-rail lines has been split between the Federal Transit Administration and local taxpayers. Local funds are expected to come from the Counties Transit Improvement Board's transit sales tax in the metro area (30 percent), the state of Minnesota and the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (10 percent each).

Opat said the county rail authority and transit board funding shares are firm, but state and federal money must be secured.

Jim Adams • 612-673-7658