Client: Minnesota Department of Transportation

Community Engagement and Sustainable Design: Working with MnDOT project leadership and a high-profile team of 12 key agency stakeholders to design and implement an innovative and collaborative approach to reach consensus on a highly contentious Minnesota River crossing as part of an usual and rarely used “Tier” I Environmental Impact Statement.

Decades of flooding and regional transportation demands resulted in pressing needs for all stakeholders, but the impacts of this very long-term and massive project are daunting.

Active participants include FHWA and USFWS/Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, MnDOT, DNR, SHPO; Metropolitan Council; Cities of Chaska, Shakopee, Carver, and Chanhassen; and Scott and Carver Counties.

Critical issues include:

- Environmental justice for people in poverty, of color, and immigrants
- Section 4(f) for protected lands and historic properties — including a historic community ballpark
- Noise and visual impacts on historic and other properties
- Public safety
- Ecosystem and flora/fauna impacts
- Refuge user impacts

Facilitated the group creating a formal collaborative partnership as the River Crossing Implementation Collaborative (RCIC). The RCIC is  comprehensively exploring corridor options and local impacts, developing common goals and strategies to address impacts for all key stakeholders, identifying innovative mitigation recommendations, and creating a sustainable structure for authentic and ongoing collaboration and engagement over the next 20 years.

Click here for a simple video Anne created to help RCIC members understand environmental justice; speaker is FHWA official Cheryl Martin

Anne also created two videos presented by staff from the USFWS/Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge on conservation biology; see part 1 and part 2

Latino manufactured home residents identified critical impacts

Latino families listen to recommendations prepared by their neighbors about mitigating impacts

Community members discuss proposed alternatives and offer input

Multiagency workgroup reviews areas with key issues

Team members collaborated in an early workshop

Lead staff from 12 agencies participated in this intense, multiyear effort