Purple Line Update
Mission:
“For the Purple Line to serve as many people as possible, as well as possible.”
Current State:
Push to Summit … (Or Fall…)?
Action Item:
Calling all Maplewood - Take Action Now - Learn about the project, reach out to Maplewood city electeds before September 23rd City Council Meeting - tell them to at least hear the evidence the project will present in October. ESABA will host a meeting September 30th at Cups & Cheers.
More Detail:
For a year, project staff and the community have been studying a potential route on White Bear Avenue for The Purple Line. They are slated to report to the community in October with all the juicy findings for riders, best practices for service, input they have gotten for stations and let the broader community digest and decide together about the route. All eyes are focused on Maplewood at the moment because their Mayor has called a vote to pull out of the project before they even hear the news.
This next northern suburb is a key partner for their stretch of the project. On September 23rd they are taking a vote on pulling out of the project and have argued there are other ways to meet the transit need, save resources, and avoid disruption. But this misses some crucial points. These projects bring Transit Oriented Development to communities to help improve whole corridors. Permanent stops and infrastructure attract additional dollars, county and city attention, and small business organizing to maximize these investments and advocate for the street improvements we very badly need. Just imagine the kind of corridor we could build for the East Metro along White Bear Avenue! We should be standing together to attract this Federal money to our communities and make sure there are mitigation funds raised to help our businesses weather the construction. Maplewood businesses will fare better with this project if they are standing with partners in a united front to get what they need. We understand that 3M likes the idea of the Gold Line serving them because they are focused on the future and their workforce. Big business in Maplewood like St. John's hospital have a real stake in a Purple Line and we at least should hear the project out as they design how this line would serve those employers, how it would impact White Bear Avenue, and how we can use the project to build the best corridor to serve the most people.
Stats for ESABA Board:
ESABA's Goal / Role:
10 Businesses engaged to Participate - Outreach to businesses, dialogue with Project staff, convener
ESABA's Benefit:
Meet Businesses on White Bear Ave, Attract positive attention to the St. Paul Benefits for the project, get business Participation in Project, Advocate for business voice, help inform business voice
ESABA's Role 2025:
Advocate/major player for a Mitigation Fund, Outreach to businesses, dialogue with Project staff, convener
| Grant Period | Grantor | Type | Amount | ESABA's portion | Restricted for Partners | Date |
| Fall 2023-Fall 2024 | Rooted Philanthropic | Purple Line Grant | $59,500 | $10,000 | $47,000 | 10.24.23 |
| Rooted - Purple Line Grant | Fiscal management | $2,500 |
Our ESABA Member Partners in this work:
A Deeper Dive:
- Purple Line project Resources developed by this Coalition hosted by MoveMN: Partner Letter and Resident Petition
- Purple Line Event and Advocacy: Flyer below plus this link - Elevate Arcade - Get the Stop out of the Gully!
- ESABA's coverage of the Parade: Sept 18, 2023 - link to the news item
- Original Grant Agreement: Purple People (begins on page 9)
