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Chamber representative presents Baxter business survey, urges MDOT to revise 'button-hook' overpass design
Summary
A Chamber representative told the Baxter City Council that a survey of 78 businesses found widespread concern about the proposed 'button-hook' 371-over-210 overpass: roughly 60% rated the design poor, 58% favor major changes, and about 21% said the design might prompt closure or sale of their business.
A representative speaking for the Brainer Lake Chamber and the Brainer Lakes Development Corporation presented a survey to the Baxter City Council showing broad business concern about Minnesota Department of Transportation's proposed "button-hook" design for the 371 over 210 overpass and asked the city to urge MDOT to consider design changes.
The presenter said the Chamber contacted 1,976 Baxter businesses (the Chamber's membership list), received 78 responses and that 31 respondents opted to remain anonymous. "About 60% rate the design is poor or very poor and 58% want major changes," the presenter said, and reported that "51% expect revenue losses" and roughly one in three respondents said tourists or out-of-town visitors account for about one-third of their customers.
Why it matters: Chamber leaders told the council businesses expect access and visibility problems under the proposed configuration, which they say could reduce walk-up or spur-of-the-moment visits by unfamiliar drivers. The presenter said businesses worry customers will be deterred by extra roundabouts and complicated access, and that about 21% of respondents indicated the design "may lead" them to close, relocate or sell.
The presenter described the Chamber's process and motivations. He said MDOT ran its own online public survey (130 responses) but that only five identified as business owners, which the Chamber viewed as a data gap and prompted a targeted Chamber survey. He also noted a conditional Chamber support letter from January 2023 that the Chamber framed as endorsing an intersection improvement only with commitments to "maximize economic growth and minimize undesirable impacts."
On signage and navigation, the presenter said MDOT staff told him that the interstate/expressway "blue signs" listing restaurants and gas stations likely are not allowable in this zone, meaning sign-based solutions would probably need to come from the city or the businesses themselves. "Those sorts of blue signs are not allowable," he said, adding he had been told an exception was unlikely.
Recommendations the Chamber representative urged the city to press MDOT to consider included simplifying access to the Cub Foods/retail area (to avoid routing customers through three roundabouts), preserving or adding right-turn access at Fairview Road/Golf Course Drive and Design Road, and signaling municipal willingness to review and potentially loosen the local sign ordinance so businesses can improve wayfinding.
He praised MDOT for already amending the design to add two right-turns into Fairview and Golf Course Drive, and said the Chamber was not asking to reject the project but to work collaboratively: "We are not pushing to kill the project. We want to be collaborative. We want to be good partners," he said.
A council member asked whether the Chamber had shared traffic modeling that would show whether traffic might back up and shift to other intersections; the presenter said the Chamber had not seen detailed modeling and did not share modeling outputs with business owners. The presenter closed by asking the council to send a formal letter or direction through staff asking MDOT to consider the Chamber's recommendations before municipal consent is granted.
Next steps: The presenter asked the council to consider sending a staff-directed request to MDOT within the coming months to explore the suggested adjustments; no formal council action on the overpass design was taken at the meeting.
