http://www.startribune.com/concerns-ari ... 322560521/
Burnsville and Metro Transit seem to aligning on the Traveller's Trail site. Dakota County Commissioners don't want to sink money into an additional stop and would prefer to use BTS Park & Ride. Their reasons, however, are pretty alarming. Dakota County sees this as "Cedar Grove (Red Line) all over again", thinking that the station should be located online/inline on 35W. I can see why a non-transit-using observer would think that, as people who don't use transit tend to get stuck in "end-to-end mindset". They literally see a line with two ends, everything between is irrelevant to them (see suburban complaints about Green Line, etc.) The problem, I think, is that Dakota County Commissioners are probably looking at the Lakeville Kenrick P&R as the future end of the line, when that will likely never happen. That P&R is destined to continue with its existing express service only. It is simply too remote to demand all-day BRT service. Furthermore, the Burnsville station being debated is the current terminus, not in the middle of the line like Cedar Grove on the Red Line. Bottom line is that an online station at 35W & Burnsville Parkway would be awful - no walkshed due to the exit ramps and no P&R either.
Really though, planners could end this debate if they would show an extension of the line to Burnsville Center running via Nicollet instead of via 35W (see earlier discussion where I compared the two alternatives)