A lot of older residents of Minneapolis grew up around neighborhood parks with little thought about how standardized they were: softball/baseball field; basketball courts doubling as tennis courts; a wading pool and a small park building. In the winter the ball fields became hockey rinks, and the park buildings, warming houses. If the dominant popular culture then played a part in those choices, it’s no surprise that the present culture is making its own choices.
Last November, the architectural firm Perkins + Will was selected to develop what is now called the East of the River Park Master Plan, which is intended to create a unified vision for the neighborhood parks in Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis. The area includes 26 existing parks, possible new parks, regional parks, and new trail links to the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway System. The plan’s goals include supporting neighborhood stability, social connections, community health, and natural ecosystems.
The 17 members of the design team for the plan include seven from Perkins + Will and ten from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Several of them were on hand for a “community open house” at MPRB’s West River Road headquarters on Thursday, May 3. A first-floor assembly room was wall-to-wall with drawings, sketches, photos and information display boards. The design for a regional park along Highway 280 was so big it lay on the floor. The event was the first of several planned for this summer and fall to introduce the initial ideas to the public and solicit comments and feedback.
MPRB Senior Planner and Project Manager Carrie Christensen said that two concepts will be ready for the public to review, starting online July 14th and at MPRB’s Community Advisory Committee bus tour. There will also be two community events, one the week of July 16 and the other on July 21st where the proposals will be available for viewing. She added that one final plan for each park, based on community feedback, will be developed in August.
The full draft master plan will go online in early fall for the 45-day public comment period. After the review period, the design team will make a final plan revision, then submitting it for public hearings by the end of 2018.
Perkins + Will Project Manager John Slack said, of the project, “This plan will create one overarching vision for a complex park system that encompasses more than 487 acres of parks and trails woven throughout Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis while celebrating the diversity of 19 individual neighborhoods and their residents. We are excited to work with those residents and create lasting outcomes for the community.”
At Thursday’s open house, the plans on display were broken into six geographic groups, each of which included five to nine parks or trails. Visitors were encouraged to question team members about details, and fill out comment cards or post notes with comments.
A new feature at this event was the inclusion of a Youth Design Team, high-school students who are hired to work closely with Park Board staff and design consultants throughout the process “to ensure that youth hopes, needs and insights are incorporated into the master plan.” Youth Design Team Coordinator Zoe Holloman said that team members will do walking audits and site analysis of the parks. Six team members from Edison and two from De La Salle were present at the event, and the team submitted eleven park designs of its own. Youth Design Team members work five hours a week from September 2017 through September 2018. The Team application includes: “Assisting MPRB staff in “Broad community engagement and help design and engage in community engagement events and activities,” and receiving training in park planning, racial equity, cultural competency, and “MPRB 101.”
Below: Staff member Jordan Nelson (right) and attendees stand among plans laid out on the floor to provide a better bearing on the lay of the land. (Photo by Mark Peterson)