From 'Design' to 'Initiative' on the Minneapolis riverfront

The Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative is developing a strategy for implementing an innovative park design along the Mississippi River upstream of St. Anthony Falls.

Rendering from TLS/KVA

The Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition wrapped up earlier this year, now the winning design team is working with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) to plan an implementation Strategy.

Renamed as the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative (MRDI), a series of meetings were held in April to engage the community and kick off the project's next phase. Designers from the winning team TLS/KVA were in town to meet with a steering committee of civic and business leaders, a technical advisory committee and a community advisory committee, as well to participate in three public meetings. TLS/KVA designers presented and discussed their winning vision/proposal, "RiverFirst," and committee participants asked questions and offered community perspectives on various design elements.

Members of the Community Advisory Committee (which FMR is part of) had several questions about how "RiverFirst" will fit with Minneapolis's Above the Falls Master Plan, and emphasized that city planners need to be involved to coordinate park and city policies and help ensure shared goals. "RiverFirst" designers and MRDI staff replied that this process is intended to "build on the Above the Falls plan, not to replace it."

Additional community meetings and workshops are planned for spring and summer. At the end of this transitional process, MPRB expects to have identified a project to be implemented within the next five years. Visit the MRDI website and stay tuned for additional information and upcoming meeting announcements!

Additional information is available in the recent article by Anna Pratt in The Line, and in this brief Kare11 announcement of the April community meetings.