Downtown Minneapolis riverfront park plan nears completion

Mississippi River at St. Anthony Falls

Photo: Angie Hong

Since early 2013, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has been diligently gathering stakeholder input into their draft Saint Anthony Falls Regional Park (SAFRP) Master Plan. The plan will provide an updated vision of the Minneapolis riverfront park between the Plymouth Avenue Bridge to the north and the 35W Bridge to the south.

The draft plan is expected to be released publically at the December 3, 2014 MPRB Board meeting. You may double-check this date as it approaches by viewing the MPRB meeting agenda. When released, the plan will be available on the MPRB SAFRP Master Plan page. The plans release will mark the beginning of a 45-day comment period expected to run from December 4, 2014 to January 18, 2015. Comments can be submitted to MPRBs Tyler Pederson at tpederson@minneapolisparks.org.

FMR has been actively involved throughout this planning process with participation on both the Citizen Advisory Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee. If you are interested in hearing the Citizen Advisory Committees findings, you may attend the December 17, 2014 MPRB Board meeting.

FMR is pleased to see that the draft plan includes recommendations for updating roads and trails to favor non-motorized transportation, better way-finding and signage for bicyclists and pedestrians, improved water access and canoe portage routes, and better connectivity to local amenities and transit. The plan also takes a bold approach to identifying land that still needs to be acquired and establishing goals for park expansion where feasible.

The plan has been done in tandem with the Waterworks planning process. Waterworks is a three block long site within the Saint Anthony Falls Regional Park at the west end of the Stone Arch Bridge. The plan for this portion of the SAFRP includes a touch the water point, improved bike and pedestrian flow along the parkway and to the Stone Arch Bridge, and restoration of the Columbia and Cataract Mills ruins. More details and renderings of these improvements are shown in The Journals Final design of Water Works complete; fundraising next article.

FMR urges all interested river-lovers to review the St. Anthony Falls Regional Park Plan as well as the Waterworks Plan and provide comments to help move this great vision forward.

The tentative schedule moving into 2015 includes a MPRB public hearing and full board resolution in February and Metropolitan Councils plan adoption in the spring.

Additional questions can be directed to Alicia Uzarek at 651-222-293 x29 or Irene Jones x11.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 20, 2024 - 9:30am to 12:00pm
West River Parkway and 36th Street/44th Street, Minneapolis
Applications due Friday, May 3 by 5 p.m.
Virtual and in-person
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Hampton Woods Wildlife Management Area