Hearing will be held in second-floor Board Room at MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is hosting a public hearing on the Midtown Greenway Regional Trail Plan on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. The hearing will begin at 6:45 pm in the second-floor Board Room at Mary Merrill MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road.
The final Midtown Greenway Regional Trail Plan (Midtown Greenway Plan) document will be posted on the project page when the agenda for the Nov. 20 MPRB Meeting is posted, likely Friday, Nov. 15.
After the public hearing, the MPRB Planning Committee will consider the plan. If it passes the Planning Committee, the plan will be scheduled for consideration for final approval by the full Board of Park Commissioners at its next meeting, Dec. 4, 2024.
Participate in the Public Hearing
Speak in person: Go to MPRB Headquarters on the day of the hearing and add your name to the sign-up sheet at the front desk. You can also call 612-230-6400 before 3 pm on the day of the hearing to sign up to speak.
Email written comments: Email your comments to opentime@minneapolisparks.org by 3 pm on the day of the hearing. Comments will be included in the public record of the meeting.
Project Background
This work stems from Resolution 2023-127, in which MPRB Commissioners directed staff to prepare a regional trail plan for the Midtown Greenway.
The underlying landowners of the Midtown Greenway are the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) or the City of Minneapolis, depending on the trail segment. The City of Minneapolis owns the trail and both the HCRRA and City operate and maintain the trail.
The MPRB has not formally been involved in the Midtown Greenway since its inception; however, the MPRB is the only agency within the City of Minneapolis that is eligible for regional park and trail funding. Therefore, the MPRB’s involvement was requested to obtain regional trail status for the Midtown Greenway and use some of that funding on the trail.
This trail planning process resulted in a written and graphic document that fulfills regional plan requirements outlined by the Metropolitan Council. It also includes an Agreement between the City of Minneapolis, HCRRA, and MPRB focused on ownership, operations and use of regional funding for the Midtown Greenway if it receives status as a regional trail.
The regional trail plan document builds on design work, community engagement, analysis, recommendations and completed projects from other agencies, organizations, and the community since the inception of the Midtown Greenway. The document includes MPRB-adopted park plans for applicable locations being incorporated into the regional trail boundary.
Community engagement focused on areas with low-cost amenities, wayfinding, and ecological enhancements through the trail. This plan reflects the feedback from prior plans as well as recommendations from the projects advisory committees, operations workgroup, and trail users.
If a Regional Trail Plan for the Midtown Greenway is approved by MPRB Commissioners and the Metropolitan Council, the Greenway would receive regional trail status and be eligible for regional funding sources. Additionally, as part of the regional park system, the Midtown Greenway would be incorporated into the Metropolitan Council’s Annual Use Estimates, Visitor Study, and potentially other Council research.