Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board renames portion of Riverside Park to honor late Commissioner Annie Young; will consider renaming entire park after public hearing

Posted on 8 February, 2018

At its Feb. 7, 2018 meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) of Commissioners passed an amended resolution that renames the area within the Riverside Park along West River Parkway, formerly called Lower Riverside Park, to Annie Young Meadow. The amended resolution also included direction for a public hearing to be held within 45 days to gather community input on renaming Riverside Park to Annie Young Riverside Park.

Another notification will be sent as soon as the date, time and location of the public hearing are determined. Information on all MPRB public hearings is posted at www.minneapolisparks.org/public_meetings. Also, subscribe to News Updates at www.minneapolisparks.org/subscribe to stay informed.

Young served seven consecutive terms representing the entire city as an At Large Commissioner, from January 1990 until December 2017, making her one of the two longest-serving commissioners in the MPRB’s 134-year history. She passed away last month at the age of 75.

Young was a lifelong environmentalist who spearheaded solar energy use in parks, clean water initiatives and a 95% reduction in chemical pesticide application on Minneapolis park land. She was also a powerful Mississippi River advocate, instrumental in the creation, development and stewardship of riverfront park land, which includes Riverside Park.

Riverside Park was one of the first parks established in Minneapolis. It is located at 2820 S Eighth St. and encompasses 28 acres of riverfront land on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. In 2005, MPRB Commissioner John Erwin nominated that an area within Riverside Park called Lower Riverside Park be renamed after Young. According to current Board President Brad Bourn, there has been strong support among past and current Board members for renaming the park in honor of Young and discussions were underway to do so after she retired from the Board.