Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan Update An updated master plan for the regional park system along the Upper Mississippi River.

Funding Sources

The 2019 update is funded through the 2019 Parks and Trails Fund.

History

MPRB created the Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan (ATF Plan) in 2013 and updated it in 2019.  The 2013 ATF Plan is based on two plans previously adopted by MPRB and extensive public engagement stretching over several years. In 2013, MPRB opened a 45-day public comment period for a Draft ATF Plan based on more than a year of research and community engagement completed. The 2019 update aims to integrate components of the RiverFirst vision and fulfill the Metropolitan Council’s requirements for regional park plans. In 2013, the City adopted an Above the Falls Master Plan Update, which guides redevelopment of areas around the planned regional park.  In the two 2013 plans, the City and MPRB recommended different boundaries for the regional park at the City owned Upper Harbor Terminal site.  City and MPRB needed to establish an agreed-upon boundary before MPRB and Met Council could approve the ATF Plan.  Since late 2015, City and MPRB staff have conducted engagement and planning work around the UHT to help inform a regional park boundary.  Guided first by a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies, and, since 2017, a three-way Exclusive Rights Agreement between the City, MPRB, and a development team, the group has created a concept plan that includes a regional park boundary. MPRB has updated the ATF plan with the proposed UHT boundary and has added an appendix to supplement the original work. Given the five-year time lapse and the additional materials, staff recommends a new comment period in 2019 for community members to provide input. The ATF Plan will guide park land acquisition, development, and management for the areas along both sides of the Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis, between the Camden Bridge to the Plymouth Bridge. The plan describes a sustainable balance of recreation, ecology, and culture within ATF Regional Park.  It also presents strategies for project implementation and park management, including costs and maintenance practices. ATF Regional Park will be a catalyst for the revitalization of the upper river area by creating a framework of recreation and restored ecological function.  Eventually, the regional park boundary will encompass continuous public parks and trails, an extended West River Parkway, riverfront access points, significant park components, and habitat and water-quality enhancements.