What's New
Park’s final design will have a public hearing and be presented to the Board on Wednesday, March 18 at 6:30pm The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board thanks everyone who has […]
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) thanks everyone who has shared in developing the 10- to 20-year vision plan for East Phillips Park! Following feedback on three initial concepts for […]
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) thanks everyone who shared in developing the 10- to 20-year vision for East Phillips Park! Following feedback on the three initial concepts shared earlier […]
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Timeline
Milestones (anticipated project schedule by month/season)
Summer 2023/Fall 2023: Park Plan start-up: Preliminary conversations with community partners to assess upcoming issues, landscape analysis, identify engagement strategies, identify consultants for project, complete/update boundary and topographic surveys for both parks.
Fall 2023-Summer 2024: Discovery and Assessment: work closely with the project team, community partners, and groups to research, assess, map, and begin to understand physical and social conditions for the park and recreation needs. Engage community about the vision for these parks.
Summer 2024-Winter 2024: Park Planning: Initiate park planning design iterations for the public for East Phillips Park and Cedar Field Park. Staff will rely heavily on input from the general public, as well as engage significantly with established neighborhood organizations and service and outreach providers that work with diverse populations.
Park Plan Approval: Spring 2025: This will include a public comment period and final approval by the board of directors.
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Upcoming Meetings
There are currently no meetings scheduled.
Background & Funding
Background
MPRB Park Planning History In 2016, MPRB adopted the South Service Area Master Plan (SSAMP), which planned 26 of the 30 neighborhood parks in south Minneapolis. The borders of the park planning area stretched from I-35W on the west to the eastern city limit and is bounded on the north by the I-94/I-35W loop around downtown.
During the SSAMP planning process, East Phillips Park was one of four parks that did not get planned at that time. The narrative in SSAMP explains: “East Phillips Park is considered a “special case” in the SSAMP process. No park plan has yet been created for this park. Because this park recently underwent a master planning process that concluded in 2010 with implementation of many facilities in the park, it was considered by the community to be too soon to master plan it again. Therefore, no master plan is included in the SSAMP. Instead, a full master plan for the park will be performed at which time the first major asset in the park needs replacement… replacement of that asset will trigger a community-engaged master plan to create a new vision for the entire park. That plan will then be amended into the SSAMP.”
Existing East Phillips Park amenities include a rec center, softball and baseball fields, basketball court, picnic area, playground space, indoor and outdoor bathrooms, and wading pool.
A park plan for Cedar Field Avenue Park was also not initially included in the adopted SSAMP document, due to challenges with achieving adequate community engagement. However, a separate planning process immediately following SSAMP did create a plan for Cedar Field, which was then amended into the SSAMP document. The vision includes retaining and upgrading the playground, basketball court, and multi-use diamond court, plus added new elements such as a formalized outdoor gathering space, interactive water feature, a picnic shelter, linear skate park, and volleyball court.
CIP funding is now available at both parks in the East Phillips neighborhood which has spurred this recent planning process. This park planning process is intended to be added as an amendment to the existing South Service Area Master Plan (SSAMP).
Since 2016, MPRB staff have received feedback from community members, specifically staff who work with Native youth at Little Earth, that the design for Cedar Field Avenue proposed in 2016 may not adequately address to needs of Native youth or the ongoing safety issues that Little Earth residents experience in and around the park.
Additionally, MPRB staff have also learned that even though East Phillips Park and Cedar Field Park are one block away from each other, some residents don’t necessarily see both parks as being welcoming or accessible to them, so they only visit one park or the other.
For these reasons, MPRB staff believe it is important to revisit the park planning conversation for Cedar Field Park and surrounding areas at the same time we plan East Phillips Park to ensure Native youth voices are adequately represented in the final design. It will be important for both park designs to speak and align with each other as they are only one block apart from one another but provide very different resources in the community and are often used by different demographics in the neighborhood.
Funding
Funding Sources: NPP20 $300,000
Past Designs
Cedar Field Avenue Park Designs
The East Phillips Open Spaces Planning Project is creating a 20–30-year design for both Cedar Avenue Field Park and East Phillips Park in the East Phillips neighborhood. There is some funding to do improvements at each park once the designs are finalized.
Since fall of 2023, MPRB has been building relationships with East Phillips residents and learning what residents want for both Cedar Avenue Field Park and East Phillips Park.
Cedar Avenue Field Park
Based off of feedback, in November 2024, MPRB released three initial concept designs for Cedar Avenue Field Park. MPRB staff conducted engagement to get feedback on the three designs into early 2025.
In early 2025, MPRB released a draft preferred design for Cedar Avenue Field Park and staff did a final round of engagement to confirm the design is community vetted.
Concluding this final round of engagement, MPRB planning staff brought the final design for Cedar Avenue Field to the Board of Commissioners for approval in July of 2025.
East Phillips Park
Based off of community feedback, in April 2025, MPRB released three initial concept designs for East Phillips Park. MPRB staff did engagement in the neighborhood into summer 2025
In fall of 2025 MPRB will be releasing a draft preferred design for East Phillips Park and will be doing a final round of engagement to ensure the design is community vetted before bringing the design to the board later in 2026.
Photos
Dunk tank fun at MPRB’s Kickoff Event Summer 2024 at East Phillips Park
Little Earth Drummers Traditional Welcome at MPRB’s Kickoff Event Summer 2024 at Cedar Avenue Field Park
East Phillips community members discussing future possible park improvements with MPRB staff at East Phillips Park.
Getting resident feedback on the parks at Cedar Avenue Field Park.
Design consultants engaging with youth at Cedar Avenue Field Park.
Youth soccer players at East Phillips Park offering their input for the park.
Getting resident feedback on the parks at Cedar Avenue Field Park.
