Graco Park and East Bank Trail Improvements

Project Milestones

2025

• Graco Park to Boom Island underpass, trail connections, and intersection improvements construction.
• Winter 2025 – Construction begins on pedestrian and bicycle bridge
• April 2025 – Temporary closure of Plymouth Avenue Bridge to facilitate construction of new Underpass.

2023-2024

• Park, park building and trail construction

Summer 2022

• Create detailed design drawing and construction documents, solicit bids from construction contractors

Spring 2022

• Public hearing and final concept approval

Winter 2021-2022

• Final design concept developed
• Permitting process

Spring-Fall 2021

• Graco Park/Lot 2 design process and community engagement based on approved master plan and Graco settlement to develop design concepts for park details, trail connections and building concept.

2020

• Design team hired to design Graco Park based on master plan and Graco settlement

2018-2019

• Graco litigation and settlement with MPRB

Winter/Spring 2017

• Developer creation of concept plans and review by CAC

Fall/Winter 2016

• Selection of development team

Fall 2016

• Formation of a Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Creation of “Request for Letter of Interest” to engage a development team

July and August 2016

• Project kick-off. Initial meetings with community stakeholders for input on the proposed community engagement and developer solicitation process

In 2010, the MPRB and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, along with creative partners The University of Minnesota College of Design and Walker Art Center, launched an international design competition to address the area of the Mississippi River extending from the Stone Arch Bridge, north 5.5 miles to Minneapolis’ city limits, including land along both sides of the river.

The competition culminated in 2011 when MPRB established the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative (MRIDI) as an interdisciplinary, comprehensive and integrated planning endeavor to follow through with the promise of the competition: to connect citizens and visitors with the new multi-functional Upper Riverfront parks. The “RiverFIRST” vision emerged from MRIDI as a 20‐year vision for Mississippi-riverfront parks that builds on our community’s rich river heritage and passion for parks, nature and wildlife to create places on “America’s fourth coast” where neighborhoods and businesses can grow and people from near and far can experience one of the four great rivers of the world through world-class recreational and cultural activities.

Following stakeholder engagement process and a standard 45-day comment period, the Board approved the RiverFIRST vision in March 2012 and authorized staff to pursue next steps including contracting with Tom Leader Studio (TLS) and Kennedy & Violich Architecture (KVA) design team for schematic design work on select RiverFIRST projects, including the former Scherer Bros. lumber yard.

Following adoption of RiverFIRST, MPRB also created the Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan (2013 ATF Park Plan) to further guide development and identify near term regional park priorities – again identifying the Scherer Bros. site as a priority.

A couple of different funding and development models were explored for Parcel ‘D’ including private development and a ground lease of the site as well as an MPRB managed site. The project was put on hold in 2018 during the period of the Graco litigation. With the settlement now in place and the sale of a portion of Parcel D to Graco, the Parcel D project has taken a new course.