MPRB has been exploring bringing the Midtown Greenway into the regional parks and trails system. In order to bring the trail into the regional trail system, a master plan needs to be developed and approved by MPRB and the Met Council. This significant trail is fully built and has been a critical part of the Twin Cities trail network, but the master plan is a necessary next step for full inclusion in the Regional Park and Trail system and to clarify MPRB’s role in ownership and operations of the trail. The Greenway is owned by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA), which maintains it as a future transit corridor, and they will continue to be the underlying land owner with or without Regional Trail status. The City of Minneapolis operates the trail and performs trail maintenance. The Metropolitan Council oversees and distributes funding to maintain nearly 400 miles of regional trails in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The Met Council identified the Midtown Greenway as a new potential regional trail in a 2020 update to its Regional Parks Policy Plan. Building off the 2020 Met Council trail search corridor designation, in 2022 MPRB staff began a formal due diligence process and prepared for the launch of a regional trail plan.
Due Diligence Process:
The due diligence process assembled staff from across the MPRB and agency partners to perform an in-depth assessment of current Greenway operations and estimate MPRB resources required to assume responsibility for the trail. This included:
- Analyzing current roles in operating and maintaining the Greenway
- Analyzing current costs and estimating MPRB costs for operations, maintenance and future capital improvements
- Obtaining funding allocation estimates from Met Council
- Creating a Technical Advisory Committee comprised of agency partners to discuss current operations
- Creating a Project Advisory Committee comprised of MPRB staff to discuss potential future operations
- Exploring different scenarios for operations
- Completing an inventory of natural resources along the trail
Due Diligence Findings:
The MPRB identified major concerns during the due diligence process. These concerns were discussed at a March 15, 2023 Board of Commissioners meeting.
Fiscal Responsibility:
The MPRB is already facing limited staff capacity to maintain its regional trail network, which is underfunded and in need of significant repair and improvement. If the Greenway was formally added to this system and funded as a regional trail, the MPRB estimates operations costs would be almost 10 times the amount that would be provided by Met Council given current service levels, and the Board of Commissioners has concerns. Adding the Greenway to the MPRB regional trail system would place a burden on the current park system and Minneapolis taxpayers.
Safety Considerations:
Currently the Hennepin County Sherriff’s Office, Minneapolis Police Department and contracted security companies handle security, safety and emergency response along the Greenway. MPRB raised concerns about getting involved in an already complicated overlay of responsibilities and law enforcement jurisdictions. Park Police and MPRB staff also raised concerns over challenging safety and security conditions along the Greenway, which is in a trench with limited visibility.
Public Accountability:
Under all scenarios explored by the MPRB, HCRRA would continue to own the Greenway and the City of Minneapolis would continue to play a role in operations. As the landowner, HCRRA policies could conflict with MPRB park and trail policies in areas like access, environmental stewardship and events and permitting. In addition, MPRB involvement in the trail would further muddy public accountability around Greenway customer service, liability, and law enforcement, as outlined above.
The MPRB recognizes the importance of the Greenway to recreation and transportation in Minneapolis and appreciates the work of its partners to maintain it. During the due diligence process, stakeholders repeatedly mentioned plowing and maintenance are already generally working well.
The Board of Commissioners conversation at the March 15th board meeting can be viewed online (around the 1:19 mark). The attached presentation is what was shared by staff on March 15th to the Board to summarize the Due Diligence period findings. The plan and funding eligibility are guided by the Regional Parks Policy Plan.