The East Phillips Open Spaces Park Plan will create a 20- to 30-year vision for Cedar Avenue Field Park and East Phillips Park in the East Philips neighborhood. The ‘vision’ includes an updated design for each park and policy recommendations that MPRB would work to implement over the next 20-30 years.
The project team spent the summer attending events and speaking with residents about their vision for the park. The highlight of the summer was the East Phillips Open Spaces Kick-off on July 16: a community-wide celebration to bring neighborhood residents into the process to share their ideas.
Beginning in the afternoon and extending into the evening, the event created an open dialog between the Park Board, community partners, and community members in one of Minneapolis’ most diverse and historically underrepresented neighborhoods.
The idea for a kickoff celebration was sparked during a spring park event hosted with the East Phillips Improvement Coalition, when youth shared their vision for a community park focused on safety, programming and support.
Inspired by their ideas, the Park Board reached out to partners to organize a celebration that reflected their vision and embraced the neighborhood’s culture. It featured several hours of community building at Cedar Avenue Field Park, then transitioned with a lively march to East Phillips Park.
Activities at each park were a vibrant mix of cultural welcome, games, activities, community engagement, bingo, and even a dunk tank! Indian Tacos, sambusas, popsicles and drinks were served and safety was a priority, with support from Minneapolis Police, Park Police, and community volunteers led by the American Indian Movement. The positive atmosphere allowed officers to interact and play games with youth.
MPRB extends our gratitude to everyone who came out to the parks to celebrate, and to the community partners whose support was essential to the success of this event:
- Little Earth Residents Association
- Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI)
- Midtown Greenway Coalition
- Pow Wow Grounds
- Hufan Restaurant
- Little Earth Drummers
- Little Earth Protectors
- East Phillips Improvement Coalition
- American Indian Movement
- Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue
Lastly, a heartfelt thank-you to the youth whose vision inspired this celebration.
What’s happening now? What’s coming soon?
MPRB staff are:
- Working on design options for Cedar Avenue Field Park improvements that we will share with the community in October
- Continuing to gather feedback from residents about improvements for East Phillips Park – and planning to create and share design options for this park in January 2025
- Stay tuned for more opportunities to share your thoughts, ideas, opinions and concerns on improving both of these East Phillips neighborhood parks!