Take survey available in English or Spanish and submit your Community Collaborator idea by October 30
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) just started a new project that will create a cohesive long-term plan for parks in East Phillips neighborhood. This includes East Phillips Park, Cedar Avenue Field Park, and exploring additional options in the neighborhood to create a more comprehensive and intersectional vision for parks and recreation opportunities in East Phillips.
Online Survey
Tell us what you would like to see at East Phillips and Cedar Avenue Field! A new online survey is available is available in English and Spanish.
Share your input about East Phillips Parks!
¡Díganos qué piensa acerca de sus parques locales!
Community Collaborators
The MPRB is seeking Community Collaborators applications for the project. This initiative is a paid opportunity for community members, groups, and organizations to engage with East Phillips residents about parks and recreation in the neighborhood.
The results will help create park designs and inform project priorities for the East Phillips Open Spaces Plan. Proposals will be competitive, and those that are selected will receive funding to implement their idea.
Examples of engagement could include but is not limited to:
- Virtual coffee hour with community members
- Story campaign with video interviews
- Community open house
- Focus group or community conversation
Are you, your organization, or an organization you know or work with involved in East Phillips neighborhood issues, or parks and recreation programs? Develop an idea and apply by Monday, Oct. 30, 2023! Use the link below to apply online:
Community Collaborator Application
Project Background
In 2016, MPRB adopted the South Service Area Master Plan (SSAMP), which planned 26 of the 30 neighborhood parks in south Minneapolis.
East Phillips Park did not receive a park plan in the SSAMP because it had been recently redeveloped in 2009-2011, with a new community center, athletic fields and outdoor sport courts built at the park. Now East Phillips and Cedar Avenue Field have funding available for park improvements starting in 2025, so work needs to happen to determine how the communities in the neighborhood would like to see that funding used.
Cedar Avenue Field Park has a long-term plan that 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.
Since that plan was approved by MPRB in 2017, MPRB staff have received feedback that the design for Cedar Field Avenue may not adequately address the ongoing safety issues that Little Earth and East Phillips residents experience in and around the park and that the design might not support all park user groups.
Additionally, since East Phillips Park and Cedar Field Park are one block away from each other, MPRB staff believes it is important to look at both park designs at the same time to make sure that the resources and amenities work well with each other and best serve the residents of the neighborhood.