Final Cedar-Isles Master Plan Community Advisory Committee meeting is August 23, 6-8 pm

Posted on 22 August, 2022

The Community Advisory Committee will make its final recommendations during meeting 6-8 pm at MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road

Full plan document will be written based on CAC recommendations and published for 45-day comment period by the end of the year

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Master Plan process since it launched in late 2019! Across a period of nearly three years, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MRPB) hosted dozens of public meetings and informal events to get feedback on the future of Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Kenilworth Channel, Dean Parkway and a section of Cedar Lake Regional Trail. Two iterations of park concepts garnered thousands of public comments.

The final Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 6-8 pm at Mary Merrill MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road. At the meeting, the CAC will vote on the Preferred Park Concept, including final Water Quality, Circulation, and Cedar Lake Restoration recommendations. The CAC will also provide input on prominent topics identified through community engagement, like restrooms and whether to include a picnic shelter.

Public comment time is scheduled ahead of final voting. CAC recommendations will be incorporated into a draft plan that will be published for a 45-day public comment during winter 2022-23.

Meeting Agenda

6:00-6:10: Introduction
6:10-6:20: Circulation Subcommittee share-out
6:20-6:40: CAC discussion on community engagement topics
6:40-6:55: Public comment time
6:55-7:50: Final CAC votes
7:50-8:00: Next steps

Meeting Materials

Use the links under “About the Master Plan” to view the most recent proposed plans and give feedback in an online survey. The survey closes Aug. 23.

About the CAC Process

All of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s current Master Plans were developed with a Community Advisory Committee, or CAC, whose members are appointed by staff and commissioners of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) to vet and refine ideas incorporated in the final master plan document.

The CAC process is iterative. It is designed to allow the committee to continuously adapt and respond to public feedback, up until it makes its final recommendations. Ideas may be adjusted and revisited throughout the process, based on feedback received from a wide variety of people and organizations that are invested and interested in the future of the park.

After the CAC makes its final recommendations, project staff create a draft plan that is released for a 45-day public comment period. Changes are made to the draft plan based on that feedback period, and a final draft version is brought to the Board of Commissioners.

About the Master Plan

Master Plans outline how parks are cared for and how investments are made in improving and maintaining parks. Development of the Cedar-Isles Master Plan is the final part of a decade-long process at MPRB that has created and approved master plans for every park in the Minneapolis park system.

The Cedar-Isles Master Plan is a 20-30-year plan dedicated to Cedar Lake, a portion of Cedar Lake Regional Trail, Lake of the Isles and Dean Parkway. The master plan will outline long-term strategies to maintain and improve the two lakes and surrounding parkland and trails. These park spaces are part of Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park, the most popular park in Minnesota, with more than 7 million visits last year. It draws people from across Minneapolis, the metro area, and the entire state.

The latest version of the Cedar-Isles Master Plan, known as the “Cedar-Isles Preferred Park Concept,” was published for public feedback in June 2022. The CAC will be making its final updates and recommendations to the proposals in the Cedar-Isles Preferred Park Concept.

Use these links to view the preferred park concept and send feedback:

Cedar-Isles Preferred Park Concept 

Cedar-Isles Master Plan Survey

The survey closes August 23.

Instagram Stories

Another option to provide feedback is through three Instagram Stories, created to explain specific topics emphasized in the preferred draft plan. View them to learn more and give feedback on proposals within these topics.

Master Plan Schedule

Fall 2022: Preferred Park Concept updated based on feedback from the public, MPRB staff and final CAC recommendations

Late Fall/Early Winter 2022: Full draft plan document published and 45-day public comment period, likely late fall or early winter.

Winter 2022-2023: Full draft plan document and public comment summary presented to MPRB Commissioners; formal public hearing and vote on the final plan

Moving Forward

No immediate major changes or projects based on the Cedar-Isles Master Plan are scheduled, following plan approval. Smaller scale projects that can be completed by MPRB or City of Minneapolis staff could be implemented within a year; these could include safety upgrades at critical intersections, new or repaired paths, or adding seasonal bathrooms.

A major benefit, and primary reason, for completing a park master plan is that it allows the MPRB to seek or capitalize on opportunities to improve parkland. When volunteers, philanthropic organizations, or regional, state or federal funding agencies express interest in supporting the regional park system, the MPRB will have a community-vetted plan for potential partners to follow.

Meeting Recaps

Park Board Announcements

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