Second of two public hearings scheduled at 6:15 pm in the Board Room at Mary Merrill Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Headquarters
A public hearing on the proposed name “Bridal Veil Gardens” for the recently developed park at the Towerside site in Prospect Park neighborhood is scheduled Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 6:15 pm. The hearing will take place in the Board Room at Mary Merrill Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Headquarters, 2117 West River Road.
The name “Bridal Veil Gardens” was suggested by community stakeholders and nominated by MPRB Commissioners in November 2021 (Resolution 2021-352). Bridal Veil is the name of the sub-watershed for the park site and creek that used to flow through the area, down to Bridal Veil Falls. See “Background Information” below for more.
This is the second of two public hearings for naming the new park. After this hearing, MPRB Commissioners will vote on the name at another Board meeting later this summer.
Participate in the Public Hearing
Speak in person: Go to the MPRB Headquarters Board Room (second floor) before the hearing begins and add your name to the sign-up sheet at the Board Room entrance. You can also call 612-230-6400 before 3 pm on June 15 to sign up to speak.
Send written comments: Email your comments to jringold@minneapolisparks.org by 12 pm on June 15.
Background Information
The property at 2905 4th St. SE was acquired by the MPRB in 2019. Located across from the Prospect Park Light Rail Station, it fills a park gap in the Prospect Park neighborhood and the Towerside Innovation District, a rapidly growing district home to new residential and commercial development.
Community engagement to collect and vet potential names for the new park was conducted in 2017-18 and again in 2021. “Bridal Veil Gardens” was one of the most prominent names among survey respondents during both stages of engagement. It also meets the criteria for naming established by MPRB Commissioners in Spring 2021 by telling an underrepresented story of the geological features of the site. Bridal Veil is the name of the creek and sub-watershed that runs under the district and park.
Before it became a park, the site hosted a community garden owned by a developer. The park still includes a community garden, now run by the MPRB, as well as a new transit plaza, picnic pavilion, open green space, and gathering opportunities. The neighboring district stormwater site provides irrigation for the community garden plots and lawn area.