Southwest Parks Plan Update: Summer meeting schedule set; preferred park concepts debut soon
Posted on 15 May, 2019Preferred concept for each park property will be available for review online by the end of May
Community Advisory Committee meetings scheduled June 6, 10 and 25; July 11 and 25 if necessary
We’ve entering the preferred concept stage of the Southwest Service Area Master Plan, called the Southwest Parks Plan for short. This master plan will create new, long-term plans for all Minneapolis neighborhood park properties south of I-394 and west of I-35W.
What’s happened so far
Spring 2018: The project launches and its first Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting is held on May 22.
CAC Meeting #1 Recap
Summer 2018: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) staff conduct community engagement to raise project awareness and begin gathering feedback on Southwest Minneapolis neighborhood parks. Staff attend more than 100 community meetings and public events, open an online survey, conduct interviews and visit all 21 Southwest Minneapolis neighborhood organizations.
CAC Meeting #2 Recap, CAC Meeting #3 Recap
Fall 2018: Months of engaging with Southwest Minneapolis parks users culminates in Design Week, a four-day effort in which project designers set up an open working design studio at MPRB Headquarters to create the first drafts of park plans. Feedback from two public events held during Design Week, along with all of the information collected through previous community engagement, shapes the development of these initial park concepts.
CAC Meeting #4 Recap, CAC Meeting #5 Recap, Design Week News Release (CAC Meeting #6 held during Design Week)
Winter 2018-19: Project designers spend several months honing the park concepts, then publish the initial concept drafts on Feb. 1, 2019. Two concepts are created for most of the 43 park properties (parks, park triangles, parkways, roads and trails) included in the SW Parks Plan. New proposed parks and trails are also included.
Four community workshops are held to get feedback on the draft concepts, along with focus groups and interviews. Staff attend neighborhood meetings and post another online survey. More than 3,000 comments are received both in person and online.
Draft Park Concepts News Release
Spring 2019: Big questions raised through community feedback are discussed and considered by the CAC, MPRB staff and stakeholders in the range of park properties included in the SW Parks Plan. Park designers work to incorporate feedback into creating one preferred concept for each park property.
CAC Meeting #7 Recap
What happens next
A preferred concept for each park property will be published online by the end of May, along with another online survey for public feedback. The CAC will meet several times to discuss the preferred concepts, provide direction to project staff, and ultimately make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners.
The CAC meeting schedule has been updated for the remainder of the project. See the full schedule below for details. All CAC meetings are open to the public and anyone interested in the refinement of these park concepts is encouraged to attend!
Snacks, refreshments and passive children’s activities are provided. Please contact Cindy Anderson at 612-230-6472 or canderson@minneapolisparks.org to request language, access or interpretation accommodations.
CAC Meeting #8
Thursday, June 6, 201, 6-8 pm
Painter Recreation Center, 620 W 34th St.
CAC Meeting #9
Monday, June 10, 2019, 6-8 pm
Bryant Square Recreation Center, 3101 Bryant Ave. S
CAC Meeting #10
Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 6-8 pm
Fuller Recreation Center, 4802 Grand Ave. S
CAC Meeting #11 *IF NECESSARY
Thursday, July 11 2019, 6-8 pm
Lynnhurst Recreation Center, 1345 W Minnehaha Parkway
CAC Meeting #12 *IF NECESSARY
Thursday, July 25, 2019, 6-8 pm
Pershing Recreation Center, 3523 W 48th St.
Minnehaha Creek Master Plan
If you’re interested in the Southwest Parks Plan, you may also be interested in the Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan (called Minnehaha Creek Master Plan for short). The Minnehaha Creek Master Plan is planning parkland surrounding the creek between Minnehaha Regional Park and the western city boundary.
The Minnehaha Creek Master Plan is following a similar schedule to the SW Parks Plan. The CAC recently discussed big questions uncovered during the development of initial Minnehaha Creek park concepts and preferred concepts will be published this summer. Follow the link below for more information on that project.