On February 14 the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) published an update to the Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan (ATF Plan) for a 45-day public comment period ending Sunday, April 1. Above the Falls Regional Park covers riverfront parkland in North and Northeast Minneapolis between the Plymouth and Camden Bridges.
Go to minneapolisparks.org/project_updates/above-the-falls-regional-park-master-plan-update-published-for-45-day-public-comment-period/and follow the links to view and comment on the updated plan. Paper copies and feedback surveys are also available at Botttineau, Farview, Folwell, Logan, North Commons and Webber Recreation Centers, as well as Carl W. Kroening Interpretive Center and Mary Merrill MPRB Headquarters.
The updated ATF Plan is sorted into a User Guide, Table of Contents/Executive Summary, 12 sections covering various aspects of the regional park, and two appendices. Find the 2019 User Guide at minneapolisparks.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/02/abfrpmpu_2019_user_guide.pdf. Find the table of Contents and Executive Summary at minneapolisparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/abfrpmpu_0_table_of_contents.pdf.
After the public comment period closes on April 1, MPRB staff will compile and analyze feedback received and potentially adjust the plan. Then the Board of Commissioners will host a public hearing before considering its approval.
Project Background: In 2013 the MPRB created the Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan and the City adopted its Above the Falls Master Plan Update, which guides redevelopment of areas around the planned regional park.
In the 2013 plans, the City and MPRB recommended different boundaries for a regional park at the City-owned Upper Harbor Terminal (UHT) site. City and MPRB staff have conducted engagement and planning work around the UHT site since late 2015 to help inform a regional park boundary.
Guided first by a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies and a three-way Exclusive Rights Agreement between the City, MPRB and a development team, the group has created a concept plan that includes a regional park boundary. Now the MPRB has updated the ATF Plan and included the proposed UHT regional park boundary with new appendices to supplement the original work.
About the Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan: The ATF Plan will guide park land acquisition, development and management for riverfront parkland in North and Northeast Minneapolis between the Plymouth and Camden bridges. The plan describes a sustainable balance of recreation, ecology, and culture within ATF Regional Park. It also presents strategies for project implementation and park management, including costs and maintenance practices.
ATF Regional Park will be a catalyst for the revitalization of the upper river area by creating a framework of recreation and restored ecological function. Eventually, the regional park boundary will encompass continuous public parks and trails, an extended West River Parkway, riverfront access points, significant park components and habitat and water quality enhancements. To learn more about this project visit minneapolisparks.org/planning.