Parks for All is a new comprehensive plan that will set Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) priorities and policy direction for the next decade. A draft of Parks for All was published November 9 and will be open for public comment until January 18. There are ways to learn about the plan and send feedback at minneapolisparks.org/parksforalldraft or bit.ly/MPRBCompPlan.
The MPRB appoints Community Advisory Committees (CACs) for many projects, including Parks for All. CACs provide volunteer opportunities for stakeholders to share insight and resources, and serve to build and sustain relationships between the community and the MPRB. All members of the public are welcome to attend all CAC meetings.
The last two meetings were held in December online via Zoom and included an overview and discussion of the draft comprehensive plan. There are two more virtual Community Open Houses where anyone can discuss any aspect of the plan with MPRB staff — on Thursday, January 7, 5-6 p.m., and Tuesday, January 12, 5-6 p.m.
You can learn about the draft plan in a video overview, print overview and executive summary. Minneapolis community members, park users and partners are encouraged to review the plan and send feedback during a public comment period that ends Monday, January 18.
Following the public comment period, the draft plan will be revised based on public input and presented to MPRB Commissioners for review and approval. Share the Parks for All draft plan with your friends, family, neighbors or other networks at minneapolisparks.org/parksforalldraft or bit.ly/MPRBCompPlan.
The draft document will be the MPRB’s agency policy direction based on shared values with community, agency staff and elected officials.
- It will provide guidance in developing policy, establishing or changing programs and services, setting the annual MPRB budget and creating park improvements over the next decade.
- It is a tool for communicating to MPRB staff, commissioners and the general public about what the MPRB does and it values.
- It will build on what works now while identifying gaps in programs, services and strategies that need to be filled in the next decade. Parks for All focuses on the park system as a whole, not specific recommendations for individual parks.
- It will build from master plans, other policies and activity plans, strategic directions and the community input gained during the last two years of engagement across the system, all of which incorporate more specific recommendations.
Parks for All was developed through extensive staff, community, agency partner and commissioner input through an almost two-year process. This planning process is separate from the City of Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The engagement process was intended to develop a path toward a future that reflects the values, expectations and dreams of the communities served by the Minneapolis Park system and MPRB commissioners and staff.
Many people worked hard to develop these policy ideas for the next 10 years of Minneapolis Park and Recreation system, including workgroup members and forum participants, the Youth Design Team, MRPB commissioners and staff, and the Parks for All Community Advisory Committee.