Friday
Sep302011
Minneapolis RiverCurrent 9-29-11
Friday, September 30, 2011 at 9:00AMDownload - Minneapolis RiverCurrent 9-29-11
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The River Hub - Minneapolis Riverfront News
Preserve.Revitalize.Connect.
Gold Medal Park to Be Preserved for 50 Years
Letter to the Editor - Ideas for the Minneapolis Riverfront
Entries from September 1, 2011 - September 30, 2011
Tuesday
Sep272011
Important Meeting Tonight - Upper River Forum / Above the Falls 2011: Development Research and Recommendations
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Minneapolis Park & Rec Board Headquarters, 2117 West River Road North
Featuring: Haila Maze and Thomas Leighton, Principal Planners
Community Planning and Economic Development Department, City of Minneapolis
Phase 1 of the City’s Above the Falls Policy Review and Implementation Study is concluding with recommendations to the Minneapolis City Council about updating the Above the Falls development vision.
Come to preview the first part of the recommendations, get updated on the overall process, and share your views.
Topics covered will include findings and recommendations related to:
Future locations for industrial, residential, commercial and office development, including potential changes to the Above the Falls vision.
Development character that builds on the unique riverfront location and integrates parks and trails.
Implementation strategies for making the vision happen.
Please check their website for time, presenters and other details. RSVP here by Monday, September 26, 2011.
Monday
Sep262011
Video - Is Loring Park Conservancy a Good Idea? Or Not So Much?
For good or bad, this trend toward Public / Private management of parks has the potential to impact the entire park system, including the Minneapolis Riverfront. There are examples of successes and failures in other parts of the country.
The video below is from the 9-21-2011 Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board meeting. At this point there are not enough details for us to take a position.
Download - Study Item on a Loring Park Conservancy Framework MPRB Meeting 9-21-2011
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Thursday
Sep222011
River Tour - St. Anthony Falls Lock & Dam with Mill City Commons [Video]
What a great way to spend an hour on a beautiful afternoon. From the vantage point of the Lock and Damn facility, we gained a whole new perspective of the river, falls, bridges and riverbanks. Our tour guide, Josh, provided a wealth of information, and we were able to get up close and personal with some of the powerful mechanics.
In addition to the history, facts and figures discussed during the tour, the US Army Corps of Engineers has a variety printed materials available to take home. Tours run through September, so if you haven't had a chance to enjoy one yet, there's still time this season. Thanks to Mill City Commons for organizing this event.
Thursday
Sep222011
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Approves RiverFIRST Proposal for Upper Minneapolis Riverfront
News Release from MRDI:
Park Board keeps door wide open to public on future Upper Riverfront parks
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board launches 45-day public comment period on draft RiverFIRST proposal, through November 6, 2011
Minneapolis, Minn., September 21, 2011 – Tonight, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioners approved a resolution to extend its extensive community engagement process for the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative to include a formal 45-day public comment period. Park Board Planning Services staff proposed the resolution following the presentation and acceptance of the MR|DI team’s draft RiverFIRST: A Park Design Proposal and Implementation Framework for the Minneapolis Upper Riverfront report earlier in the evening.
“The expertise and creativity demonstrated by our project team in the RiverFIRST proposals and implementation recommendations has been exceptional,” says Assistant Superintendent for Planning Services, Bruce Chamberlain. “We have received tremendous public and private support for the initiative and believe it’s appropriate to continue these efforts through a 45-day public comment period on the draft proposal before the Board considers a set of next-step action later this year.”
Likely next-step recommendations Park Board staff anticipate putting forward in November or December are the adoption of the RiverFIRST proposal, schematic design for a phase-1 construction project and a joint effort with the City of Minneapolis to meld the RiverFIRST plan with revisions to the Above the Falls zoning policies currently under review.
The public can download the Draft RiverFIRST Proposal fromhttp://MinneapolisRiverfrontDevelopmentInitiative.com, where they can also submit comments. The public can also read a reference copy of the proposal, take home the executive summary and submit their comments at any of the Park Board’s recreation centers, as well as at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road.
In addition to wide distribution of this news release to local media outlets, neighborhood and community associations and via the MR|DI’s online blog and e-newsletter, the Park Board is advertising the MR|DI public comment period in four Minneapolis newspapers: Finance & Commerce (legal notices), North News, Camden News, and the Northeaster (flyer inserts).
Five priority projects recommended for completion within five years
The 48-page, tabloid-size Draft RiverFIRST Proposal is co-authored by MR|DI Project Manager Mary deLaittre, bi-coastal design team Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture (TLS/KVA), and financing consultants HR&A (New York). The authors recommend completing five priority projects within five years:
- Riverfront Trail System with Farview Park phase one greenways – which integrate with existing city and regional parks and trails to create a cohesive, user-friendly network of commuter and recreational connections, most notably across the Interstate 94 trench cutting off Northsiders from the river.
- BioHaven® Islands – offering water quality rehabilitation while providing scenic views and habitat for native plants and animals, including migrating birds.
- Scherer Park – an existing Minneapolis Parks property along the Northeast side of the riverfront, and located in a burgeoning neighborhood and adjacent to compatible properties, including existing parks and bridges.
- Northside Wetlands Park – which transforms significant acreage from the existing Port of Minneapolis from asphalt to amenity, without adding industry, and becomes a destination point for Farview Park and other envisioned Northside greenways;
- Downtown Gateway Park – the restoration of a historic park at the front door of downtown.
“The Mississippi River very nearly bisects the nation and entirely splits Minneapolis,” notes deLaittre. “But it’s not the only feature that separates people from the city’s abundant natural features and amenities, or one neighborhood from another. The Draft RiverFIRST Proposal recommends five priority projects that each exemplify ‘re-sourcing’ the river, while eliminating as many barriers as possible, in as short a time period as practical.”
These five projects were selected because together they lay the foundation for successful implementation of a 20-year vision for complete riverfront transformation. Specifically, each potentially:
• Is useful for a wide variety of people from all over the city and region;
• Is a rallying points for advocates – people and organizations;
• Establishes Minneapolis as a model 21st century riverfront city;
• Can be developed with cooperation among public and private sector organizations.
About the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative
In April 2011, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board established the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative as a special project to carry through the promise of connecting people from near and far with new multifunctional Upper Riverfront parks along “America’s fourth coast.” The MR|DI was charged with transforming the winning parks design of the renowned Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition, called RiverFIRST, from a visionary concept to a workable plan for short- and long-term development. Beginning in April, TLS/KVA went through a three-month in-depth editing process led by the MR|DI project team and involving the public and Steering, Advisory and Technical committees. From June through August, the MR|DI implemented a multidimensional community engagement process that included a community input survey taken by more than 600 people, participation in more than 30 community events, three public meetings, more than 40 solo presentations and meetings by the MR|DI project manager, and the debut of “River Is,” a gathering of people’s thoughts about the Mississippi today and for the future. This fall, Park Board Commissioners will decide the scope and timing of the first RiverFIRST projects, to be enjoyed by the community within five years. Learn more and participate at MinneapolisRiverfrontDevelopmentInitiative.com.
Tuesday
Sep202011
Tonight - Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative Draft Report Presentations at MPRB
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Minneapolis Park and Rec Board, 2117 West River Road
With the change of seasons comes the prospect of a change of Upper Riverfront scene, as finance consultants HR&A and design team TLS/KVA return to Minneapolis, September 19-21, to present the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative’s (MR|DI) draft report to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, MR|DI committees and the public.
HR&A, TLS/KVA and the MR|DI project team will jointly author the draft report, which is scheduled for release on September 20. In it, the authors will summarize the RiverFIRST vision for Upper Riverfront parks development, along with research, engagement and other steps taken to gather relevant information; detail recommendations for priority sites and projects, timing and funding; and suggest steps and structure for maintaining project momentum.
On Tuesday, September 20, the Minneapolis Park Board invites the community to join Advisory and Technical committee members to a 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. briefing on the draft report at Park Board headquarters. HR&A, along with TLS/KVA and Project Manager Mary deLaittre, will present to the MR|DI Steering Committee on Wednesday, September 21, beginning at 7:30 a.m., also at Park Board headquarters.
Minneapolis Park Board Commissioners will hear the MR|DI team’s formal presentation during the regularly scheduled board meeting on September 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the board room at Park Board headquarters. At that meeting, Park Board planning staff anticipate asking Commissioners to authorize a 45-day comment period on the MR|DI draft report. For timely information regarding news and developments, community members are encouraged to sign up for the e-newsletter at http://minneapolisriverfrontdevelopmentinitiative.com/newsletter or subscribe to the blog at http://minneapolisriverfrontdevelopmentinitiative.com/feed.
Tuesday
Sep202011
Video - Central River Forum 9/15/2011
The developers of the Pillsbury A Mill presented their plans for this National Historic Landmark. The Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership convenes a quarterly forum in the Central Riverfront concerning issues shaping this area.
Central River Forum:
A Mill Outstanding in Our Nation: Shaping the Future of the Pillsbury “A” Mill and Main Street Southeast
Why is this site’s story so important to Minneapolis – and the nation? How can you help shape the future of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District? What are the pressure points in the development process? What are two developers planning to propose for the area?
David Wiggins of the National Park Service highlighted the big stories this place tells, and previewed how and when you can most effectively inform public decision makers. Developers Dominium Apartments and Doran Companies shared their proposals for developing the area, including this National Historic Landmark.
