As a member of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which was formed to develop a master plan for Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake Parks, I’ve heard many questions from community members about the process. I asked Emma Pachuta, our staff person at the Park Board, to answer a few of them. The master planning involves a long process that aims to engage residents who live in other parts of Minneapolis as well as those of us living in the nearby neighborhoods. At this stage, many ideas have been thrown out, but none have been pinned down. Stay tuned!
What’s the big picture?
The Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Master Plan (Cedar-Isles) will create a 20–30-year vision for this portion of the park system. The process began in fall 2019 and is projected to complete work in 2023. Recently, the Park Board has received some questions about the process. We are doing our best to create numerous avenues for community members to share feedback. Park Board staff welcomes continued feedback as we progress through this process.
Why is the Park Board master planning this area now?
The Park Board aims to have a community-vetted master plan created every 20-30 years for each part of the park system. The Cedar-Isles area is the last part of the Park Board system that does not have an updated plan. We began its planning process in 2019. Generally, a master plan process takes 18-24 months. However, staff extended timelines to ensure the process adapted to community needs throughout COVID-19. This process is projected to take 36 months or more.
Where are we in the master planning process?
The Park Board Master Plan is in five phases. Phase 1 is Pre-Design from fall 2019 to summer 2021, where data is gathered and analyzed. Phase 2, our present phase, is developing Initial Park Concepts from fall 2021 to summer 2022. Phase 3 is determining a Preferred Park Concept from summer through fall 2022. Phase 4 is articulating a Draft Plan from fall 2022 to winter 2023. Phase 5 is drafting and approving a Final Plan by spring 2023.
We are still in the Phase 2, the Initial Park Concepts Phase, which means that no final decisions have been made and there is still time to inform decisions through Phase 4, when the Draft Plan is developed this fall. Alongside engagement, the CAC has begun giving guidance on the concepts.
Why are there so many big ideas in the initial park concepts when the parks are great as is?
During the Pre-Design phase, some ambitious ideas were suggested by the community, so the Initial Park Concepts suggested different ways these ideas could fit together as part of a long-term plan. We recognize that these initial park concepts propose some substantial changes to the parks that people love and that some of these ideas may have felt like a solution in search of a problem. We have also heard frustrations for revisiting ideas that have already been discussed and decided upon in previous planning processes years ago. From the Park Board staff’s vantage point, although we don’t anticipate that many of the “big ideas” will make it into the next design phase, part of the Park Board’s responsibility is to do our due diligence to explore, and sometimes revisit, ideas from community and then vet them within a public forum during this early phase in the process. We have heard a range of support, mixed feedback, and strong opposition about some of the big ideas that have been presented to date. The Preferred Park Concept that is released later this year will respond to what we are hearing from community members.
What’s an example of the Park Board pivoting on a concept?
At the most recent CAC meeting on March 8th, CAC members discussed circulation “hot topics” identified through community feedback. These included the proposed Kenilworth Channel connection between Cedar and Isles, Cedar Lake circulation, a two-way bicycle circulation around Lake of the Isles, and Lake of the Isles and Cedar Parkway reconfigurations. Though the CAC did not make final recommendations yet, which will happen during Phase 3, there was support from the CAC to further assess the feasibility of a Kenilworth Channel connection and a pedestrian connection along the east side of Cedar Lake. There was guidance to no longer consider a Lake of the Isles parkway reconfiguration. There was not consensus from the CAC about whether to pursue a two-way bicycle connection around Isles nor the Cedar Lake Parkway reconfiguration. This guidance will inform the preferred park concept that will be released later this year, and the CAC will revisit topics that need further discussion because there was no consensus.
How can I share my feedback on the initial park concepts?
Even though the Initial Park Concepts phase is still underway, the online survey for the Initial Park Concepts closed on March 4th. This was to allow staff time to incorporate feedback from the 684 surveys, five open houses, numerous neighborhood and committee meetings, and community collaborators’ work, letters, and emails that we have received since December. The compiled feedback will be shared with the public in April. There will continue to be Cedar-Isles CAC and subcommittee meetings held through April for CAC members to give further guidance on the proposed ideas. Please join the Cedar-Isles mailing list to receive updates about these meetings! All CAC meetings are open to the public and include a public comment time.
When the preferred park concept is released in summer 2022, the Park Board will implement another round of engagement. Until then, emailing project manager Emma Pachuta directly is one of the best ways to share your feedback: epachuta@minneapolisparks.org.
How are CAC Members chosen? Why aren’t there spots reserved for nearby neighborhood associations?
There are 17 people on Cedar-Isles Master Plan CAC, nine of which were appointed by Park Board Commissioners. Eight positions were appointed by a selection committee comprised of community group representatives and Park Board staff whose goal was to achieve representation goals outlined in the Park Board Community Engagement Policy, updated in 2019. The Park Board strives to have a diversity of voices, perspectives, and geographic locations represented when creating plans for regional parks, which draw visitors from throughout the metro. People involved in neighborhood associations are welcome to apply to serve on CACs, but no spots are specifically saved for any organization. Currently, one CedarIsles CAC member also serves on a local neighborhood association board, as well as do two CAC alternates who were selected.
What has Park Board staff done to solicit public input so far? How is that feedback provided to the Community Advisory Committee?
Numerous methods have been used to garner a broad range of public feedback, including online surveys, in person events, online meetings, community collaborator projects, social media stories, presentations to neighborhood groups, in person and virtual tours, signs in the parks, and in-person onsite interviews. The Park Board consistently adapts and tries new engagement strategies to continue to get the word out to residents.
Highlights from the public feedback is shared regularly at CAC meetings and Community Engagement Summary Reports are created after each project phase. If you have an idea or would like staff to present to an interested organization, please email epachuta@minneapolisparks.org.
