At its meeting on July 5, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a final version of the Cedar Isles long-range plan.
For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to follow the process since the hastily drafted notice in last month’s issue, rest assured that it was an eventful set of weeks, leading to a final result that everyone involved should feel good about.
In a nutshell, the final version of the plan is substantially similar to the draft released by the Park Board in January, which kept the basic outline of the earlier “preferred park concept” but incorporated a series of detailed (and largely unanimous) recommendations by the Community Advisory Committee, or CAC.
The “almost final” version of the plan was released to the public on Friday, June 16, and was warmly received by the community, in large part because it hewed quite closely to the January draft and the CAC recommendations.
Water quality and ecology remained a top focus, and the plan continued to recognize and respect the different characters and usage of Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles, while retaining a “light touch” as to new amenities.
As largely anticipated, some more divisive items did remain, including the potential for a permanent base for the temporary warming house on Lake of the Isles and a mountain bike trail through the northeast Cedar woods, parallel to the existing Kenilworth trail.
Matters became more contentious the following Monday, June 19, when 17 potential amendments to the plan were posted on the Park Board website, most of which ran counter to various CAC recommendations.
Compiled by staff after the end of the public comment period, and offered to the board members to move if they so chose, these amendments included the return of a proposed boardwalk along northwest Cedar Lake, the construction of a dead-end trail through the Park Lane easements on southeast Cedar Lake, and the addition of a paved trail through the northeast Cedar woods.
Perhaps the most surprising potential amendment was for a “dog park overlook” on Lake of the Isles, presumably to be cantilevered out from the Midtown Greenway, an idea pushed by the Pedestrian Advisory Committee in its now-infamous March memo to the board.
An Angry Public Reaction
These potential amendments created a short-term furor in the lead-up to the Park Board Planning Committee meeting two days later.
Former CAC members despaired, community residents wrote in large numbers, and the commissioners worked hard to respond.
After a review of the raw public comment data, it became clear that only the final potential amendment, Amendment S, had substantial public support.
That amendment proposed to remove from the final plan a mountain bike trail through the northeast Cedar woods, a literal stone’s throw from the existing Kenilworth bike trail.
Out of 389 total comments received during the final 45-day comment period, 84 people (or 21% of all respondents) wrote in objection to the bike trail.
The Planning Committee Meeting
Despite the swirl of emotions preceding it, the Planning Committee meeting itself was a civil, constructive affair. District 4 Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer, who represents Hill & Lake area neighborhoods, moved the adoption of Amendment S, which passed the committee 3-2.
She also introduced three other amendments, two of which related to cost and maintenance accounting, and one of which sought to remove a proposed portable restroom on the northeast portion of Lake of the Isles. The accounting amendments passed the committee, while the portable restroom amendment did not.
Two other potential amendments were discussed during this meeting, one relating to removal of the so called “light touch” event space by East Cedar/Hidden Beach, and another proposing the construction of a year-round facility dedicated to ecology in or around Burnham Woods and the 21st St. light rail station.
Both potential amendments prompted discussion in the days that followed, but neither was ultimately moved by the commissioners at the board meeting on July 5.
Final Approval at the Park Board Meeting
Adoption of the final plan at the board meeting on July 5 was quick, quiet and unanimous, which I view as an excellent result for all concerned.
Commissioner Shaffer graciously moved the adoption of the final plan, as amended by the Planning Committee, first complimenting the board staff, the CAC and community members for their sustained hard work, a sentiment echoed by President Meg Forney. And with a quick voice vote, the plan was adopted. The whole thing took less than five minutes.
My Personal Opinion
Overall, I believe the adoption of this final plan represents a win for virtually all involved. Nobody gets everything they want in a process like this, but most people got most of what they wanted.
What we did get is a plan that prioritizes water quality and the preservation of natural areas, that respects the historic character of each lake, that is restrained and realistic with its new amenities and that should preserve the flexibility and functionality of these immensely popular parks for the foreseeable future.
The Park Board gets credit for a process that sought out and responded to public feedback in a truly significant way, and the plan itself closely reflects the board’s primary directive of preserving, protecting and improving parklands for this generation and generations to come.
CAC members can rightly take pride in the fact that their hard-won compromises and recommendations are completely embodied in the final version of the plan, and community members should take note of just how extensively the many versions of this plan changed in response to their feedback.
Community engagement matters, and this process proved the point.
