Trailblazers in Minneapolis just got a green light, as the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Commissioners have stamped their approval on the Midtown Greenway Regional Trail Plan during their assembly on December 4th, according to a recent update from the MPRB.
The plan aims to shape both policy and design for parkland adjacent to the trail for the next couple of decades, guiding the flow of regional capital funding across the trail's boundaries in alignment with a Cooperative Agreement involving the MPRB, the City of Minneapolis, along with the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority, with three amendments that re-jigger the amenities list and land acquisition concerns which were passed during the same meeting.
Future steps will see the MPRB lobbing the plan over to Met Council for the thumb up, which if given, would set off a suite of actions: starting with trail use counts in summer 2025 and threading the Midtown Greenway into MPRB's funding framework for the following fiscal cycle, alongside rendering the trail qualified for an added influx of funds destined for amenities upgrades like new seating areas, drinking fountains, improved signage, and environmental enhancements.
The initiative is sprung out of Resolution 2023-127 and has taken shape thanks to the collective efforts that include design work, community engagement, along with consistent nudging by various organizations, with the MPRB notably hopping onto the Midtown Greenway bandwagon to tap into regional funding, despite not having had a finger in the pie since its inception and on this note, the much-anticipated document features inputs harvested from broad engagement efforts across communities, paired with insights gleaned from advisory committee members, operational workgroups, and trail users themselves.
Community engagement itself has focused on things like park upgrades with an emphasis on frills that don't break the bank, better navigation aids, and ecological improvements all throughout the Greenway. Should this ambitious endeavor sail through Met Council's rigorous vetting process, the Midtown Greenway stands to bask in the official glow of being a recognized regional trail, which comes readily packaged with perks such as potential entry into the Metropolitan Council's various research projects and usage studies.
