Mississippi Corridor Neighborhood Coalition

Upper River Master Plan Commentary

May 15, 2000

Upper River Master Plan: Shaping the Future of the Mighty Mississippi's Upper River Corridor
Candyce L. Sartell and Frances Guminga
The Vision ?– The River ?– The Neighborhoods

The City of Minneapolis Planning Department describes Above The Falls: A Master Plan for the Upper River in Minneapolis, as visionary: big, bold, controversial, and expensive. In a letter accompanying the plan, it states that during the planning process the consultants were asked to explore continuous, full-service parkways along both east and west banks. It now begs the question: what are the highest and best land uses adjacent to these parkways?
The Plan "recognizes that an amenity such as the Mississippi River within minutes of the central business district of the City of Minneapolis is simply too valuable to be ignored. Nature created the amenity, and will renew and maintain it, but public policy controls future use of lands along the river."
Who makes this public policy? You do, either directly by participating in stakeholder meetings, or through your elected officials who are accountable to you. The question is, can the river "renew and maintain" itself if public policy is not enlightened enough to restore significant areas of the shoreline to a more natural state? The river cannot do the impossible. Just 400 miles from the headwaters, we cannot eat the fish or swim the waters of our Mighty Mississippi.
We want to explore whether the Master Plan creates an environment in which both the river and our neighborhoods can "renew and maintain" themselves. While there are many elements of the plan that can be supported, tough questions must be asked of several components that are unacceptable. If this plan is, indeed, a "visionary plan," then defining an implementation structure that is truly inclusive of all stakeholders is necessary to fulfill the vision. It is possible to produce a legacy we can all take pride in.

Things to Consider ?– Questions to Ask
1. Did you know that the density of your community would increase significantly, in some cases double, under the Master Plan's housing proposals?
2. Unless all new residents bike, bus or walk to work, what can we expect during morning and evening rush hours at the I-94 intersections of Broadway and Dowling?
3. How will traffic for a concert at the 1,000-seat amphitheater or the technical college in the Dowling area be controlled?
4. Did you know that the Plan includes a number of 20-story high-rises, and that all of them will be placed between the existing neighborhoods and the river?
5. Did you know that the new parkland along the river is primarily a thin ribbon of 50 foot set backs from the river?
6. Did you know that historic, 110-year-old homes on the east bank will be razed or moved, while bars remain?
7. Did you know that other major developments in the city do not include high rises (Humboldt Greenway, Holman, Lupient site, Guthrie Theater area)?
8. Did you know that a significant amount of land area on the west bank will still be devoted to (light) industrial?
9. Did you know that a cement promenade will be constructed on the riverfront instead of green space?
10. Will additional homes on the west side of Marshall be acquired to provide parking bays and a wider street?

What is an "Urban River Experience?"
There is only one Mississippi River. It is the most important natural water system on the North American continent. It is a complex ecosystem that is a major flyway for migratory birds and supplies the drinking water for 18 million people. Eagles, heron, beaver, falcons and a variety of other wildlife inhabit the upper river corridor.
An "urban river experience" should provide a connection to the natural features for urban dwellers to experience some of what it must have been like before white settlement. The rapid loss of rural open space and access to natural areas makes it imperative that we restore and preserve what remains. The upper river corridor offers us that opportunity. Any development we initiate should consider the down river effects on water quality and views and vistas.

Taking a Closer Look at the West Side
Features of the West Bank South of Lowry
Skyline Park and Amphitheater
Below the BN Bridge, a 1,000-seat amphi-theater provides a public venue for performances on stage and the river.
The Promenade
Land use is a mix of open space, residential (50 dwelling units per acre), office, retail and hospitality. Population includes young professionals, employees of nearby industries and downtown, empty nesters and seniors.
North of 26th Avenue
Mid-rise apartment buildings, stacked townhouses, studios and live-work lofts. Taller buildings (20 stories) for river views over the mid-rises along the Promenade.
River City
Residential high-rises, hotel and single-tenant office tower. Parkway, water filtration park and riverfront promenade. Parking provided in ramps and under structures. A mix of office and residential uses expected to support retail and hospitality businesses day and night.
Lowry Plaza
Situated below a future new Lowry Bridge, plans call for a wide pedestrian mall that fronts small office and retail buildings. Parking behind structures fronting the plaza.
Lowry Bridge Park
Retention and settling ponds, lawns for informal ball play, games and Frisbee, open space for picnics or sunning. Trails connect to the Promenade and follow the riverbank.

Features of the West Bank North of Lowry
Neighborhood park
Expecting to serve the residents of the new River Terrace Neighborhood at Dowling, this park includes a tot lot and play field. Plans include a water filtration park and the Grand Stairs at its southern end.
Restoration Park
Narrow strip of parkway (300 ft - 600 ft wide) from Lowry Bridge Park widens north of Dowling to hook up with the North Mississippi Regional Park. Planned for white oak, prairie grasses and flowers and an athletic field adjacent to the natural copse.
River Terrace Neighborhood
Home to more than 2000 new residents. Housing developments vary from 15 to 30 units per acre. Apartment buildings line Washington Avenue south of 36th. Below, along 2nd Street, stacked row houses and courtyard apartments line the middle and lower terrace levels. A number of larger single-family houses are also included.
Dowling Place
This development includes an office complex, medical clinic, technical college and senior high-rise apartments. Retail shops will occupy the first floor of the larger buildings. The water filtration park is expected to retain runoff from the development at the same time creating a setting for the office complex.

Taking a Closer Look at the East Side
37th Ave to St. Anthony Parkway
Nothing new is offered for this area. Currently a mix of industrial and open space. Site includes St. Anthony Parkway access to North Mississippi Regional Park. Industrial area off East River Road is not an attractive gateway to Minneapolis.

Parkway to Lowry
Botanical Gardens and Conservatory
Class trips, education about plant life and ecological zones, flower shows, wedding events, formal gardens displays. A restored Victorian house relocated to site serves as the master gardener's office, a second house for community meetings, gardening classes and dressing rooms for wedding parties.
A narrow riverbank restoration trail with trees, shrubs, plants labeled for identification is planned. NSP would remain; other businesses and residences would be removed/relocated. It is not stated how a continuous trail would accommodate a botanical garden, parking and the siting of two Victorian-era homes which would be moved a few blocks from the south. No information is provided for possible relocation sites for existing businesses.

Lowry to Grain Belt
"Gemutlichkeit" Park
Combining Edgewater site, Gluek Riverside, and Grain Belt into a continuous, linear park recognizing the sites, as stated in the words of the Master Plan, "of the former Gluek and Grain Belt breweries, and recalling the tradition of beer gardens, sociability, and love of good times that are the hallmarks of the old northeast."
The Upper River Master Plan intends to keep the River Garden Tavern, Polish Palace and Gabby's Saloon and Eatery as hospitality nodes. However, homeowners residing along the river will be displaced. The two best Victorian houses (determined by the Park Board) will be moved to the Botanical Gardens for offices and classrooms.
A continuous riverside trail is planned by removing the 110-year-old homes. Gabby's Saloon and Eatery would not be required to provide a riverfront easement; the trail would follow Marshall at Gabby's.
The Burlington Northern Bridge near 15th Avenue is expected to be used as a boardwalk from the modern River City (west bank) to the Grain Belt Center. However, the Grain Belt site is now slated for development into an office for an architectural firm. The railroad bridge is currently being used for train traffic.

Northeast Arts Park
Located behind the Grain Belt Center, outdoor sculpture will be placed along the riverbank, trails and water quality ponds will be installed. It is not clear whether this can be accomplished with the office complex now planned at Grain Belt.

Grain Belt Boating Facilities
Boating is expected to be the transportation of choice to tour the area. A boat rental concession located at Grain Belt Center will rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, shallow- draft fishing boats, pontoons and personal watercraft as well as boat slips for area corporations and residents.

Marshall Street
Marshall will remain a four-lane roadway with heaviest traffic at the intersections of Lowry and Broadway. A boulevard will be installed for trees, grass and flowers providing a buffer between traffic and houses.
Bike lanes encourage a non-polluting mode of transport and a safe space on a high-traffic street. It will be necessary for Marshall to jog a few feet to the east at Lowry to accommodate the River Garden and Polish Place. Parking bays on the west side of Marshall will preclude construction of surface lots in the parks.
It is not clear whether additional housing on the west side will have to be removed to accomplish this, or whether newly acquired property on the east side of Marshall, next to the river, would be used for the roadway and parking bays. No mention is made of the need for additional weekend parking now required for the hospitality establishments already sited on the riverfront.

Power and communication lines
Removing and burying all power and communication lines and poles from the street scape during reconstruction allows for decorative lighting, transit shelters and signs.

Grain Belt Center
The plan for Grain Belt would not occur if the proposal from Ryan Company to rehabilitate the site for RTS Architects office space materializes. Additional needs for parking may need to be addressed.

What is Unique About the West Bank?
Various public policy decisions over many decades have created an industrial park and transportation corridor on the riverfront, next to northside neighborhoods. Once one gets past the freeway, industry and trans-portation uses give way to primarily residential uses. This concentrated land use has limited access to and enjoyment of the river and created a source of pollution.
Additionally, habitat and natural water filtration features of the riverine area have been nearly eliminated.

What are the West Bank Opportunities?
The west side offers the best opportunity for bold, sweeping land use changes and the introduction of new housing forms, habitat restoration and parks. Connecting the west side residential neighborhoods to the river and restoring the shoreline should be the primary goals. The city owns two riverfront industrial sites, the Upper Harbor Terminal and the transfer station, which are built right up to the river's edge. These parcels offer the best opportunity for redevelopment since the public owns them.

What are the West Bank Challenges?
Replacing one set of impediments (industry) for another (20-story high rises and cement surfaces) will not provide the kind of "urban river experience" envisioned by those who have advocated for a restored river-front. Blending the desire for new parks, parkways and river access with new housing and river access can be achieved, but this plan cannot solve all of the city's problems. For example, some higher density housing is desirable, but not to the extreme of 20-story high rises.
The extensive land area still devoted to "light" industry needs more review. Many light industries pollute as much or more than "heavy" industries. Residents need to be assured that new industrial users will not adversely affect our neighborhoods and the river, and that a monitoring system is in place. The issue of concentrating industrial use to one land area is problematical from safety and aesthetic aspects as well.

Maintaining undisturbed wildlife habitat, maintaining the river's ecosystem and reducing pollution from all sources while encouraging more visitors, higher density housing and increased commercial devel-opment may be the most difficult challenge.
It is hard to believe that it is mere coincidence that the highly concentrated industrial land uses and the high density housing units are slated for the poorest neighborhoods. The issue of environmental justice should be raised.

What is Unique About the East Bank?
Citizens along the east bank have been more successful in reclaiming industrial or commercial land for public use and main-taining the historic residential character. Thankfully, there is no freeway separating neighborhoods from the river. The Master Plan recommendations for the east side of the river corridor include less "bricks and mortar" development. Many of the plan objectives are already in place on the east side such as green space along the riverfront, preserving the culture and history of the area and maintaining a residential character.
A riverside street already exists (Marshall) that can be upgraded into a parkway-like street containing historic homes and established parks.

What are the East Bank Opportunities?
The east bank offers up some interesting opportunities to develop a true urban river experience that would draw on the built urban environment. Creating a continuous trail along the east side that incorporates both the old (parks, historic homes and commercial establishments) and the new (new parks, fishing piers, biking and walking trails, trolley rides and perhaps horse drawn carriage rides) provides an oppor-tunity not to be overlooked. An historic walking tour of Marshall Street has been developed by the Mississippi Corridor Neighborhood Coalition. More such tours should be established.
Developing existing parks based on the North Mississippi Regional Park model of natural, cultural and historic community elements should be pursued.
Other opportunities include drawing people to the existing establishments within the river corridor community.

What are the East Bank Challenges?
There are few opportunities left to develop large tracts of land on the east side. Mixed land uses call for both creative new designs and reuse of existing buildings. Opportunities such as the largely vacant industrial area that intersects the Bottineau and Marshall Terrace neighborhoods offers the best opportunity for new development.
Preserving historic structures along the riverfront while providing access and trails can be an exciting opportunity to combine historic walking tours with a river activity.
Some proposed projects conflict with the existing residential character of the east side. These can be dealt with in creative ways to achieve the best plan when the city begins to listen to implementation ideas from the community.
The narrow strip between Marshall and the river comprises the "critical area" of the river. Certain areas should remain off limits to human activity. However, the wildlife will be seen from vantage points throughout the corridor. Some recreational opportunities can center around wildlife habitat for birding and other nature activities.
Providing a community school within the riverfront area to attract families is essential.

Central Riverfront vs. Upper River Neighborhood Character
The Master Plan rushes to spoil opportunities to provide a natural amenity in an urban area. Fill every inch of space with high rises and cement promenades, throw in a narrow strip of grass along the river ?– call it a park. Who would know the difference? The central riverfront is the example used, but is that the best we can hope for as a development for the residential areas in the upper river north of downtown? The Plan would create a new, more favorable neighborhood and ignore the existing neighborhoods by limiting access to the river. The Plan trades one type of impediment (industries) for another (high rises).
One only has to travel down I-94, Washington Avenue N or Lowry Avenue NE to see how even one high-rise structure dominates the skyline. The senior housing high-rise facility on Lowry Avenue N near the freeway can be seen literally for miles. It is visible from both the I-394 and I-94 freeways, from Washington Avenue and from Windom Park at Johnson Street NE and Lowry Avenue. Think of what several more 20-story high rises would do to the land-scape of the northside and views of the river from both the east and the west.
This would be an opportunity to make good on the promise as stated in the vision of the Upper River Plan "to provide a quality of environment that attracts new investment" to the struggling adjacent neighborhoods. If the plan were broad enough in its vision to assist these neighborhoods in the redevelop-ment of their business corridors to attract such an investment, then this plan would be providing a community building network that extends far beyond the river's shoreline and into the community. Further, this would leave expanded areas of a natural landscape for more imaginative recreation and provide appreciation of the Mississippi for its intrinsic value as well as the environmental bonuses of protecting this great river.

What Can You Do About the Plan?
Read the Plan by contacting your neighborhood association, or at the library, by obtaining a CD-ROM copy from the Park Board at 661-4824, or on the web at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/ planning/index.html.
Discuss it at your neighborhood meetings and with your neighbors, and provide a written response to your City Council member.
Call your Council Member to express your views on the Plan, and to ask for a meaningful role for citizens in implementa-tion: Joe Biernat, Third Ward, 673-2203; Barbara Johnson, Fourth Ward, 673-2204.
Place your name on the MCNC mailing list by calling 612-788-0249 or by E-mail: .
Join with the MCNC/Industry Alliance to advocate for and participate in an inclusive stakeholder participation process.

National Park Service, DNR: Upper River Plan Does Not Meet Critical Area Act

MCNC's criticism of some aspects of the Upper River Master Plan have been supported in comments made before the Minneapolis Planning Commission by the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Both agencies, along with MCNC, praise the Plan for its vision and objectives that place high value on a restored river. But implementation to fulfill the vision and objectives remains in dispute. Some of the areas MCNC has questioned also are being questioned by two public agencies involved in Mississippi River reclamation.
Both the DNR and NPS state that the Plan does not meet the State Critical Area Act criteria for protecting the riverine area, and specifically mention building heights and setback requirements as areas of incon-sistency with the Critical Area Act of 1979.
The NPS also has a Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) for the 72 mile stretch of the river from Dayton to Hastings known as the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA). NPS funding will be based on the city's level of compliance with the CMP. "High-rise buildings and public plazas are areas of concern. Tall buildings will obstruct views of the river corridor from the neighborhoods and from the river," according to the NPS letter.
The DNR's comments focused on commercial navigation, "hardened" shoreline, structure heights/setback and general comments on the plan. Regarding shoreline development and height/setback, the DNR states that "The Mississippi River's global environmental importance and the natural features emphasis of [the Critical Area Act] provide a far different context than the Parisian model suggested by the [Master Plan]." Regarding height and setbacks, the DNR states "The plan proposes structures far taller and far less setback than could be developed consistent with [the Critical Area Act]." The DNR indicates that some flexibility can be allowed if more green space and access is provided elsewhere in the plan, but the plan does not do so.
The DNR also questions the need for extensive granting of variances to achieve plan implementation. "The city may be creating some special problems for itself by stating in a planning document that it intends to grant variances in violation of state statute to some applicants ?– but possibly not others. And it is especially troublesome for a plan to state that the city cannot write an approvable zoning ordinance that will allow the plan to be implemented under state law."
The need for greatly increased housing density is questioned as well. "It does not seem appropriate for the city to attempt to meet 26 percent of its housing goal in a narrow corridor along the river that has been set aside for other values." The DNR also quotes from the Metropolitan Council: "?… where there was a conflict between smart growth plans and resource protection in the Mississippi Critical Area, weight would be given to resource protection."
The DNR also addresses river reclamation. "The document talks extensively about ecological restoration, but delivers a product that is more focused on plazas, trails, parkways and Kentucky bluegrass."
The DNR indicated that their staff had discussed these issues with the planners prior to the publication of the Master Plan, but that their "concerns remain unresolved." Before the Master Plan can be approved at the state level, these issues, and others, need to be resolved.
MCNC is encouraged that our assessment of the plan with regard to high-rises, setback requirements, view corridors and the health of the river has been supported. The neighborhood groups and businesses within the upper river corridor who supported MCNC's call for a delay in the approval process and for a more inclusive stakeholder process have been vindicated. Thanks to all for your support! Our next steps are to sit down with the public agencies and elected officials to work out a better stakeholder participation process and to keep the neighborhood perspective at the forefront of stakeholder discussions.