Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 08/11/1994

Home

:. for: urban ills [] Hennepin officmals, . . discuss neW projeCts DENNIS LIEN STAFF WRITER Creating new parks could be a.power- if~ .tool~o c0mtmt a'hBst of ur~an._flls · ra._rglagil[gAmm unemployment to_ditat)i~_t- ed housing, says deoalition of officials in ~linneapolis and Hennepin County. ~,:':'.'- "The idea, de~elop~d 'di/ring th~."~ast year with help from· University of Minne- sota urban designers, is based on a sim- ple premise, according to Hennepin County Board Chairman Mark And~'ew. · He said'neighborh0ods near parks, lakes and rivers maintain their property '~p~rmnce tess crime; an~ gener- .iall7 su. stain ~ better'quafffy o~d- ;illg~arks qr trails in d/stressed neir~bq~:- hoods ~oul'd im roy em; AndreW~said, .and also eou~l(provide jobs fort unem- ployed inner.city workers. ::j:' · Andrew;' Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, and representatives of the PARKS CON'nNUED ON 4B ~' · CONTINUED FROM university and the city's Park and Recreation Board unveiled the concept Monday at the university's Design Center for the American Urban' Landscape, The idea - 'called:: Hennepin~. Community Works -- would require extensive cooperation among the county, the city, and affected suburbs and parks departments. ' · "This is an example of how we might want to plan projects in the future," said Sayles Betton,. who called the proposal a way to pro- mote stability in the city and en- :tice residents to stay rather than !flee to the suburbs.- i The types of projects discussed ;so far range from moving' run- idown houses and replacing them with parks, to restoring ponds and ,wetlands filled in years ago, to ibuilding bicycle trails. ,' - :..-- .; ! So far, no projects have been i identified and ho. money has been : set aside. '. ! .In the-past,:~ndrew has said local tax dollars should be the [funding source of last resort. At- l ternative sources include federal I transportation money to develop trails and clean-water' grants to ' reclaim wetlands .... A report prepared by the Parks and Pubtic Works Commission, a 16-member group appointed last year, recommends establishing an advisory committee and-selecting three projects by April 1995. More specifies eould emerge as early as Sept. 28, when city, coun- ty and parks officials meet to dis- cuss how to proceed. One much- discussed prospect is converting the 29th Street 'corridor; an old rail line a block north' of Lake Street, into a bieyel.e path. Minneapolis has long prided it- self on the quality of its park sys. tern but not every area of the city is equally blessed ..... : .. - [ For_ example, parts'" of South i Minneapolis have an intricate sys- item of lakes and trails, while oth- ~ er areas have nolakes and widely. : scattered parks that are not' eon~ ; A countywide :iinalYsls of chang; es in housing values showed that the greatest concentration of stag: nant housing prices is northwest and southeast of downtown Minne- apolis. But the:report said that even within those areas, " proper- i ti~ along connected park systems '.were:: appreciating...-faster than p--~pe-mes awa~ from parks: ' blot. only would the projects.cre- ate needed jobs,: but they would encourage, busineSses to stay in neighborhoods :. threatened, with blight, said the commission,' Hennepin County, said the eom- mission; would be the best agency to coordinate the planning effort.