coordination/collaboration : Development News

In planning for the future redevelopment of the St. Paul Ford plant, where cars have long been manufactured, the city is working with the company and other community stakeholders and consultants to explore various sustainable design possibilities for the site.

Ford Motor Co. will shut down the plant this fall and put the 160-acre property that overlooks the Mississippi River on the market next year, according to Merritt Clapp-Smith, a senior planner for the city's planning and economic development department.

Although there are no concrete plans yet for the site, or a developer, the city is working on the issue now because it wants to see a design that can "operate in a way that's efficient and cost-effective and better for the environment and health of residents," she says.

As such, the city is prioritizing energy efficiency, conservation practices, stormwater management, and multimodal transportation options and minimizing carbon dioxide emissions at the site, she says. 

Those priorities are partly the result of a couple reports that outline numerous green design options and stormwater management solutions that are posted online here and here.

Various city staffers and consultants presented the reports in a public meeting with the Ford Site Planning Task Force earlier this month.

An in-progress environmental assessment of the site along with a consultant study of environmental and traffic impacts related to different redevelopment scenarios will also inform any redevelopment proposals, she says.

All of this information will help the task force, which has been working on the issue since 2007, to recommend a redevelopment framework for the site to the city, she says.
     
Source: Merritt Clapp-Smith, senior planner, St. Paul Planning and Economic Development
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul is over halfway to its fundraising goal of $35 million for a new concert hall and related endowment fund.

Plans are underway to expand its McKnight Theatre, which is separate from the 1,900-seat Music Theater.

Under the plan, the McKnight will go from a 315-seat proscenium arch-style theater to a 1,100-seat arena stage configuration, according to Patricia Mitchell, its president and CEO.

Audiences will wrap all around the platform in the new "purpose-built" concert hall, she explains.

The face-to-face views "change the way people listen to music," while the acoustics will have "great natural sound," she says.

A related endowment fund will help underwrite the use of the new McKnight by each of the Ordway arts partners, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, and Schubert Club, which share space at the Ordway.

As it is, the two stages are fully booked, she says. Last year, only 23 dates went unfilled, and those were Mondays, which are traditionally "dark" or off days. 

A larger concert hall will help ease scheduling headaches and allow for more specific programming with longer runs, she says. Some professional music groups that don't have a permanent home will "have a first-class venue available to them." 

It'll also accommodate more audiences, including greater numbers of schoolchildren. With another 125,000 people coming downtown every year, she adds, the place will be an economic boon for the city. "The impact on the restaurants and parking is huge," she says.

Although the theater design is still in progress, she's pleased with how it's shaping up.

The space will blend in with the nearby Rice Park, "one of the most beautiful urban squares anywhere," she says, adding, "It's important to maintain the character and feeling of that." 

Construction could start as early as next spring, depending on the project's financing coming together. 

"I think it's a wonderful solution to a longstanding problem," for the four arts partners, while it's also a "tremendous benefit to the community at large," she says.

Source: Patricia A. Mitchell, president and CEO, Ordway
Writer: Anna Pratt

At the recent Bruner Loeb Forum in Minneapolis, a mix of speakers stressed numerous community development initiatives that take art into account in ways that are both concrete and philosophical.

The Bruner Loeb Forum, which originated at the Harvard Design School, is a biannual gathering that brings to the fore "innovative strategies from across the nation that leverage local engagement in art and design to build more equitable, more economically sustainable, and more connected neighborhoods and cities," according to program materials.

The two-day event in Minneapolis was titled, "Putting Creativity to Work: Stronger Communities through Locally Rooted Art and Design." As it unfolded at various local venues, it brought together a crowd of that included local and national designers, scholars, planners, artists, nonprofit representatives, government officials, and others, program materials state.

Juxtaposition Arts hosted the event in partnership with the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and landscape architecture department, Nexus Community Partners, 4RM+ULA architecture, and Conway+Schulte Architects.

At the conference, speakers touched on everything from Houston's Project Row Houses to the ability of artists to turn around declining neighborhoods. Attendees toured the North and South Minneapolis neighborhoods, where Juxtaposition Arts and Native American Community Development Institute are working to improve the areas.

DeAnna Cummings, who heads Juxtaposition Arts with her husband, Roger, hopes people will get serious about addressing racial disparities. "They have to be addressed if we'll ever manifest our potential as a community," she says. "We all have to work together to change it."

She cites a couple of examples of the kind of creative problem-solving that came out of the exercise. In examining West Broadway Avenue North, from the Mississippi River to Penn Avenue North--as  part of a creative mapping activity--conference participants concluded that the plethora of youth-oriented programs is too poorly advertised, while artistic streetscape enhancements need to be more visible.

She says that the event's speakers discussed the importance of pulling together diverse groups of people to solve problems and build on opportunities. Instead of getting the best and brightest people, who tend to be like-minded, "more effective is a team that thinks differently, that envisions challenges through different lenses," she says.  

Cummings says she was impressed with the level of energy of conference-goers. While she and others are still "unpacking" the takeaways, follow-up events are in the works, including a Juxtaposition mural to go on Broadway and Emerson. Students will work with professional artist mentors "to bring what happened at the conference out onto the street."   

Source: DeAnna Cummings, Juxtaposition Arts
Writer: Anna Pratt

The idea behind the $35 million Payne Maryland Town Square development is to help change the direction of the St. Paul East Side neighborhood, for the better. 

It's a public-private collaboration that's been several years in the making, bringing together St. Paul Parks and Recreation and libraries, Arlington Hills Lutheran Church, and the Bradshaw Funeral Home, according to Chris Gibbs, who is a principal with HGA, the architecture firm that's working on the project.

Named for the streets it'll intersect with, the town square will be built on a lot that pieces together land from various collaborators, along with a couple of privately owned duplexes.

As of right now, the facility's 110,000 square feet will be split between three levels, including one that will be partially below grade, he says.

The development's preliminary design includes a public library; rec areas such as a gym, exercise room, and walking/running track; meeting rooms for 75 to 300 people; classrooms for big and small groups, and office space. Ultimately, the community will determine what happens in the building, he says.   

Groups will share resources, which will improve their efficiency. "The final outcome will be exponentially greater than any of them can do on their own," he says.

At this point, the building's aesthetic is still coming together. "The keys are to balance fitting in with the neighborhood and yet trying to set a new direction that will start a new beginning."  

Development will be phased, with construction of the library and recreational center to start in the spring of 2012.    

While it won't solve all of the area's problems, Gibbs hopes the town square will be a catalyst for change. "All of the entities are stepping outside of their comfort zones to do something to make the neighborhood better," he says.

Source: Chris Gibbs, HGA principal  
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Northeast Community Development Corporation initiated a proposal for the Jac Flats condos some years ago, but it was shelved due to market troubles.

Now, it could come back in a new form.

Artspace Projects, Inc., a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer that's working with the community development corporation, has adapted the project for 35 affordable live/work apartments for artists, according to Artspace project manager Andrew Commers.   

The $9.3 million four-story apartment building will be constructed on the same lot, at Jackson Street Northeast and 18 ½ Avenue Northeast, and it retains many of the same ideas, including the artist focus.   

"All units will be for low-income artists and their families," Commers says, explaining that some units will be reserved for those making 30 to 60 percent of the area median income.    

The apartments will have high ceilings and big windows that allow for plenty of natural light, which he says is ideal for artists who'll work in the space.

Tenants will decide what to do with a 2,500-square-foot communal space, which could be used as a studio, gallery, or classroom. "It'll depend on their interests and energy," he says.     

The flats will also have underground parking, while a portion of greenspace on the property could become a sculpture park.

As a whole, the project will blend in with the neighborhood, in terms of height and contours, he says.

Several noteworthy project funders are Wells Fargo, LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), a sponsor of The Line, and the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC), he says.

Additionally, the city awarded $50,000 in federal low-income tax credits to the development. It's a small allocation but it demonstrates early support for the project, he says, and will give it a competitive edge in the next application process.   

Right now Artspace is pursuing affordable-housing subordinate funds from the city, county, and state,  he says.

If those applications line up, it'll position the project to be fully funded and may allow for construction to start in early 2012, he says. Then, following 18 months of construction, the Jac Flats could be ready for leasing in June 2013.


Source: Andrew Commers, Artspace, project manager  
Writer: Anna Pratt

A massive $2.5 million solar thermal array on the Saint Paul RiverCentre's rooftop is a striking sight, even from blocks away.

The nearly 1,000 kW system, which spreads across more than half a football field-sized area--the largest installation of its kind in the Midwest--was unveiled on March 18, according to Anne Hunt, who works in Mayor Chris Coleman's office.

It's a product of a partnership between the center, city and District Energy, which supplies energy to 80 percent of downtown buildings, she says.

The federal "Solar America Communities" program provided $1 million for the display, and District Energy, which led the initiative, matched it, according to a prepared statement.

The array, which helps form a renewable energy district in St. Paul, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 900,000 pounds annually, according to project information.

The way it works is "District Energy's high-performing collectors generate hot water to be used for space heating and domestic hot water in the Saint Paul RiverCentre," while the surplus will get funneled throughout the network, a prepared statement reads.

The installation will work in conjunction with a 183 MW District Energy system that gets energy from a biomass-fueled combined heat and power plant, it states.     

Jim Ibister, who serves as the RiverCentre's general manager and vice president of facility administration for the Minnesota Wild, says, "It's a good symbol of our commitment to sustainability," which he emphasizes is something that clients and patrons are seeking.

"We knew it would be a benefit to the city and as a model across the country, with market transferability," he says. "It's in line with our goal to reduce our carbon footprint."  

The project is one of 10 solar projects that will run along the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line, thanks in part to the $1.5 million the city received in federal stimulus funds from the Minnesota Office of Energy Security.

Congresswoman Betty McCollum, who attended the unveiling, says in a prepared statement, "By pioneering the use of solar technology for thermal energy purposes, District Energy St. Paul provides a more efficient model that keeps more of our energy dollars in the local economy while relying on renewable resources."  


Source: Jim Ibister, vice president of facility administration for the Minnesota Wild and general manager of Saint Paul RiverCentre, Anne Hunt, St. Paul Mayor's office 
Writer: Anna Pratt

The site of the former Pedro Luggage store in downtown St. Paul is in the beginning stages of becoming a public park.

On March 18, the $225,000 store demolition began, which will be followed up by site restoration work that will go through early May, according to Brad Meyer, a city parks and recreation spokesperson.

Once the building is leveled, the land will be a blank slate for the future park development, he explains.

Pedro's Luggage, which was founded by Carl Pedro in 1914, was in business for almost 100 years before it closed in 2009, he says. The highly recognizable store had occupied the building at 10th and Robert streets in downtown St. Paul since the 1960s.

Pedro family members explored various alternatives for the building before approaching the city about donating the land for a park. The idea jibed with a decade-long planning process involving a park for the Fitzgerald neighborhood. With no cost to the city, besides developing the future park, "we jumped at the opportunity," he says.

It's a dramatic change for the block, but the park will be named after Carl Pedro Sr. as a way to honor the late businessman. 

Although further details of the park plans are yet to be determined, Meyer says that local businesspeople, residents and other stakeholders are enthusiastic about the prospects. "This will be a tremendous neighborhood greenspace and an asset for years to come," he says. "This park can serve as a catalyst for future investment," citing the positive impact of Rice and Mears parks.  

Source: Brad Meyer, St. Paul parks spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt

Seward Redesign, a neighborhood nonprofit developer, is taking steps to make "phase two" of its proposed Seward Commons a reality at the industrial four-acre site that was formerly home to the Bystrom Brothers machine shop, between Minnehaha and Cedar avenues south on 22nd Street in Minneapolis.

Seward Commons, which has long been in planning stages, is a sustainable transit-oriented housing development, according to project information. The development process has been divided into a couple of phases that separately deal with housing for the "persistent mentally ill" and seniors.   

"Phase two" specifically relates to 60 units of senior housing in the complex, which Seward Redesign associate director Katya Piling says is in high demand from the area's aging population. "People love the neighborhood and want to stay here," she says.

To make it happen, Seward Redesign is considering the possibility of teaming up with CommonBond Communities, another local nonprofit developer that already has a presence in the neighborhood at the Seward Towers. The possibility will be presented at a Seward Neighborhood Group committee meeting on April 12.  

The details of such a collaboration need to be worked out to meet the requirements of a Housing and Urban Development funding application, for which the deadline is coming up, she says.

For the 40 units of supportive housing, plus administrative offices, dining, and health and wellness facilities that are a part of "phase one," the group's partner is Touchstone Mental Health.

Seward Redesign acquired the land, which has nine buildings on the premises, in June 2009. Since the beginning, the community has been looped into the master-planning effort, which goes back even before then.  

Ultimately, Seward Redesign wants to transform the off-the-beaten-path industrial area into a lively link to the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. Already the group has taken pains to open up access to pedestrians along a trail near the line, which means people don't have to cross busy, four-lane Cedar Avenue to get to the Franklin Street LRT Station.

In the future, Seward Redesign hopes to create a well-lit path that "provides a more direct, flat way to reach the station," Piling says.  

The group has put a lot of thought into environmental issues. On the site, Seward Redesign plans to implement cutting-edge stormwater-management practices. Already, the existing parking lot has become an urban farm, which could be expanded to the development's rooftop. "We want to integrate agriculture into the development in the long-term," she says.   


Source: Katya Pilling, Associate Director, Seward Redesign     
Writer: Anna Pratt

In the past, the corner of University and Dale avenues in St. Paul was known as the "Red Light District," according to city spokesperson Janelle Tummel.

It's come a long way since then, thanks to the community pulling together to make the $13.5 million Frogtown Square development a go, she says.

U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan, U.S. Representatives Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison, Deputy Mayor Paul Williams and City Council member Melvin Carter III, attended the development's March 4 grand opening.

The project was made possible with $6.4 million in HUD financing plus over $4 million in grants and loans from the city to buy and build on the land parcel, according to project information.

The glassy four-story building has 50 one-bedroom apartments that are geared toward seniors. They have special features such as walk-in showers and easy-to-reach pull-cord alarms to accommodate seniors' needs, according to Tummel.

All of the units, known as the Kings Crossing Apartments, filled up within 24 hours of becoming available and there's a long waiting list, according to Tummel. It goes to show that "It's definitely meeting a need in the area," she says.

The building also includes community spaces, a business center, eating areas, and first-floor retail, she says.

Best Wireless, Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant, Global Market, Grooming House, Just Church'n it Fashions, Rondo Coffee Caf� and Subway fill the retail spaces.  

It's highly energy-efficient and pedestrian-friendly, with accessibility to and from the future Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line, Tummel says.

About the development, which was 15 years in the making, Secretary Donovan is quoted in a prepared statement, saying, "[Its] innovative approach of combining small businesses and affordable housing is exactly the type of smart planning the country needs to continue winning the future towards economic prosperity."

Episcopal Homes, Inc., owns and manages the apartments while Northeast Dale-University (NEDU), a group of community developers, is responsible for the 11,700 square feet of commercial space, according to project information.

Project partners include the Metropolitan Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Ramsey County, Bigelow Foundation and Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).


Source: Janelle Tummel, spokesperson for the city of St. Paul
Writer: Anna Pratt  

Some local business leaders are pushing for a new central park in downtown Minneapolis that would connect with the Mississippi River.

David Wilson, a managing director at Accenture's Minneapolis office, who presented the concept to the city's park board on Feb. 16, says that the group, which includes many business leaders from the Downtown Improvement District plus other downtowners, hopes to make the area a more "stroll-able, pedestrian-friendly green core."

The multifaceted plan, which is still in conceptual stages, involves a new park north of the Central Library that would link with the neighboring Cancer Survivors Park.

Linear components would stretch from the light rail stop at 5th Street and Marquette Avenue to Hennepin Avenue and head east, forming a green corridor that leads into a park near the riverfront.

The three-phase project will probably take 10 years to fulfill, with the earliest stage to acquire and develop property near the library costing $8 to $10 million, he says.

However, it's a much-needed amenity. While there's plenty of green space across the city, "there's a greater demand for green space"  downtown, especially with 35,000 downtown residents. 

In his view, the central park could be a place for a city Christmas tree or menorah, block parties, skating, and other activities that would encourage people to "get more connected with street life."     

Wilson says that interest and passion for investing in outdoor green spaces and parks has gone from low to extremely high over just the past few years, with projects such as the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition and the revamping of Peavey Plaza. 

On top of that, Nicollet Mall is due for a renovation in the near future while the park plan is being rolled into the Downtown Improvement District strategic plan for 2025.

Wilson says he and others are realizing that "this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the face of downtown."

Source: David Wilson, Accenture managing director in Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

Last weekend a couple of local sports teams opted for wind energy to power their games on Feb. 19 and 20 at downtown St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center.

The Minnesota Swarm and Minnesota Wild are the first to take advantage of Xcel's Windsource Events program at the arena, according to Jim Ibister, vice president of facility administration for the Minnesota Wild and general manager of Saint Paul RiverCentre.

Windsource, which both venues began offering last fall, delivers energy from 20 wind farms across the state, making it one of the largest programs of its kind nationwide, according to Xcel information.

The program helps groups join its efforts for sustainability. "It's something that people are willing to pay more for," though it's surprisingly affordable, he says.

"Windsource is delivered to the [energy] grid," he says. "It's very simple for the client," which "makes it an easy choice to make."

More and more businesses are seeking out such programs at rental venues. "We're finding more and more people are making choices based on sustainability efforts," he says. "It's a way to have a greener event."  

Windsource is one of several sustainability initiatives underway at the multiple-building campus. The centers jointly have a plan to increase energy efficiency by 20 percent and shrink its carbon footprint by 80 percent within three years.

In the fall of 2009, the centers initiated a plan to dramatically reduce waste, which Ibister describes as its "most public and most interactive" initiative.      

More recently, the RiverCentre started installing a large solar thermal array on its rooftop as yet another way to reduce its carbon footprint.  

It's trying to get the programs to be part of the culture and language at the venues, with as much involvement from workers and visitors as possible early on. "[If] you make it difficult to fail" it can lead to bigger steps, Ibister says.  

Source: Jim Ibister, vice president for facilities administration for the Minnesota Wild
Writer: Anna Pratt  

To learn more about its past, the city of Minneapolis is undergoing something called an historic survey to assess properties, themes, and development patterns.

The survey will shed light on properties that may have some historic significance, explains Brian Schaffer, who works for the city's preservation and design office.

A property may be significant for its connection to one or more of eight contexts, including everything from commerce to residential development. 

City officials are relying in part on anecdotes from the public through a series of community meetings this month that focus on certain areas of Camden, Northeast, University, Central, Near North, and Southwest Minneapolis. There's also an online survey.

The survey builds on earlier work that began in the 1970s, when the city first tallied its historic properties. At the same time, a local heritage preservation commission formed. "It led to a lot of the historic designations we have now," including historic landmarks and districts, he says.

In the 1990s, the city circled back to its historic survey work. It was then that it decided to embark on a more thorough survey, he explains.

The city started the re-survey process in 2001. In a way, the process has retraced the city's development, as city officials have shifted their focus from the central core, gradually moving out from there.   

In comparison with the city's earliest historic survey, "We know a lot more about historic properties," he says, adding, "The field of preservation has changed too."

Today, the survey more broadly includes historic landscapes and cultural and ethnic group resources, according to a prepared statement. 

Depending on what they find, some potentially historic properties might need further research or analysis. This is a "first-blush review," he says.

The results will help the city make informed decisions about the significance and protection of historic resources and develop goals and strategies for preservation and more generally, neighborhood planning, a prepared statement reads.

"It'll help us learn more about the oral history and social history that may not be well documented," Schaffer says. "It helps us focus our research."       

Source: Brian Schaffer, Minneapolis preservation and design official
Writer: Anna Pratt 

Following an intense weekend of information-gathering and design, six local nonprofits are armed with concrete materials to start making redevelopment and remodeling projects a reality.

The Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is an annual workshop that offers up pro bono design labor to local nonprofit agencies working in affordable housing and homelessness.   
 
This year's event, which ran Feb. 11-13 at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, attracted 42 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students, who split into six teams, according to Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative. 

Participating nonprofits, which were selected through a competitive process, this year included the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, Selby Avenue Action Coalition, Emma Norton Services, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, Families Moving Forward, and Woodland Hills Church.
 
One team worked on a plan for the Emma Norton facility downtown St. Paul, according to Peck.

Some volunteers studied the possibility of building out a coffee shop on the shelter's ground floor.  

They walked around the area to assess the potential market for a new coffee shop. Nearby were clinics and businesses, but there wasn't much in the way of restaurants or food services, she says.

Besides filling a business niche, an in-house coffee shop could be a source of revenue for Emma Norton while providing jobs for women staying at the shelter, she explains.  
 
Another couple of teams brainstormed ways to improve some blocks along Selby Avenue between Dale and Lexington avenues in St. Paul. As a part of a project for the Selby Avenue Coalition, they came up with a jazz theme that ties into an annual festival that could have "more of a year-round presence through art or images or music studios."
 
Both teams "captured the spirit of the street through design and research," Peck says.  
   
For the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a roomful of mattresses on the floor was reconfigured with bunk beds that give people more personal space, including storage cabinets. Keeping sightlines clear while also providing a secure place for people's belongings was important, she explains.    
 
She says the volunteers received plenty of praise from the nonprofits and "they're excited to take the next step."
 
Likewise, the vast majority of volunteers responded positively, saying they would do it again. "I think it was a good event for the volunteers as well as the agencies," Peck says. 

Source: Jacquelyn Peck, AIA-Minnesota representative
Writer: Anna Pratt 
 

A project to restore the native prairie of the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom, which is an 18-acre forest and land area within the century-old Como Park in St. Paul, starts this week with a $218,000 grant from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.  

Conservation Corps Minnesota volunteers are being trained to use tools for removing nonnative and invasive species. The effort will span several months.  

Brad Meyer, a spokesperson for St. Paul, explains, "If you go back 100 years you wouldn't see a lot of development that's happened in Como Park," he says. "You'd see a lot of prairie grass, open space and native plants."    

The grant will also help extend educational opportunities within the open-air classroom.

He says the woodland classroom has a curriculum related to the plants, birds and trails. People can actually reserve the open-air "classroom" to do bird surveys or learn about invasive species, for instance. "It's more than just going into the woods and teaching a class."

Como Park Senior High School is one of the primary users of the program that started in 2006. The high school had wanted to teach environmental education within a natural setting.  

The project is a collaboration of community volunteers, local schools, and City of St. Paul Department of Parks and Recreation, according to project information posted online. They formed a committee that got to work on developing a vision and mission, along with a master plan for the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom.

"It's a great thing, with such a sense of ownership for residents in the park," Meyer says, adding that the group has done much of the legwork to make the plan a reality. The grant will go "to make the park what it could be," or "one big stop for outdoor environmental education in St. Paul."    

Source: Brad Meyer, spokesperson for city of St. Paul  
Writer: Anna Pratt
 

When the TLS/KVA team of landscape architects and designers strolled a 5.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River starting at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis and heading north, they climbed over fences to get a better view of the landscape. It almost got them arrested for trespassing. 

TLS/KVA is a partnership between the Berkeley-based Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture from Boston.

Sheila Kennedy, one of the team members leading the charge, says too much of the river is off the beaten track. "We felt the river edge is where people should be," adding, "It's so difficult to get there now."   

TLS/KVA, which has a partnership with nine local firms, was announced as the winner of the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition on Feb. 10. The contest, jointly held by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota College of Design, solicited proposals from four finalist teams from across the globe.

TLS/KVA stood out for its proposal, titled RiverFIRST, which focuses on water, health, mobility and green economy.

The goals were to re-establish the parks as an economic engine for development and make the river�one of the three great rivers of the world�a connector, not a divider, and reorient the city around that focus, according to contest project manager Mary DeLaittre.    

Whether it's about rediscovering the Northside Wetlands or establishing floating "habitat islands" that happen to be formed from recycled water bottles, "RiverFIRST design initiatives function at multiple scales to link larger natural, social, civic, and economic ecologies and raise citizen awareness about the impacts of consumer choices on the Upper Mississippi River," a prepared statement reads.  

TLS/KVA will be awarded a riverfront parks commission, the details of which will be determined over the course of a four-month transitional phase.

 
Source: Sheila Kennedy, KVA, Mary DeLaittre, Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition  
Writer: Anna Pratt