Minnesota cities cozy up to their waterfronts - Finance & Commerce
The state’s three largest cities have significant waterfront development projects to enliven shorelines. Minnesota cities are looking to take advantage of their natural resources through development of mixed-use projects in two separate locations along the Zumbro River. The Twin Cities and Rochester Riverfront Small Area Plan call for development of about 60 acres of land situated between downtown Rochester and the Slatterly Park and Sunnyside neighborhoods. The larger Downtown Waterfront Southeast property is privately owned, primarily by Mayo Clinic and Camegaran LLC, a Hastings-based real estate developer. Both projects are part of the larger Rochester Comprehensive Plan 2040, which was adopted by the City Council in 2018. The complexity of funding and other issues require great patience from those who wish to see more rapid progress. Political will, funding availability and market dynamics will dictate how quickly these projects can move forward.
Published : 11 months ago by Paul Nolan in
Plans for Minneapolis’ Upper Harbor call for development of a 19-acre park, a 7,000- to 10,000-seat amphitheater, a health and wellness hub and new affordable housing. (File rendering)
Historically, bodies of water have helped determine where cities get established, providing a means of transport and hubs to import and export goods, as well as a source of food, energy and other elements that help communities thrive.
For centuries, America’s urban waterfronts were primarily industrial and utilitarian. During the latter half of the 20th century, however, urban planners began reclaiming portions of city waterfronts for ambitious quality-of-life redevelopment projects. Residents discovered the joys of walking, jogging, biking, dining and simply enjoying the rivers, lakes and other bodies of water that graced their locations.
Minnesota is no exception. Cities that bump up against the numerous rivers and lakes that dot the state have developed elaborate waterfront projects with alluring mixes of retail and office space, restaurants, residential complexes and more. Significant waterfront development projects continue to be planned in the Twin Cities and in Rochester. Each community faces significant pressure to get it right when it comes to these projects.
Rochester is among the Minnesota cities looking to take advantage of its natural resources through development of mixed-use projects in two separate locations along the Zumbro River.
• The Downtown Waterfront Southeast (DWSE) Small Area Plan calls for development of about 60 acres of land situated between downtown Rochester and the Slatterly Park and Sunnyside neighborhoods.
• The Rochester Riverfront Small Area Plan calls for development of two city-owned riverfront sites totaling about 5.5 acres that sit alongside the Zumbro River west of downtown.
City documents state, “the two initiatives share similar ambitions to better connect the city with its riverfront, provide people-centric places that leverage the natural and cultural resources of downtown and support multi-modal connectivity.”
Both projects are part of the larger Rochester Comprehensive Plan 2040, which was adopted by the City Council in 2018. Ryan Yetzer, deputy director of community development for the city of Rochester, said momentum on both projects continue to occur, but the complexity of funding — a mixture of private and public — and other issues requires great patience from those who wish to see more rapid progress.
Last summer, city officials completed a phase of seeking input on both projects from a broad spectrum of stakeholders as well as the general public.
“Everybody has different ideas about what should happen,” Yetzer said. Some residents are concerned about increased traffic that could result from the proposed construction of a new bridge over Sixth Street as part of the Downtown Waterfront Southeast project. Others expressed concerns about renovating where critical flood control infrastructure has been constructed. “We believe the plans we have put forth have taken the concerns into consideration and we have done what we can to mitigate those concerns,” Yetzer said.
The larger Downtown Waterfront Southeast property is privately owned, primarily by Mayo Clinic and Camegaran LLC, a Hastings-based real estate developer. Yetzer said the city doesn’t intend to purchase any of the property, but it may need to contribute to putting in infrastructure.
Plans for the Downtown Waterfront Southeast property call for phased development that includes local businesses, a variety of housing options a pedestrian promenade and other inviting public spaces. It is hoped that key public improvements, including the construction of the 6th Street bridge, could be completed within five years, while the overall development could take more than 20 years. Political will, funding availability and market dynamics will dictate how quickly these projects can move forward.
Those same factors will determine the pace of progress on St. Paul’s River Balcony project, the development of a 1½-mile promenade that extends along downtown St. Paul’s Mississippi River bluff and down to the river. The city has partnered with the Great River Passage Conservancy on the project.
Completed plans call for the development of parks, civic landmarks and private development along Kellogg Boulevard. The hope is that, once finished, the River Balcony will feature an amphitheater, public walkways, accessible scenic overlooks, public art and gathering spaces.
Stakeholders continue to work through cost and governance issues. The site is a mixture of publicly and privately owned property, which makes funding more complex than a site like the 135-acre Highland Bridge site, which was purchased by Ryan Cos. for mixed-use development.
“Because there are a lot of different landowners, we need to strategically coordinate with everyone to determine roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in terms of funding and maintenance, and how we can implement the project knowing we have to coordinate between landowners, institutions and other stakeholders,” said Brett Hussong, lead landscape architect for St. Paul Parks & Recreation’s Design and Construction Division.
“We are still very much in the design stages,” Hussong added. “Knowing that we don’t have any funding for construction, we’re still three to five years out on any short-term construction that could happen.” He estimates there will be at least another year of design development. “We’ve advanced it significantly and we’ve [kickstarted] a lot of excitement in the community over the past six years.”
Minneapolis is further along with its Upper Harbor Terminal development project on the Mississippi River north of downtown. Demolition and site preparation have been completed on the 48-acre site, which spans nearly a mile and was previously home to a barge shipping terminal. Preparation work that was completed last year included demolition of three mothballed grain storage domes and several grain elevators.
Like St. Paul’s River Balcony undertaking, the Upper Harbor project is a collaboration between the city and private entities. Unlike the River Balcony project, the city of Minneapolis is retaining ownership of the entire site. Plans call for development of a 19-acre park, a 7,000- to 10,000-seat amphitheater, a health and wellness hub and new affordable housing.
Erik Hansen, the city’s director of economic policy and development, said the priority for the rest of this year is to figure out funding. Phase 1 construction, which would include portions of the park and amphitheater, should begin in the first half of 2024, he said.
“Right now, we have funding for the first phase of installing the infrastructure,” Hansen said. “While we call it a $350 million development, that’s for everything involved in transferring it from a barging terminal to the grand plan. It’s not as if we need to get all that [funding] set before we move forward.”
Minneapolis City Council established the Upper Harbor Collaborative Planning Committee in 2019 to ensure the redevelopment plan directly benefits North Minneapolis residents. A city-produced video on the project states that economic opportunities, anti-displacement and anti-gentrification, and environmental justice and sustainability are among the values at the center of the project.
“When we’re all done in a decade or two — hopefully before I retire — you’ll see a continuous trail system from the Stone Arch Bridge all the way to the northern border [of the city] on both sides of the river. This is a critical component of that,” Hansen said.
Proponents of the waterfront projects in Rochester, St. Paul and Minneapolis embrace the community-building power of the rivers that run through their cities. These projects take longer to complete than some of the careers of those who help them become reality. Rushing them through is recipe for wrong decisions, they agree.
Topics: Minnesota