In late January, at a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) planning retreat, MPRB Commissioners, five staff, and two guests discussed 76 conceptual plans for city-wide projects and reflected on their planning retreat as a "mixture of goals, ideas, needs and concepts." The Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association (SCNA) learned about a MPRB conceptual lake proposal for their neighborhood and invited Commissioner Jon Olson to attend their monthly March board meeting.
Among the 76 city-wide plans were four plans touching the Camden community: Construct one of six artificial turf fields at Folwell park; restoration and upgrade of Victory Memorial Drive; upgrade of Webber Park with picnic pavilions, beach area, water play feature, pool and restoration gardens; and by far one of the largest of the 76 conceptual plans is "Development of Shingle Creek Community Center and new Northside lake."
Three Shingle Creek Lake plans were presented by MPRB Commissioner Jon Olson and his senior planning staff Judd Rietkerk. Olson clarified the context of timing and intent of the MPRB planning retreat. "These are conceptual plans and haven't been approved by the MPRB board....These are plans when staff have time, they will pull these conceptual ideas out from a drawer and work on them and then put them away again...Staff's challenge was to think outrageous," stated Commission Olson. "The purpose of coming tonight was to get feedback. Is this a good or bad idea, should we proceed, or what are we missing?"
Olson said implementing this type of long-term plan would take many community meetings, a feasibility study, is intended to improve the quality of Shingle Creek water, add additional amenities to North Minneapolis, and try to address the mortgage foreclosure and property devaluation of the area. "The City of Brooklyn Center is also considering some improvements to Shingle Creek that may fit in line with the proposed lake concept as well," he said.
SCNA Board Member and Minneapolis Watershed appointee, Jeff Johnson, reported he was shocked to see the Shingle Creek Lake concept on the last two Minneapolis Watershed Commission agendas. "I oppose this plan. If this concept plan were to go through we simply would be losing too much," he said. "It's currently being marketed as a concept to help stimulate the local housing market. I believe strong local schools are proven to increase home values and increase homeownership more than a questionably sustainable lake concept." SCNA Board Member Pam Owens agreed, saying she did not "like MPRB's intent to have the Minneapolis School District demolish the current Shingle Creek Elementary school so MPRB could acquire the land, nor MPRB's abrupt dismissal of the school building as a current potential amenity that could be refurbished and reused for something like a community center. "
The positive aspect of the proposal is that it may bring a lake to the community, and that gets everybody talking - now that we know there are potential funds to pay for whatever is done, we can all continue to talk and plan something. "The hugeness of this concept also scares people, makes us angry, frustrated, offended and kind of close to what the possibilities could be too," said Owens.
SCNA Board Member Marie Castle said, while she agreed the Northside could use more amenities like a new community center, "The lake and parkland would certainly make the area look nice, but it would take out about 250 affordable homes. Those left would be assessed a higher valuation and be taxed higher due to the lake. This might make many of them no longer affordable to those who live there."
This 127-acre conceptual lake MPRB proposal would stretch most of Shingle Creek in the Shingle Creek neighborhood. Some of the items proposed would include acquisition and demolition of an estimated 250-300 homes; acquiring the current Shingle Creek Elementary school site, removing all of the ball fields at Creekview park, creating a 25' deep lake which shores would touch 52nd Ave. N to 49th Ave. N., adding new walking/bike paths, and include a new community center. And although a price tag was not included in this conceptual plan presentation, Olson said there is funding for this type of project, mentioning the recently passed park referendum funds.
Long-time SCNA Board Member, and former chairperson, Jeffrey Strand said, "The experience of the Humboldt Greenway Project in our community sensitized residents and neighborhood activists about the importance of wide and deep community inclusion in redevelopment discussions, as well as the desirability of voluntary acquisitions versus adverse takings of peoples' properties for public sponsored projects...I want to ensure that the Shingle Creek Lake concept is fully vetted in the community."
SCNA will host the April 16 Camden Alliance of Neighborhoods (CAN!) Meeting, at 7 p.m. at Creekview Park, 5001 Humboldt Ave. N. They have invited Commissioner Jon Olson as a guest speaker to present and discuss this lake conceptual plan. Community residents are welcome and encouraged to attend. For info about the CAN! meeting go to www.scna-mpls.org. For info about the lake conceptual plan contact Commissioner Olson at 612-230-6443.