The second of two open houses regarding the proposed “missing link” in the Grand Rounds parkway will be held Thursday, Oct. 18, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Pillsbury School, 2251 NE Hayes St.

Attendees will be able to get an update, ask questions and provide feedback on the project, which would complete the 50-mile circuit of parkway, bicycle and pedestrian trails that encircles Minneapolis. Currently, there is a gap in the circuit between Larpenteur Avenue near Highway 280 and trails on the East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota.

The “missing link” project proposes connections to fill the gap along a handful of possible routes, all of which run through Southeast Minneapolis neighborhoods. The project could require redevelopment of streets and possibly the removal of houses, based on a map of proposed routes provided by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), which is hosting the open house.

At the first open house in September, project planners heard opposition from many Southeast Minneapolis residents about routes running through already-developed areas of the Como neighborhood, especially 18th Avenue Southeast, where residents fear houses and businesses would be removed to facilitate the project. (See Anna Pratt’s story here.)

Instead, at their annual meeting in October, the Southeast Como Improvement Association (SECIA) voted unanimously in support of a resolution to promote the most eastern routes, which would run just west of Highway 280 through less developed areas of the neighborhood. SECIA hopes that this route would “benefit the Mid-City Industrial Area and the Southeast Minneapolis Industrial Area, as well as providing needed green space and preserving or renovating wetlands for the betterment of the environment and the citizens of Minneapolis,” according to the resolution.

Routes proposed for the residential part of the neighborhood, however, “would destroy homes, businesses, and institutions in the Como Neighborhood, and the adjoining Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood, as well as Dinkytown, Stadium Village and the University of Minnesota, without delivering any promised new green space,” the resolution stated.

More information is available at the open houses — which will include photos and drawings of the proposed route alternatives, a presentation about the project and a question and answer session — and on the Park Board’s website.

According to an MPRB release, the open houses are part of the current study phase that includes community input and technical review. The actual route and design will be evaluated based on on neighborhood impact and “connectivity to existing and proposed bicycle and pedestrian routes, park and open spaces, and transportation corridors.”

The study phase will be completed next spring, and “Master Plan” will be developed for the completion of the missing link, which will be “implemented when funds become available,” states the release.

last revised: October 15, 2007

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