Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership

Communities connect with the Riverfront most principally through the parks lining their edge.  Minneapolis’ Lower Gorge, near the Lake Street Bridge, has been lined with continuous parks for over a century. In the Central Riverfront, parks exist, but have only coalesced in the last generation. Things are improving along the Upper River, but it has a long way to go to match the rest of the corridor.

 

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Along with the rest of the City, more and more people choose to walk, bike, or roll in the riverfront area. There remains one area of obvious concern, however: well over half of the Upper River still lacks any riverfront trails.

 

 

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Part of what makes a neighborhood attractive for investment of any kind is the quality of its infrastructure. An analysis of 2014 city data shows that the Upper River is lagging the rest of the riverfront, and indeed the rest of the city in the quality of its local roadways.

Percent of city street length in fair to excellent condition, 2014

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Ultimately, much of the change sought along the riverfront comes about through physical investments in the riverfront landscape. That can me new housing or commercial development. That also includes public investments in amenities like new parks and trails that help draw people to the river.  Building from those public investments are private investments in new and expanded businesses, and new housing.

In the Upper River, between 2004 and 2014:

$49M total public investment
leveraged 
$171M total private investment 

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Over the last generation, the Central Riverfront has been transformed from its historic industrial roots to a dynamic place to live, work, and play. Its trajectory provides a roadmap for the transformations we seek in the Upper River over the next generation. First, historic preservation, park, and trail investments set the stage. In response, the Central Riverfront has seen an increasing amount of investment in new development - particularly housing - investment that values and contributes to the riverfront location.

$253M total public investment
leveraged 
$1.426B total private investment 

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In the Central Riverfront, previous investment in parks and preservation are paying off in the housing market. Between 2004 and 2014, 6,370 units of housing were added in the Central Riverfront.

In the Upper River, full-scale redevelopment has just gotten underway in the last decade. Even so, several new projects were built, but the total number of units was less than a tenth of those built in the Central Riverfront. Over time, as investment in the riverfront pays off, we hope those numbers will accelerate.

 

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The Central Riverfront, which is at the edge of the city’s central business district, has built a substantial amount of new ofice space, as well as a considerable amount of general commercial space - generally retail storefronts and the like. By comparison, the Upper River has a fairly even mix of investment in industrial, light industrial and office space.

 

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Property tax revenue is an important indicator of the economic vitality of an area. We continue to see revenue from the Central Riverfront increase faster than in the rest of the City. By comparison, the Upper River accounts for a decreasing portion of citywide property tax revenue.

 

 

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In recent years, the Central Riverfront has driven job growth overall in the river corridor. But the Upper River also continues to steadily increase its total jobs by about one percent per year.

 

 

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Over the last decade, Minneapolis has been making a continual commitment to the evolution of its riverfront parks. And one of the key effects of that commitment is a dramatic growth in the use of those parks.

 

 

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2014-15 saw a significant wave of historic designations in the riverfront corridor. Four designations were made – two for properties in the Upper River, one for a property in the Central Riverfront, and one for an entire district near the Central Riverfront.

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Comparing 2014 to the ten year average, crime is down substantially on the Upper River. Crime is up somewhat in the Central Riverfront and Lower Gorge compared to the the ten year average, but both these areas have seen a substantial population increase over the last ten years, explaining the increase in the number of crimes.

 

 

 

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Total suspended solids (TSS) is one measure of the flow of contaminants in the river stream. TSS has been trending downward over the last ten years. However other pollutants, such as nitrate, has been trending upward. And the river still remains impaired for E. Coli bacteria, and impaired for mercury pollution in fish populations.

 

 

 

 

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Riverfront revitalization frequently runs up against past pollution that lingers in the ground. This is true in the areas that have been more industrialized, including both the Central Riverfront and the Upper River.

 

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The data underscores that parkland with natural habitat is three times more prevalent in the Lower Gorge than the Upper River (see below). This has implications for the ability of wildlife to move and thrive in the corridor, of course. It also has implications for humans: ready access to trees and natural beauty has positive impacts on our own health and well-being.