riverfirst interim land management strategy

Interim Land Management StrategyFOR MPRB RIVERFRONT PARCELS AWAITING

DEVELOPMENT

Research Assistants in Practice:Leslie Johnson (2016)

Han Do (2015)Chris Tallman (2015)

Table of ContentsChallenge Statement

Precedents

Context / IssueValues / Layers of Function

Branding Palette of Elements

Walk through each protypes with palette elements applied

Next Steps

Challenge StatementThe Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is actively assembling riverfront properties that will, in time, become developed parkland as envisioned by RiverFirst and the Above the Falls Regional Park Master Plan. Often, the properties have continuing commercial uses or are otherwise not ready for park development.The Park Board annually sets aside funds to help manage the properties. However, it’s a struggle to implement a successful toolkit of simple yet impactful management strategies that demonstrate good stewardship, communicate positive messages and provide compelling community value. As a result, they often appear abandoned, don’t communicate positive messages to the public and provide little functional value. The RA-In-Practice program through the Minneapolis Parks Foundation has developed a policy framework and conceptual approaches to managing properties that celebrate them as meaningful public spaces with minimal capital investment.

Precedent Research

DETROIT’S VACANT LAND

o Over 30% of all parcels in Detroit are vacanto This includes approximately 100,000 parcelso Re-greening has become a common strategy for managing land in Detroit’s East Side, where most of the vacant lots are located

o Common re-greening efforts include: green infrastructure dendro remediation - use of trees to remediate transformation into agricultural sites stormwater management - bioswales public art

P R E C E D E N T

Source: http://detroitography.com/2014/03/09/map-detroit-block-vacancy-rate-2009/

THE GREENING OF DETROIT

P R E C E D E N T

DENDRO-REMEDIATION PROJECTS

o The Greening of Detroit is a nonprofit resource agency that supports sustainable urban communities through the planting of trees, green spaces, food, education, training and job opportunities.

o Hyperaccumulators planted: willow, poplar, cottonwoodo Tree survival rate is greater than 90%o Trees are maintained & watered for 3 yearso Volunteers & Detroit high school students are hired to care for approximately 10,000 - 12,000 trees

o Applications: - Soil remediation expected to take 8-10 years - Community stewardship can decrease cost of maintenance, support community building and improve overall health - Timber can be harvested for profit if trees are allowed to mature

SUSTAINABLE LAND LAB

P R E C E D E N T

SUNFLOWER + PROJECT

o Sustainable Land Lab is a collaboration between the City of St. Louis, MO and Washington University in St. Louiso Sunflower + Project demonstrates the remediation of contaminated soils on vacant sites using sunflowers & winter wheat to extract lead and other contaminants

o Applications: - Neighborhood beautification tool - Transform residents’ perception of their community - Actual remediation may be minimal, but scale of planting may create a new center or landmark for surrounding area - Vegetation selection can become the MPRB standard/brand


P R E C E D E N T

SUNFLOWER + PROJECT

o Sunflower + is a two-year project o The lot goes through four crop rotations and an annual harvest of plant materialo Seasonal interest: colorful flags are strung across the site during winter monthso Paying tribute to history: gabion benches at front of parcel marks old building footprints

o Applications: - Reduce and potentially eliminate remediation costs - Provide productive alternative to mowing - Reduce lead exposure in community - Reduce city maintenance costs on vacant land


P R E C E D E N T

TYPE (SCAPES) PROJECT

o Similar to Sunflower + Project, Type(Scapes) uses plantings to display words about dreams and visionso Words are generated from community workshops - encourages written word as a form of expression in an area where literacy issues and high drop-out rates are commono Kiosk built on site for display & distribution of informationo Ladders installed for elevated viewpoints to better read the type(scapes)

o Applications: - Combine multiple functions on one site for greater interest & efficiency - soil remediation, habitat creation & artistic expression/public art - Manage land in ways that make visible the processes that are usually invisible - ecological processes: water cycles, life cycles, remediation, etc. - political processes: who owns and cares for this land? How? - Create a gestalt - an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts - parcels minimally managed to allow for spontaneous changes that result from myriad ways community members & animal life use the site

DAKOTA COUNTY GREENWAY GUIDE

P R E C E D E N T

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The next three slides cover a sample of precedent images from the Dakota County Greenway Guide that will be applicable to the structure & contents of the Interim Land Management Guide.

BENEFITS OF GREENWAYS


P R E C E D E N T

LAND ACQUISITION MODEL TYPOLOGIES


P R E C E D E N T

PERFORMANCE GOALS/TYPOLOGY SIGNAGE

New York City Soil & Water Conservation District

P R E C E D E N T

Greening Vacant Lots:Planning and Implementation Strategies

• Comprehensive case study review of policy and planning efforts in ten American cities and counties including: Chicago, Tallahassee, Milwaukee, NYC, Seattle, Baltimore.

• The joint NRDC & NYCSWCD review seeks to illuminate how leading cities plan, administer and implement programs that convert vacant lots to green space, in the context of regulatory requirements and broader redevelopment goals.

• Though focused on residential or commercial use vacant land the heavy focus on SWM and socio-economic opportunities provides useful insight into vacant lot management for the MPRB.

• In addition to aggregating adjacent parcels, several cities are planning to aggregate parcels along roadways to connect neighborhoods through greenways and trails.

• The lack of dedicated maintenance funding presently concerns most programs; volunteerism alone is not effective. Four existing and emerging maintenance models are identified.

• Solid research based evidence of social, economic, and environmental challenges and opportunies in vacant land management.

P R E C E D E N T

• Research indicates that vacant lots may function as impervious area, even if the surfaces are vegetated, because soils are compacted from heavy equipment during demolition. For example, one study in Cleveland concluded that vacant lots retain as much storm water as a paved parking lot.

• Brownfields are a special sub-set of vacant land that require an understanding of the site’s past use, contamination levels, economic conditions, safe green space options, and remediation opportunities.

• Storm water runoff can carry contaminants from brownfields to adjacent properties and urban waterways.

Vacant Land Challenges

Vacant Lot Scenario

http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/michigan/files/styles/x_large/public/201506/potpurri_062515_027.jpg

http://www.metropolismag.com/October-2013/The-Select-Ten/PIX_17.jpg

Conventional Response

Alternative SWM Scheme

http://aestheticecosystems.com/stormwater-urban/


P R E C E D E N T

• Three principles emerge from the NRDC summary study which present scenarios relevent the MPRB parcels on the ATF stretch of the Mississippi River: City scale green space planning focused on greening vacant lots; a connected network of parks as Green Infrastructure for SWM; Economic development through GI development on a single site.

• Chicago’s CitySpace plan and related programs model citywide planning and implementation strategies.• Tallahassee’s Capital Cascade Trail illustrates how a greenway and a network of parks can manage regional

storm water.• Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley Industrial Center demonstrates how cities can facilitate storm water

management among businesses using green infrastructure at a single site, design: Wenk Associates.

Vacant Land Opportunities

http://www.cwp.org/images/stories/Images/wsb/wsb%20spring%202013/desousa/Figure-1.-credit-Wenk-Associates-Inc.jpg

Millwaukee Tallahassee http://www.famu.edu/FacilitiesPlanning/UserFiles/Image/famuway_capitalcascadestrail.png


City of Milwaukee

P R E C E D E N T

• Focused on residential lot scale acquisition and development the handbook is formed around programatic classes:

Vacant Lot Handbook

http://www.metropolismag.com/October-2013/The-Select-Ten/PIX_17.jpg

• Neighborhood Amenities and Green Space• Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens• Multi-Use Spaces• Environmental Strategies

• The city strategy is to vest responsibility for design, development and management to the community.• Applicable strategies are extracted from the Handbook based on the merits of environmental, economic,

and social value such Community management strategies can bring to vacant parcels.

Conventional Response

Alternative SWM Scheme

http://aestheticecosystems.com/stormwater-urban/

Vacant Lot Scenario

City of Milwaukee

P R E C E D E N TInterim Strategies for social enhancement:

Vacant Lot Handbook

• Neighborhood Pathways and Gateways• Food Forests and Edible Parks• Outdoor Classrooms/Nature Explore™• Grow and Play Lots• Public Art

Interim Strategies for economic enhancement:• Community Gardens• Orchards and Vineyards• Composting

Interim Strategies for environmental enhancement:• Tree Canopy• Rainwater Capture• Rain Gardens

City of Baltimore

P R E C E D E N T

Green Pattern Book

The Green Pattern Book is designed as both a handbook for administrators and also as a development tool for resident.

Dense with technical know-how the format is graphically simple and elegant in its organization.

Though the focus of the GPB is developing resident administration of vacant parcels within the city, several initiatives are transferable to the situation of MPRB parcels.

• Green parking as a strategy to develop stormwater infiltration through program grading requirements.

• Leasing land for interim farming operations? Possibilities and hurdles?

• Use of design graphics for education effects to create a shared language.

• interchangeable and ‘mashable’ types that can be intermixed to have multi-function|multi-srevice management strategies

City of Baltimore

P R E C E D E N T

Green Pattern Book

Opportunities for communities adjacent to MPRB properties to manage while providing an identity to idle land.

Location of MPRB Riverfront Lots

S I T E C O N T E X T

MPRB PARCEL LOCATIONS The Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board owns over 50 par-cels of land that are not currently developed park space. These parcels will be examined as part of the Interim Land Management Strategy Guide.

Three parcels will be explored in creating parcel “prototypes”1) Small-Lot, Vacant - 2128 MARSHALL ST NE

2) Commercial - 1828 MARSHALL ST NE

3) Large-Lot, Vacant - 1720+ MARSHALL ST NE

0’ 500’ 1000’ 2000’ 3000’

Site BoundaryParksMPRB Parcels

LEGEND

1 2 3

Broadway St.13th Ave.

BNSF R.R.

26th Ave.

22nd Ave.

Plymouth Ave.

Lowry Ave.

35th Ave.

Dowling Ave.

St. Anthony Pkwy

USING TYPOLOGIES TO EXPLORE POSSIBILITIES

1

2

3

Small Lot, Vacant 2128 MARSHALL ST NE

Commercial Lot 1828 MARSHALL ST NE

Large Lot, Vacant 1720+ MARSHALL ST NE

S I T E C O N T E X T

LAND USE 2010

Nicollet Island - Residential - Commercial - Vacant Industrial - Vacant Commercial - Vacant Residential

Gluek/Edgewater Parks - Vacant Residential

1720+ Marshall Properties - Industrial - Vacant Residential

North of Graco Inc. - Park, Recreational & Preserve - Minimal trails on post-industrial land along abandoned rail line

Scherer Brothers Site - Vacant Industrial

80% Vacant 5% Commercial 56% Industrial 8% Residential

1

1

2

2

3

3

0’ 500’ 1000’ 2000’ 3000’

LEGENDFarmsteadSeasonal/VacationSingle Family DetachedManufactured Housing ParkSingle Family AttachedMultifamilyOfficeRetail & Other CommercialMixed Use ResidentialMixed Use IndustrialMixed Use Commercial & OtherIndustrial & UtilityInstitutionalPark, Recreational & PreserveGold CourseMajor HighwayRailwayAgriculturalUndevelopedWaterMPRB Parcels

4

4 5

5

Park Board Parcels

S I T E S U R V E Y

OVERVIEW OF PARCEL PROTOTYPES

2128 MARSHALL ST NE

SMALL PARCEL, VACANT LARGE PARCEL, VACANTCOMMERCIAL PARCEL1720+ MARSHALL ST NE1828 MARSHALL ST NE

ValuesBeauty - To create aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable places for visitors and area residents to enjoy and provide attractive spaces to the community.

Brand / Image - To create a continuous identity throughout the various properties that will notify visitors that these lots belong to the Minneapolis Park Board and are part of a larger planning effort and interim management strategy. This can be done through signage, a painted fence or posts, through plantings, etc. Example plant palettes: Aspen grove with understory of native grasses, such as little bluestem, blue grama, switchgrass; Short-lived tree along front edges.

Eliminate hazards - To eliminate dangers that may pose a threat to visitors and local ecological communities, whether that be through remediation, borders, grading, strategic access, security, lighting, etc. Each site should be safe and welcoming to those in and around it.

Access - To determine how far visitors are able to enter into the site. While certain properties may be fully accessible, complete with an inte-rior path, other properties may only allow visitors to look into the space from the front, through signage, porches, and visual perspective.

Engagement (level of intention) - To determine how much program-ming will be placed at different sites. Certain properties, particularly those with limited access, may not include programming elements beyond basic signage, while other areas will be better suited for a variety of activities, such as exhibiting public art, etc.

Ecological function (bioremediation, habitat, water quality) - To restore ecological function and integrity throughout the various properties, the prototype designs will seek to utilize bioremediation through thoughtful planting, enhanced habitat opportunities, and improvements to water quality.

Connectivity to adjacent property - To strengthen the network of Park Board properties, the prototype designs will attempt to connect to adja-cent properties as often as possible. This strategy will assist in the de-velopment of the greater park network as more opportunities become increasingly available.

Knowledge / Communication - To convey the Minneapolis Park Board and Foundation’s mission to the general public and educate visitors about the interim land management strategy being undertaken into order to expand future park land along the Mississippi Riverfront.

Layers of FunctionStandard of care - The prototype designs seeks to convey that these properties are being cared for and held in trust until the time when a larger park system will be developed. Such efforts will help build trust in these communities, where the abandoned buildings and lots could otherwise negatively impact the neighborhood.

Maintenance demand - While each place must maintain a standard of care, the maintenance required to do so cannot exceed anything greater than once per month, i.e. mowing, weed whacking, etc.

Threshold of development - Although the Minneapolis Park Board and Foundation mean for these individual spaces to be welcomed into the local community, the intended purpose of these sites is not to be exten-sively developed at this time. Rather, the community and visitors must realize that the lots will only be development to a certain extent, until the greater park system can be recognized.

Safety / security - Safety and security are prime considerations in the development of each prototype design, as the properties must enhance local community residents and visitors, not pose a threat. The sites will, therefore, provide security access to the bluff line when possible, elim-ination of possible on-site hazards, and safety features that protect the property itself and its users.

Values 2128 / 2124 Marshall Small parcel, vacant

1828 MarshallCommercial

1720 MarshallLarge parcel, vacant

Access High Potential - 2128 is easily accessible, and Medium Potential with 2124, depending on the cooperation between the Sample Room and MPF.

Low Potential - commercial property, possibilities for small back path

High Potential

Engagement High Potential - open opportunity on 2128, and potential for commercial collaboration with Sample Room.

Low Potential - due to limitations on access High Potential

Ecological Function High Potential Low potential - due to limited space / Higher potential ecological function if the parking lot is relocated.

High Potential - remove building and impervious surface

Connectivity to Adjacent Properties

Medium Potential - Depending on the Sample Room, properties could link into Gluek Park.

Medium potential - Nearly can connect with 1720 Marshall and Psycho Suzie’s.

Medium Potential - can connect to wooded area, but not currently beyond that.

Knowledge / Communication

High Potential High Potential - Signage will be key on this site.

High Potential

Beauty High Potential Medium Potential - Changes to front parking lot / Attractive back pathway

High Potential

Brand / Image High Potential High Potential - Signage will be key on this site.

High Potential

Elimination of Hazards Low Potential (Limited Need) Low Potential (Limited Need) High Potential - lots of extra materials, possible contaminants, safety

Branding Palette

Branding Palette1) Create a Place for People

2) Highlight Riverfirst Initiative

3) Inform Visitors

Branding Palette4) Use Signature Plantings

5) Curate Art on Sites

6) Distinctive Site Patterns

Branding Palette7) Express MPRB Ownership

1) Create a Place for People

3) Inform Visitors

4) Use Signature PlantingsPossibilities

Trees: AspenEx. Populus tremuloides ‘NE Arb’Prairie Gold Aspen - H30-40 x W15-20Ex. Locust Trees Black Locust, Honey Locust

Grass understory: Blue Grama, Little Bluestem, Switch Grass - Path and Habitat

Flowers:Sunflower and Soybean - RemediationBlack-Eyed Susan - Garden Borders

5) Curate Art

7) Express MPRB Ownership

Small Lot, Vacant2128 Marshall St NE

Site Characteristics

S I T E S U R V E Y

North FenceSW Corner

Surface Types

1

Design Proposals

Riverfirst Sculpture

Interpretative Sign

Future Trail Alignment

Platform

Mown Grass Path

Design Proposals

1) Place for People


3) Inform Visitors

4) Use Signature Plantings

5) Curate Public Art



Existing Concrete Walk View of Lot

Design Proposals - Sample Room Collaboration



PlatformMown

Grass Path

Design Proposals - Sample Room Collaboration

1) Place for People


3) Inform Visitors


5) Curate Public Art6) Distinctive

Site Patterns


Existing Concrete Walk View of Lot

Commercial Lot1828 Marshall St NE


S I T E S U R V E Y

View from Marshall St. NE

Mississippi River View

Design Proposals

Design ProposalsDISTANCE FROM 1720 MARSHALL ST NE TO 1828 MARSHALL ST NE

Design Proposals


Design Proposals


Interpretative Sign

Design Proposals

1) Place for People


3) Inform Visitors




Existing View from Marshall St. NE

Large Lot, Vacant1720+ Marshall St NE


S I T E S U R V E Y

Wooded AreaSW Corner

Design Proposals


Interpretative Sign

Mown Grass Path

Sunflower / Soybean Mix


Mulch Path Through Wooded

AreaPlatform

Design Proposals

1) Place for People


3) Inform Visitors





Existing View from Marshall St. NE

Wooded Area

Next Steps• Determine whether interim riverfront site development is an idea worthy of pursuit.• Determine the brackets of a capital budget and targeted implementation season (maybe 2018).• Present the idea to Board of Commissioners for feedback.• Engage Planning, Environmental Stewardship, Public Safety, and Recreation in preparing schematic

designs and implementation toolkit for pilot sites.• Community Engagement?• Prepare construction documents.• Engage arts curator to determine public art strategy and manage its curation across interim riverfront

sites.• Establish annual budget for temporary/revolving public art installations.• ROLL OUT.

Center for Watershed Protection http://www.cwp.org/the-green-renewal-of-milwaukee-s-menomonee-valley

“FAQ”. The Greening of Detroit, n.d. Web. 06 July 2015.

Green Pattern Book http://www.baltimoresustainability.org/sites/baltimoresustainability.org/files/GGI%20Template%20View_FINAL_Compressed_.pdf

Greening Vacant Lots http://docs.nrdc.org/water/files/wat_13022701a.pdf

Harper, Jana, and Laurencia Strauss. Type(scapes) Proposal. St. Louis: Sustainable Land Lab, 10 Dec. 2012. PDF.

Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., and Friends of the Mississippi River. The Greenway Guidebook. N.p.: The Dakota County Greenway Collaborative, 28 Sept. 2010. PDF.

Mercer, Monica. “Seeing Beyond the Trees.” Hour Detroit. N.p., 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 July 2015.

“Strategies to Manage Vacant and Abandoned Properties.” Community & Economic Development in North Carolina & Beyond. UNC School of Government, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 06 July 2015.

“Sunflower + Project: STL.” Sustainable Land Lab: From Vacant to Vital. Sustainable Land Lab, 2015. Web. 6 July 2015.

Sustainable Land Lab. “Sunflower + Project Presentation Board.” N.p. 2015. JPG.

“Type(scapes).” Sustainable Land Lab: From Vacant to Vital. Sustainable Land Lab, 2015. Web. 06 July 2015.

Vacant Lot Hydrology http://aestheticecosystems.com/stormwater-urban/

Vacant Lot Handbook http://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/cityDCD/planning/pdfs/VacantLotHandbook.pdf

CITATIONS