Area Park Board Commissioner Explains Decision to Remove Parkway

East Isles residents question newly elected Park Board Commissioner Jason Garcia’s vote to explore closing part of The Mall parkway, raising concerns about safety, access and neighborhood input.

By Ellen van Iwaarden

On Feb. 4 the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted 7-2 to authorize park staff to explore whether the Metropolitan Council could permanently close two blocks of The Mall’s northern parkway. The closure would occur after the Met Council completes the sewer reconstruction planned along The Mall.

The vote reversed a decision by last year’s Park Board directing the Met Council to return The Mall Park to its current configuration after the sewer work, keeping the parkway open.

Newly elected District 4 Commissioner Jason Garcia, who represents neighborhoods around The Mall, was joined by at-large Commissioners Meg Forney, Amber A. Frederick and Board President Tom Olsen in voting with the majority to explore closing the two-block stretch, despite strong opposition from nearby residents.

District 6 Commissioner Cathy Abene, a professional engineer, and District 2 Commissioner Charles Rucker voted against the proposal and have raised concerns about public safety.

Many neighbors living near The Mall have opposed the proposed closure since it was first introduced by the Community Advisory Committee in 2018 and adopted by the Park Board in 2020. More than 800 neighbors have signed a petition asking the Park Board to keep the parkway open.

Neighborhood concerns about the proposed permanent closure include potential public safety risks if fire department equipment loses access, a concern raised by retired Fire Chief Bryan Tyner and Commissioner Rucker, a longtime Minneapolis firefighter.

Residents also worry that the closure would disrupt traffic patterns by forcing vehicles and bicycles onto Lagoon Avenue at dangerous intersections. Currently, many drivers use The Mall Parkway to reach East Bde Maka Ska Drive and enter at a stoplight.

Additional concerns include reduced parking access for elderly and disabled park visitors and renters along The Mall, as well as the loss of the park’s historic symmetry for what critics describe as only a minimal gain in sloped green space.

The East Isles Neighborhood Association invited Garcia to attend its March board meeting to explain their vote.

“For me, it was about utilizing the space as park space versus parking and traffic,” Garcia said.

Garcia also noted that removing the two-block stretch of parkway would support Park Board goals of reducing miles traveled by cars on parkways and lowering emissions.

Garcia added that park staff had reached out to the Metropolitan Council about closing the parkway but had not yet received a response. The Met Council sewer project, originally expected to begin last summer, has also experienced additional delays.

Board and community members asked Garcia about their decision-making process, including who they consulted beyond neighborhood residents and how they weighed neighborhood concerns about safety and access against what many see as a small increase in green space.

Some community members also pointed out that The Mall borders the 1,555-acre Chain of Lakes Regional Park, leading them to question whether closing the parkway to add more green space would have meaningful impact.

Neighborhood leaders expressed hope Garcia may still reconsider supporting a permanent closure of the two-block stretch and instead address the public safety and access concerns raised by residents.

Stay tuned.

Ellen van Iwaarden is the president of the East Isles Neighborhood Association.

This article originally appeared in Hill & Lake Press