urbanMSP

Opat and Norback have been speaking privately for years to numerous parties who might have a say in whether the project goes forward, including policymakers, environmentalists and American Indian tribal leaders. The two said they’ve asked for criticism and looked for red flags, but haven’t seen or heard any.

That's... genuinely hard to believe.

Given how much $$$ and fundraising is going into the other MPRB projects and the amount of work they have currently. Maybe they should just get a sponsor and have Green Minneapolis or whoever administers The Commons build it. The Healthpartners Walkway to health! or the Mayo Clinic Mile.

True galaxy-brain landscape architecture. Totally divorced from any real need, blissfully unaware of opportunity cost, contemptuous of the way that people actually pass through or linger in a space.

Would it be cool to walk on? Sure. Would it make any new connections? Nope. Would it provide a perspective or experience that is not currently available? Not really.

If Hennepin County is looking to spend $100 million creating river connections, might I suggest extending the Midtown and Great Northern Greenways? If Hennepin County is looking to spend $100 million on a tourist attraction, might I suggest building an observation tower or something? There are already a bunch of great ways to get close to the falls!

What an odd idea (and I'm very skeptical they could get it done for $100 million ...)

I mean doesn't this just duplicate the purpose of the stone arch bridge, just from a worse viewing angle?

They'll be better off anchoring some limestone croppings over the falls to restore the "Waterfall" look rather than this. Take the hundred million and complete Riverfirst and improve the parks.

Please just make the waterfall look like a waterfall and not a dam again. The problem with the falls is that they're ugly, not that we can't see them.

They really need to find a way to have a some soft of vendors. It would like a 30 minute walk for any kind of refreshments. Seems like every good pier runs utilities out the furthest point for shoppes and restrooms.

'Open Year Round'
Deicing that thing would be a nightmare.

So many better uses for $50-100 million. Terrible idea.

Tear out all the infrastructure in the water and let it go natural. This is just dumb. A real waterfall transitioning to rapids in the middle of the metro is 1000x more interesting than a walkway around a shitty concrete apron.

Tear out all the infrastructure in the water and let it go natural. This is just dumb. A real waterfall transitioning to rapids in the middle of the metro is 1000x more interesting than a walkway around a shitty concrete apron.

You are suggesting removing the functioning hydroelectric station that is on the National Register of Historic Places?

After sleeping on this and reading the updated Strib article. I think it might be a good idea. We fail here to recognize the fame of the river and there are few opportunities to experience the great river up so close and personally. The Stone Arch Bridge is a different experience. People would travel here to go to MOA and see the river. I really wish they would restore the falls though. This plan would also work with the vision for the parkland down and upriver. Minneapolis and St Paul should embrace the river as a tourist draw.

There are just too many more compelling projects that could use that money instead: extending the greenways as mentioned earlier along (NE especially) and across the Mississippi, bridge the highway gap on Washington between Downtown and Seven Corners with a park cap that includes fountains and maybe a handful of storefronts if it can support some one story buildings, bring back the zip line and make a permanent version, sacrifice some parkland on Nicollet Island and rebuild the long gone business district while adding housing, etc. We've already got the Stone Arch Bridge and places along the river where you can get closer to the river.

Looks fantastic. I'm all for it and world use it weekly.

I'm curious, do you visit the park on the tip of Nicollet island, or the one by the power station, weekly? Assuming no, what about this would do you think would draw you regularly?

I'm curious, do you visit the park on the tip of Nicollet island, or the one by the power station, weekly? Assuming no, what about this would do you think would draw you regularly?

They both dead end. This also doesn't go to the tip of Nicollet Island, but from the Power Station area to the lock. I would totally run through here regularly if it was built. One of my favorite places is the walkway between Franklin and the East River Flats park. You're right on the river and looking up the out of the gorge and seeing downtown.

I'm curious, do you visit the park on the tip of Nicollet island, or the one by the power station, weekly? Assuming no, what about this would do you think would draw you regularly?

*The power station park* only once or twice a year because it is a dead end and on the far bank from where I start (the almost complete lack of shade doesn't help although it doesn't look like the proposed addition is any better in that regard). The new connection between the banks of the river would more accessible from the downtown side depending on how they do it. Also from running on the Stone Arch Bridge multiple times per week I think people underestimate the number of tourists the area attracts. The clumps of selfie takers are challenging to dodge! Building another attraction there would be leveraging the current location and it's proposed updates.

... I really wish they would restore the falls though...

Check out this article starting at "Eastman Tunnel Collapse" and continuing through "Preservation..." to see why that is unlikely to be possible. https://web.archive.org/web/20120205042 ... gineering/

Given how much $$$ and fundraising is going into the other MPRB projects and the amount of work they have currently. Maybe they should just get a sponsor and have Green Minneapolis or whoever administers The Commons build it. The Healthpartners Walkway to health! or the Mayo Clinic Mile.

I think it's a great idea. If private donations and corporate sponsorships can provide half or more of the funding, even better. I'm not sure I understand Hennepin County's involvement, other than Mike Opat wanting to have his name on a big thing. This really has nothing to do with the County. As I see it, the most critical parties are the federal government (jurisdiction of river and locks), MPRB/city (park operator), and Xcel (property owner on east side of river). The county seemingly doesn't have any real reason to have a stake in this, other than to be an early supporter/cheerleader. I'd be fine with state bonding paying for a big portion of this, but why would county dollars be involved? That part of this makes the least amount of sense.