Midtown Greenway inducted into national Rail-to-Trail Hall of Fame

In September 2015, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy announced that the Midtown Greenway had joined a select group of trails on the national Rail-to-Trail Hall of Fame. Trails are honored on merits such as scenic value, high use, trail and trailside amenities, historical significance, excellence in management and maintenance of facility, community connections and geographic distribution. Read more about the award and the greenway in the October 16 TrailBlog.

Background and history

The greenway runs for 5.7 miles in a historic railroad trench beneath bridged streets in south Minneapolis, which makes biking or walking along it a distinctive experience. The Sensible Land Use Coalition named the Midtown Greenway a Great Place in 2014, and USA Today called it a Top Urban Bike Path in 2013. It is also key part of the regional transportation and bikeway network, linking Uptown, the Midtown Global Market and an array of other retail and cultural destinations between the Mississippi River and the Chain of Lakes. Annually, more than 1.5 million people take advantage of this flat, easy, mostly car-free east-west route across the city.

The Midtown Corridor was constructed in the 1910s as a freight rail corridor. With the decline of rail service, however, by the mid-1990s the corridor had become a neglected place that was attracting crime and contributing to lower land values, disinvestment, and blight in nearby neighborhoods. In 1995, Hennepin County identified the Midtown corridor as a priority area for its new community works initiative. After an extensive planning effort, the greenway was constructed in three phases between 1999 and 2006. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and in 2007, the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge opened, linking the greenway over Hiawatha Avenue.

Visit the Midtown Greenway Coalition website for more information.

Outcomes from the Midtown community works program were featured in a 2014 report, Hennepin County Community Works: 20 years of transforming places for people (PDF), but here are some highlights:

Enhance the tax base

• $1 billion increase in aggregate property value and $30 million increase in annual collectible property tax within ¼-mile of greenway 2002 to 2016
• 1.5 million square feet of new commercial space in the Midtown corridor since 2000
• 4,390 new multifamily housing units in the Midtown corridor since 2003
• Building permit values are substantially higher in the Midtown corridor
• More than $750 million in public and private investment within ¼-mile through mid-2014

Strengthen and connect places and people

• The greenway is the backbone of the Twin Cities bicycle transportation network
• Faster bike transportation with fewer stops decreases travel times by as much as 24%
• Safety from vehicle traffic is top reason people choose the greenway

Stimulate economic development and job growth

• 10,000 new jobs in the corridor since 2002
• 60,000 more jobs are reachable by bicycle commute (43% of trail users are commuting)
• Hundreds of at-risk youth have participated in summer jobs programs on the greenway
• The greenway has contributed to our regional competitiveness—being a bike friendly community helps attract and keep millennials

Innovate and advance sustainability

• Greenway use has grown 200% since 2003—more than 1 million trips each year
• Growth in cycling across Minneapolis is led by people living nearby (highest increases)
• 43% of greenway users are commuting (reducing vehicle miles traveled in the area)
• Nearly 5,000 new trees and shrubs have grown the urban tree canopy

Lead collaborative planning and implementation

• Cross-jurisdictional efforts have been led by the Midtown Community Works Partnership and guided by the Midtown Greenway Framework Plan
• The greenway has contributed to the area’s national recognition, including its induction into the National Rails-to-Trails Hall of Fame and its designation by USA Today as the best urban bike trail in the country; the greenway was also key to the county's designation as a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community
• The greenway has helped emphasize the importance of integrating public health into planning discussions—the greenway encourages people to get exercise as part of their daily routine. A 2013 Midtown Greenway Coalition survey showed 60% of respondents use the greenway for exercise and a 2008 survey showed 82% of respondents get more physical activity because of the trail system

Previous evaluation efforts

A snapshot of employment, property tax, crime, and use statistics in the Midtown corridor area is presented in the 2011 Midtown Greenway project report card (PDF). The report card shows how corridor area conditions have changed as the Midtown Greenway developed.

Program partners

Hennepin County is leading this work, but the ultimate decisions on investments will be made by the program partners:

• City of Minneapolis
• Midtown Greenway Coalition
• Lake Street Council
• Midtown Community Works Partnership
• Neighborhood and community organizations in the Midtown area
• People who live, work, play, visit and worship in the area

Program team

The project team is led by Midtown Community Works Program Manager Crystal Myslajek and includes staff from Hennepin County Public Works and the City of Minneapolis.

About the Midtown Community Works Partnership

Formed in 1998, this public-private partnership brings together elected, business and community leaders who are committed to unifying public policy around a common vision for the Midtown Greenway/Lake Street Corridor and to mobilizing the public and private investments necessary to implement this vision. Learn more about the partnership.

Plans and guidelines

Making the Connection: Midtown Greenway to Lake Street plan 2016 (PDF)
This plan developed by Hennepin County, the Midtown Greenway Coalition, the Lake Street Council and the City of Minneapolis presents a series of recommendations to address the physical and cultural barriers that stand in the way of many people who might want to exit the Greenway, or gain access to it. The plan includes a high-level summary (PDF) of recommendations, as well as a supplement (PDF 18MB) with more detailed recommendations, research and data, including community engagement efforts.

Lake Street Midtown Greenway corridor framework plan 1999 (PDF 6MB) This plan established the initial vision for the corridor, served as the guide for planning, programming and capital investments and identified implementation steps at 10 key locations.

Midtown Minneapolis land use and development plan 2005 (PDF)
A comprehensive land use plan to guide development activities in an area bordered by Blaisdell and 11th Avenues and the Midtown Greenway and 31st Street in south Minneapolis.

Midtown Greenway land use and development plan 2007 (PDF 10MB)
Set policy direction for land use and development in the Midtown Greenway corridor with implications for private development and public realm investments. Study boundaries include properties within a block of the greenway between the western border of the city and Hiawatha Avenue.

Cultural landscape management and treatment guidelines 2008 (PDF 5MB)
Established cultural landscape management and treatment guidelines for the historic district of the Midtown Greenway.

Studies

Midtown Greenway Investment Evaluation: Community Conversations 2015 (PDF)
This report highlights the findings of the K'MA Group, who conducted a series of focus groups with communities of color to explore how they experience the Midtown Greenway. 

Midtown Minneapolis neighborhood green connections visioning study 2007 (PDF 7MB)
Highlights opportunities to connect schools and parks in the Midtown area of south Minneapolis and improve the urban environment for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Connecting the community 2014 (PDF)
This study gathered community input and ideas for improving bikability and walkability on north-south routes along Lake Street.

Unrealized potential: East Lake Street perceptions 2014 (PDF)
This assessment provides information on stakeholders’ perceptions, current conditions, market trends and opportunities for overall corridor revitalization along East Lake Street.

Connecting the Midtown Greenway streetcar to Lake Street destinations 2009 (PDF)
This student study analyzed ways to improve connections between seven potential future transit stations on the greenway and destinations, neighborhoods, and transit along Lake Street.