From vision to reality

Lovable places don’t just happen.

Think of that city or neighborhood that you love to visit – Paris, Charleston, South Carolina, or closer to home, downtown Robbinsdale or the Minneapolis riverfront. 

These places often have a variety of housing options and neighborhood essentials like parks, libraries, and grocery stores all within comfortable walking distance, and they don’t just happen overnight. 

Whether developing vacant land, or redeveloping areas of transitioning land use and form, creating a plan to guide future development over time is critical to have that vision become a reality. 

Having a small area plan in some form, as well as code requirements that allow the sorts of desired uses, buildings, infrastructure and that promote walkability can be instrumental in achieving success. Plans and zoning requirements serve as enforceable tools for city staff and elected officials, and if done well, can be helpful guides for community members and developers to know what’s allowed and desired.

Hennepin County supports such planning efforts through the Hennepin Planning Grants program and invests in infrastructure and development projects in these areas through other programs, such as the Business District Initiative and Transit Oriented Communities programs.

Station area planning 

The cities of Robbinsdale and Crystal are recent recipients of Hennepin County support to develop plans to prepare for future light-rail lines. 

A recent update to the Robbinsdale Downtown Station Area Plan reflects a realignment of the future Blue Line Extension LRT line, providing a guide for development around the station and the overall downtown area. 

Plan goals include growing the diversity of experiences, places, and people in the downtown while maintaining the human scale of West Broadway, transforming Bottineau Boulevard from a barrier between east and west Robbinsdale into a front door to the community, ensuring LRT serves the long-term interests of Robbinsdale, and building an efficient and amenity-rich public realm. 

Andrew Dresdner, a senior urban designer with Bolton & Menk Inc., said as work progressed on the updated Robbinsdale Downtown Station Area Plan, the vision for the community broadened in scope. 

“The discussion evolved away from a narrow focus on specific transit-oriented development opportunities immediately adjacent to the station and more toward creating a true transit-oriented community,” Dresdner said. “The image of people flooding to the station by foot and bike is achievable because Robbinsdale offers a traditional neighborhood pattern of streets and blocks – a quality that the community cherishes and a quality that the transit investments can help strengthen.”

Hennepin County also assisted the City of Crystal with its recent updated Bass Lake Road Station Area Plan.  

“Crystal would not have been able to do this work in-house,” said John Sutter, community development director for the City of Crystal. “The county-funded consultant was essential to the Station Area Plan Update.” 

The City of Crystal worked with county staff and Damon Farber to update the plan to address a new Blue Line Extension route and location for the Bass Lake Road stop and changes to development trends as a result of the pandemic. 

“Our work on the Station Area Plan focused on ways to enhance pedestrian and bicycle mobility, accessibility, and safety to and from the transit station, enhance transit user experience, increase ridership, and address future transit-oriented development opportunities within the station area,” said Jeff McMenimen, a principal with Damon Farber. “I’ve learned that the plans must be flexible, like a living document that can be updated and improved over time.”

By the numbers: 

Since 2008, Hennepin Planning Grants have funded 46 projects with more than $1.53 million invested in 23 cities.