Minneapolis city planners say they’re almost ready to start asking the general public if they got it right, or in some cases, to help choose which unprecedented public investment to pursue.

They’re working on revisions to the Above the Falls Master Plan for both sides of the Mississippi River north of downtown, a few blocks inland in both Northeast and North Minneapolis. “ATF” was issued in 2000, and now market conditions have changed. Planners ran financial models, talked to experts about what’s feasible, and are now “refining scenarios.”

At a June 26 meeting at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board headquarters on West River Road, they also introduced the Health Impact Assessment which looks at how projects will affect health before decisions are made.

The three areas with potential for most dramatic change are the area around the Park Board headquarters, two areas proposed to turn industrial into residential use, and the northwest quadrant, which pivots on the Upper Harbor Terminal.

Planners Haila Maze and Tom Leighton from the City and Andrew Caddock from the Park Board said both bodies are committed to a public riverfront with parks, trails and other amenities.

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