There's a linear park in Uptown called "the Mall" that functions more like a parking lot. In 2020, after two years of community engagement, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board adopted a long-range plan that transforms some of the Mall's parking area into actual "forested and green space" and includes additional amenities like a community garden. But now that the plan is about to be implemented, a pair of commissioners elected in 2021 appear determined to scrap the plan in the name of public safety.

For this conversation, John is joined by Melody Hoffmann of https://southwestvoices.news. We talk about the parking concerns and, more urgently, the public safety concerns being used as cover for the parking concerns; why Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner is recommending against a plan he concedes he has never seen; why a park commissioner would discard years of community engagement in the name of listening to the community; how MPRB ordinance prohibits overnight parking on all parkways, including the Mall, which means the thing they're trying to preserve (24 hour residential parking) is not a legal use to begin with.

We're also talking about the latest on the Uber and Lyft saga, now that DFL leaders in the MN House and Senate have come to an agreement with the Minneapolis City Council on pay rates; Metro Transit's new service for disabled riders; and as always some recommendations.

Read John's post here: https://wedgelive.com/plan-to-expand-forested-green-space-in-uptown-at-risk-over-parking-concerns/

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