The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is soliciting feedback on three design options for the east side of Elliot Park.
More than $2.1 million will be spent on improvements to the 6.5-acre park, including $390,000 for a new playground, but its exact location is still to be determined. A splash pad is incorporated in each of the designs as well.
Park board staff have been engaging with the community since winter to determine issues with Elliot Park’s current design and desires for its improvements. The three design concepts were unveiled late last week following the feedback period.
An online survey is open through the end of September.
The first design concept, titled “artful influence,” features a flexible lawn with a stage or platform for concerts and movies in the center of the park’s east side. Two patio areas with seating are proposed, one near the recreation center and the other near the basketball courts.
“This design encourages park visitors to let their imagination run wild, incorporating possibilities like concrete that lights up at night, community murals that could be painted on flat surfaces like the building wall or basketball court,” a description reads.
The second design concept, “center destination,” focuses on a large, flexible space that could be used for different kinds of programming at the center of the east side of the park. An all-inclusive playground is proposed where the basketball is currently located.
The third design concept, known as “activate the edges,” places the playground, an outdoor fitness area, a skate loop connected to the existing skate park, and an art walk around the perimeter of the park.
“This design promotes activity along the edges, while creating many opportunities to the center of the new and improved east side of the park,” a description reads.
