Parks to People Master Plan

At Three Rivers, we want to connect people to nature every day. One way to do this is to bring nature-based experiences to where people live. This is the vision of our Parks to People Master Plan.

Three Rivers Park District was created at the same time Hennepin County first-ring cities were quickly being developed. This resulted in limited regional parks, features, and amenities in the most densely populated suburban Hennepin County cities where many of our historically underrepresented and under-served community members live. This plan will help develop innovative and relevant opportunities for residents of these communities to easily connect with and enjoy nature on a regular basis.

What is the Parks to People Master Plan?

The purpose of this plan is to create a unified vision and plan for Three Rivers to better serve residents of the first-tier communities. This plan could include the creation of partnership parks, facilities, programming and other amenities that are in concert with Three Rivers mission to promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education in a natural resources-based park system. Working in collaboration with partner cities, organizations, and community members, the plan will serve as a blueprint that identifies and prioritizes the regional investments and actions needed to implement the vision of making nature-based, park, and trail offerings more easily accessible to everyone. While the plan covers the 11 first-tier cities, the intent is to provide individualized plans tailored to meet the needs of each city.

What is this plan’s timeline? The planning process is underway and will likely be completed in the summer of 2023. Implementation would begin almost immediately after the plan has been approved by Three Rivers and the partner cities. Three Rivers is already earmarking future capital investment funding for implementation beginning in 2023.