Hargreaves presents four "approaches" to Downtown East Commons

Landscape architect Hargreaves Associates for the first timerevealed imagesfor The Commons,afuture park in downtown Minneapolis shoulderinghigh expectations from the public for recreation and commercial growth in the area.

The San Francisco-based firm outlined four generalapproaches that contain essentially the same features for the 4.2-acre, two-block park sited just west of the new Vikings Stadium. The key difference istheconfigurations of these elements.

The type of water feature, changes in soil height, placement of the programmable space and vision for the support services pavilion placed in each plan are still up for negotiation depending on public feedback.

There are two things that appear certain regardless of which approach is selected. First, there will likely be the presence ofa grand promenade, or tree-lined walkway, along 4thand 5thStreets. The second, which was a talking point at the first public meeting and remained an issue at the second, is thatPortland Avenue will still host car traffic, but less of it.

Portland Avenue will be significantly narrower, said Mary Margaret Jones, principal at Hargreaves. And it can be closed at times for events.

Instead of the existing three traffic lanes, two parking lanes and one bike lane, the new Portland will have two car lanes, and two parking lanes will turn into bike lanes.

As for the design approaches presented Wednesday night to a crowd of several hundred residents at the Mill City Museum, the four concepts fall along a gradient or spectrum.

On one end of the conceptual gradient is the approach that separates the uses into distinct districts. The other end of the spectrum is a moreblended layout witha central focus point.

The images provided by Hargreaves arent final renderings but provide a visual for the broad brushstrokes of these variousapproaches.

The first, called Contrast, separates uses by the physical barrier of Portland with the open lawn on the east side and a more organic landscape on the west side. The fourth, called Unite, has a single, defining design, and the other two are a compromise that fall in between on the spectrum.

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Hargreaves presents four "approaches" to Downtown East Commons