West River Commons, Minneapolis, MN

The success of West River Commons demonstrates the valuable leadership and vision that landscape architects can bring to all phases of planning and design. This complex project combines housing, a restaurant with outdoor seating and a plaza with public art. The site has become a busy gathering point with strong connections to the Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods, Lake Street, and West River Parkway -- an important part of the Minneapolis Grand Rounds parkway system. Years of outreach preceded design and construction. In 1999 the Lake Street/Midtown Greenway Redevelopment Framework Plan identified the site as a priority for mixed-use redevelopment; in 2000 the East Lake Street Corridor Study outlined community objectives and urban design guidelines. CLOSE Landscape Architecture+ led both planning efforts, helped guide the project through a contentious approvals process, and designed the site. The plaza was designed in collaboration with public artists as part of the Minneapolis Arts Commission's Neighborhood Gateways program. In 2006 this project won a MASLA Merit Award and in 2005 it won a Professional Builder Gold Award: Best Urban Smart Growth Neighborhood Community.