UPDATE: We won!!! In March 2024, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously rejected Hennepin County’s bikeway plan. Years of organizing, overwhelming community support, and backing from nearly 20 bicycling, environmental and community groups made this possible. Soo Line can start to rebuild and plan for many more decades to come.
Stop the Destruction.
Soo Line Community Garden is facing its biggest threat in years.
Hennepin County plans to build a 12-foot bikeway (8 feet paved & 4 feet of buffer) through the heart of Soo Line Community Garden. If approved, the project will unearth contaminated soil, destroy valuable greenspace, eliminate pollinator habitats, remove over 25% of plots, and forever change this treasured urban garden and park.
The bikeway will do irreparable damage.
Severe, permanent harm will come to the garden if the plan moves ahead. Hennepin County has the means, ability, and authority to move the bikeway to another location – there are much better options. Here’s why we believe Hennepin County should build the bikeway elsewhere.
More Toxic Soil
Soo Line is built on a brownfield site, meaning that it houses pollution from industrial use. Over decades, thousands of gardeners restored the soil to health. Construction will undo this work. We don't know the full scope of how construction will affect our health or the garden; Hennepin County has not investigated.
Not Suited for Fast Traffic
Soo Line Community Garden is not simply a connection to the Midtown Greenway. Gardeners cross the path constantly, carrying hoses, plants, tools, and mulch. Gardeners and children gather in the path for activities and events. It’s not an appropriate place for fast-moving bikes, e-bikes, and scooters.
Fewer Pollinators
The garden is a pollinator-friendly oasis, with decades-old pollinator plantings that provide habitat for insects, butterflies, and wildlife. Any reconstruction of this land will kill thousands of pollinators. 80% of native bees nest underground, including the queen bumblebee, as she nests underground all winter long.
Fewer Garden Plots
Plots are in high demand every year. We predict the project will remove over 25% of garden plots, plus native plantings, and gathering areas; that's a conservative estimate. We have 10 children's plots and a food shelf plot, all of which are under threat with the construction of the path.
Loss of a Calm Green Space
In a city that's already covered in pavement, green space is precious. The path will change the garden's fundamental nature. People treasure the garden in part because it is a peaceful place to walk, sit, and gather. It's a place that supports mental and spiritual health, not merely an access route to the Greenway.
Unsafe for Children
Whittier Elementary students are in the garden almost daily as part of their summer school program and attend workshops in the spring and fall, in addition to playing in the garden during recess. We want to keep this space free of fast-moving traffic and safe for children.
Hear from gardeners and supporters.
Above is a presentation about the history of Soo Line Community Garden and how the bikeway will affect it, shared in 2021.
The community has also shared its thoughts in the news:
- Minneapolis Park Board votes down ADA bikeway through Soo Line Garden
The Star Tribune - Readers Write: Soo Line Community Garden, IVF, immigration
The Star Tribune - Community garden dispute could land before Minneapolis Park Board this month
The Star Tribune - Hennepin County proposes paved trail through Soo Line Community Garden for Midtown Greenway access
The Star Tribune - Soo Line Community Garden fights for its right to gaaaar-den
Southwest Voices - Gardeners write in about proposed path through garden space
Southwest Voices - VIEW: Protecting a Garden Oasis From Development
Minnesota Women’s Press - Readers Write: TikTok, environment, East Phillips, Soo Line Community Garden
The Star Tribune
There are better options.
We want a bikeway to exist somewhere – just not through a thriving green space. Hennepin County owns most of the property along the Greenway. They have the means and authority to move the project to a different location. We support Hennepin County building the path on the south side of the Greenway – or on any of its many acres of land that do not house community gardens.
Soo Line gardeners have proposed a compelling design for access to the Greenway.
Above is a design created by Justin Horst, a fellow gardener and multidisciplinary designer. Watch Justin’s presentation of alternative design options!
- The design is on the south side of Greenway.
- The design gives access to the Greenway at Grand Ave., where more people live and shop, and a low-stress bikeway is planned.
- The design connects to on-street bike networks and pedestrian-friendly amenities (crosswalks across Lake Street, walking paths to reach Pleasant and Harriet Avenues).
- The design aligns even better with Hennepin County’s goals for this project, addressing network gaps and providing access, wayfinding, and safety, and connection to Lake Street.
You can help us save Soo Line Community Garden!
Together, we can stop the destruction of Soo Line Community Garden. The Park Board must sign off on Hennepin County’s plan. We urge the Park Board to vote against Hennepin County’s plan. Our goal is to move the bikeway and protect Soo Line Community Garden.
Sign Our Petition
We need to show community support if we're going to stop this plan.
Speak at the Park Board
Email us to speak against Soo Line's destruction at a Park Board meeting.
Donate
This campaign is volunteer-run. Support our advocacy to protect the garden and park!
Organizations that support us
Organizations below have signed on against the construction of this bikeway. Interested in supporting us? We have a sign-on letter and can recommend other ways organizations can support us. Reach out at soolinecommunitygarden@gmail.com
Common Questions
Bike paths are great! Many of us are bikers ourselves. Minneapolis is very dedicated to biking infrastructure, which we are grateful for, and which is better for the planet. However, those of us who are bikers know that Soo Line is not an ideal place for increased bike traffic and that it would forever change the garden we love. We support a bike path being built elsewhere.
We fully support increasing ADA accessibility to the Greenway. We advocate for one of the below options to create an ADA-compliant path.
- Connect to the Greenway from its southern side, which is currently empty.
- Renovate existing bike ramps for ADA compliance.
- Build a new ramp at any other site already owned by Hennepin County.
Latest plans and information about the path is on Hennepin County’s website for this project, which is here. The latest plans we have access to are [TBA].
Purportedly, the plan for the path gives more ADA and bike access to the Greenway. However, many other options for access exist that don’t destroy a thriving green space. It’s not a well-thought-out solution, and they’ve taken a top-down approach that ignores community input.
Yes, it has existed since 2021, when Hennepin County announced out of the blue to Soo Line that this project was being planned. There was no exploratory process – it was announced to us. The plan initially was for construction to begin in [Year], but the project was delayed. There was a pause on the project from [Year] to [Year]. During the summer of 2023, we learned that there was a new timeline, with construction planned to begin in 2024.
Hennepin County created the plan and the Parks Board must approve it. Hennepin County has consulted stakeholders throughout this process, but is moving forward with the plan, largely the same as it was when it was announced. It’s clear that Hennepin County doesn’t see Soo Line Garden as an ally or a partner in this project, but simply barrier to the project.
No, this process consisted of Hennepin County announcing the plan to us, then hosting some meetings to answer our questions. The announcement of a path was very sudden and was a complete surprise to us. This was not a collaborative, involved stakeholder process – it was the result of authoritarian, top-down decision-making.