Case Study: The City of Minneapolis
North Commons Park Improvement Phase I Development
Project Description Narrative: The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board oversees the management and development of the urban park system for the City. Fihan Architects and NEOO were selected to work on the North Commons Park project. Fihan leads the design elements and NEOO leads the engagement services. Our engagement team established a strong social media presence for this project during Design Week, an open studio design workshop where stakeholders could give input as designers drafted conceptual drawings of the project. The event was live streamed on Facebook, and we created individual videos of the design staff explaining various concepts of the project. The NEOO engagement team will continue to lead engagement activities, events, and outreach support for this project. The results of this engagement process will be used to inform the design of the facilities and programming for the North Commons Park community center and water park.
​
Website: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks-destinations/parks-lakes/north_commons_park/
​
Timeline: Spring 2022 - early 2023.
Justice Build Communities 44th and Penn
Justice Built Communities (JBC) is an entity of Pillsbury United Communities that focuses on building equitable developments and wealth in marginalized communities. The City of Minneapolis granted tentative development rights to JBC for a property located at 44th and Penn Avenue North in Minneapolis. JBC’s goal is to establish a community vision for the site and NEOO Partners has been tasked with supporting engagement activities and outreach efforts. NEOO’s engagement team has used creative urban planning concepts such as the 15-minute city model to facilitate conversations with members of the Northside community about their ideal neighborhood and overall aspirations for the site.
Timeline: June 2022 - Fall 2022.
​
​
Facilitation of Rent Stabilization Working Group
The City of Minneapolis hired NEOO Partners in the summer of 2022 to facilitate the Rent Stabilization Working Group (RSWG), which was established by the Minneapolis City Council. The purview of the RSWG is to develop one or two policy frameworks around rent stabilization for the City Council to consider in 2023. NEOO is responsible for developing the content and leading the working group through intensive group sessions.
​
Timeline: Summer of 2022 - December 2022.
Former Kmart and New Nicollet
Project Description Narrative: The City of Minneapolis hired NEOO after a competitive RFP process to lead the engagement and visioning at the former Kmart site on Lake street in May of 2022. As part of the redevelopment, the City is planning to reopen Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street. NEOO is leading the engagement and communications efforts to re-envision and reimagine the site. Part of this approach includes contracting directly with community organizations to ensure that the team is reaching community stakeholders. Over the course of the next year, NEOO will meet people where they are during pop up events, focus groups, and engagement events such as Open Streets-Lake Street. This year-long engagement effort will directly inform future development on the site.
Timeline: Spring of 2022 - Spring of 2023.
City of Minneapolis Developer Technical Assistance Program
Project Description: The City of Minneapolis’ Developer Technical Assistance Program (DTAP) is a program for small-scale real estate developers seeking to redevelop property in Minneapolis. NEOO Partners is one of several organizations that have been contracted to provide technical assistance to emerging real estate developers and entrepreneurs in the DTAP. The City is covering the cost of NEOO’s technical assistance for qualified developers, decreasing their pre-development costs, and educating them on the risks associated with their proposed projects.
Timeline: May 2022 - May 2023.