Dear Neighbors,
The Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB), with the help of Minnesotans, Saint Paul communities, and local agencies, is creating a plan to better connect, preserve, activate, and grow the Minnesota Capitol Mall. This process called the Capitol Mall Design Framework, will rely on the input of Minnesotans from across the state.
The Capitol Mall Design Framework is a design process that will build upon the 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the Minnesota State Capitol Area (adopted in 2021) and the prior Capitol Mall Redesign Plan (originating in the mid-1980s) to shape, guide, and manage the Minnesota State Capitol campus. The Mall Framework will include a master plan for specific design recommendations and management practices within the Capitol Campus as well as the public spaces and streets in the immediate surrounding area. The plan will identify priorities for immediate implementation and guidance for future implementation over the coming years. In 2023, the legislature approved $5M in funding for immediate improvements to the mall. The plan will look at strategies that are climate resilient, fiscally responsible, realistically implementable, and operationally sustainable.
Recent studies on vitality, parking, mobility and commuting, stormwater, visitor experience, and commemorative works have engaged the community on a range of issues in the Capitol Area. Public engagement for the Capitol Mall Design Framework will build upon this engagement and endeavor to reach all Minnesotans to understand the many ways the Capitol Mall serves our state.
The Capitol Mall belongs to all Minnesotans. Everyone should feel welcome here. Please share your input on the future of the Minnesota State Capitol Mall so that is a reflection of the many people it serves.
An engagement website has just launched: https://mncapitolmall.engage.sasaki.com/. This website is your hub to:
● learn about the project
● sign up for email updates
● provide input via online surveys
Survey One is open now and will close February 3, 2024 Make your voice heard!
