Minnetonka Parks, Open Spaces, and Trails System Plan

Parks, open spaces and trails are important and cherished public amenities in the City of Minnetonka. With approximately 1,300 acres of parkland, including a significant amount of natural open space and over 100 miles of trails, the city’s park system is fundamental to community building, environmental and economic sustainability, health and well-being and creating stronger connections to community destinations. Minnetonka’s POST System Plan provides a 15 to 20 year road map for planning and implementing park improvements, helping the city prioritize park improvements and ensure that changes and investments to parks, trails and open space fit into the bigger picture of serving the needs of the entire community.
Damon Farber’s planning process included assessing current conditions within the system, assessing levels of access to community and neighborhood parks, and identifying the distribution of facilities and gaps in the park system. The POST System Plan also offers guiding principles, recommendations, priorities and tools to ensure the Minnetonka park system is relevant and functional into the future.
To help identify and understand the values, needs and preferences of the community, there was an extensive in-person and virtual community engagement effort, including surveys, community conservations, stakeholder interviews and an interactive, online engagement tool. There was an intentional effort to reach out to traditionally underrepresented groups including seniors, youth, BIPOC, and people with disabilities to ensure this park system will be an asset for the whole community.