Soo Line Garden vs the ADA Greenway Ramp

Wedge LIVE!

Can a community garden an ADA-compliant access ramp to the Midtown Greenway coexist? This week's guest is Jordan Leick, who has looked into Hennepin County's plans to replace a mulch trail with a paved trail that makes accessing the city's world renowned bike trail easy for everyone. The problem? While the chosen location is public land, it's been occupied for decades by a community garden (Soo Line Garden) between Harriet and Garfield Aves in the Whittier neighborhood. We talk about the dubious claims from opponents of the plan; how the county came to acquire the land before transferring it to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; the current 1.27 mile gap between Uptown and I-35 without access that meets ADA standards; why MPRB exempts the garden from adhering to policies related to ADA access and equity; the problems with an alternative ramp proposal; and how you can get involved to make sure years of planning and more than a million dollars in federal funding aren't flushed away.

Read Jordan's article: https://streets.mn/2023/12/07/soo-line-garden-fight/

Read what the leaders of the Soo Line Garden are saying: https://soolinecommunitygarden.com/stopthedestruction/

Contact MPRB Commissioners who will ultimately decide whether the ramp gets built: https://www.ourstreetsmpls.org/make_the_midtown_greenway_accessible_for_all Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee