Best Practice Action Detail

The 2008 municipal park system includes 52 park areas and open spaces and eight (8) special use parks and facilities covering more than 850 acres. A GIS study confirms that all residents of Apple Valley are located within 1/2-mile of a park or protected green space.

36% of Bloomington is Park and open space, this includes lands managed by Three Rivers Park District, USFWS and the City of Bloomington. With close to 100 separate parks sites over 90% of the residents live within one-half mile of protected public green space.

The City of Brainerd has over 200 acres of city owned park land. This is over 15 acres of park land per 1000 residents. In addition to this 96% of residents live within one half mile of a park or public waters.

The City of Chanhassen Owns and maintains almost 1,000 acres of parks, preserves and open space. There are 30 community and neighborhood parks, 14 park preserves, and 1 special use park. Facilities include 27 playgrounds, 21 picnic shelters, 5 swimming beaches, 16 tennis courts, 10 pickleball courts, 28 diamond fields, 21 rectangular fields, 20 basketball courts, 6 sledding hills, 4 sand volleyball courts, 1 skate park, 1 disc golf course, 1 community garden, 7 public docks, 3 public fishing piers, 10 outdoor skating/hockey rinks, 1 dog park and 1 recreation center. Public park locations are distributed in a planned pattern that delivers a park within ½ mile of each residence.

Circle Pines is 2 square miles with 13 parks and 100% of our residents live within 10 minute walk of a park according to Trust for Public Land.

The City meets all three of the performance measures under this Best Practice Action. First, the City of Delano has a population of 5464 residents. To meet the 1-star criteria, the City would need at least 42 acres of municipal park land. The city has 14 municipal parks, the largest of which is Central Park at 135 acres. In total, the City's 14 municipal parks include over 164 acres of land.
Second, all residentially zoned properties within the City are located within 1/2 mile of a park or protected green space. Additionally, over 90% of the residential land area is located within 1/4 mile of these green spaces. Delano is known regionally for its parks and trails systems, and as a river community, has a number of beautiful riverfront green space protection areas.
Lastly, the City also meets the threshold of 20% of its total city land area in protected green infrastructure. In 2010, the City conducted this analysis and determined that 22% of the total land area was located within a park or protected, City-owned, green space. The City will work to update this calculation and add it to the Green Steps database in the near future.

The city of Dilworth has 12 beautiful public parks, approximately 40 acres of municipal parks, that offer a variety of passive and active recreation within a ten-minute walk of over 90% of our residents.

The City of Duluth has 11,600 acres of parkland spread throughout 105 parks, more than 100 miles of trails, and numerous recreation facilities. This provides an average of nearly 135 acres of park per 1,000 residents. Between parks and other resource areas more than 20% of the city's total 58,419 acres is protected natural lands.
Once the Duluth Traverse trail system is completed all residents will live within 3 miles of a trail.
GIS analysis revealed 93% of Duluth addresses lie within 1/2 mile of some type of green space. 73% of addresses lie within 1/2 mile of a green space designated as recreational. While this differs from the 69% reported by Park Serve, a close examination of their map revealed several missing parks that could account for that difference.

The location of the City of Elko New Market allows it unique opportunities to not only be a part of the greater metropolitan area, but also afford its residents access to open land, developable land and public areas such as parks, not available to many metro area communities.

- There are at least seven acres of municipal park land per 1000 residents.
- According to the 2030 Park Plan, at least 20% of land is planned for green infrastructure.
- Provided the size of the city, 90% or more of residents are within one-half mile of a park or other protected green/blue space.

More info can be found at: http://www.ci.enm.mn.us/index.asp?Type=B_LIST&SEC={1BC27F34-5796-4277-A37C-3121EBE55EC4}

The City has approximately 70 acres of municipal park for its 3,500 residents. Over 90% of residents live within 1/2 mile of park and protected green space.

Each residential parcel in Falcon Heights is within 1/2 mile of a park (either city owned or used by the city as a park, such as a shared elementary school playground).

Parks are provided to residents on an average 1/2 mile to their homes. This has been established as a standard in the City's 2008 Comprehensive Plan.

a) 97.01% of Forest Lake's residents live within one-half mile of a park or green space.
b) The City owns 251+ acres of dedicated parkland, represented by 23 parks (12.8 parks per 1,000 residents)

There are 24-acres of city and county parkland per 1,000 residents in Fridley.

According to ParkServe, by the Trust for Public Land, 94% of residents are within a 10-minute of walk of a park.

As of 2016, a little over 15% of Golden Valley (1,140.4 acres) is dedicated to parks and open space, approximately 54.7 acres per 1,000 residents (population 20,866).
100% of residents live within one-half mile of a park or open space.

The city of Grand Rapids contains 15,613 acres. In side the city limits there are 23 parks containing 226.4 acres,nearly 1400 acres of lakes and rivers and countless acres of county tax forfiet land. This is nearley 22.6 acres per 1000 residents based on parks alone and a city population of 10,000. All city residents are with in one half mile of park, river or lake.The countless county tax forfiet land allows for miles of walking and hunting oportunities with in the city limites.

18.61 acres of park land per 1,000 residents, 20% of total city land is in protected green infrastructure, 90% or more of residents are within on-half mile of park or other protected green/blue space

A tool for analyzing the local park system is the application of a population ratio standard.This standard is expressed as the number of acres of park land per one thousand people and is used to provide a general guideline for the assessment of existing and future park needs. For the Hopkins Comprehensive Plan, a standard of 7 acres of municipal park land per 1000 people is used as a benchmark for planning purposes.90% or more of residents of the city of Hopkins are within 1/2 mile of a park or protected green space.Page 7-8 of the document from the provided link under Neighborhood park states that "as shown in the service area analysis, almost every home in Hopkins is located within 1/2 mile of an existing neighborhood park".

Currently, the City has about 26 acres of parks and open spaces per 1,000 residents.

A GIS study shows that 100% of Hutchinson Residents live within a half mile of a City park or protected blue space.

Isanti currently has roughly 206 acre of parkland and a population of approximately 5409, bringing the ratio of parkland per 1000 residents to roughly 38 acres.

GIS metrics show that the majority, if not all, residents are within one-half mile of a park or other protected green/blue space.

The City has already determined and documented that all residents are within 1/2 mile of a park or protected green space.

The city currently has 2 parks. Memorial Park is 20 acres and tot park is a 1/2 acre. Our current population is 2214. Our city is 1 mile by 1 mile , this allow a large majority of our residents to be within 1/2 mile of one of the parks. Our park score as of 2019 was 54% .

In order for Maplewood to evaluate park needs for both passive and active park and open space, all residents are within the 1/2 mile of a park. Also, for every 1,000 people approximately 5 acres of park land should be provided to serve the residents.

Maplewood has approximately 710 acres of parks and open spaces. In that 710 acres approximately 263 or 37% are protected open spaces. These calculations do not include the purchase of Fish Creek.

With the finalization of the Maplewood Parks & Recreation System Master Plan, there is an even greater push to create an even better system of parks and natural areas open to the public throughout the city.

58 total parks, with 740 acres of park land.
90% of residents, including youth, live within a 10 minute walk to a public park.

The City of New Brighton owns and maintains 9.6 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents. A total of 20.6% of land area within New Brighton is parks, open spaces, or publicly accessible school property. A total of 99.3% of households within New Brighton are within a half mile of a park in New Brighton, this number climbs to 100% when parks in neighboring communities are included.

-There is 157.8 acres of park land in North Saint Paul. The current population is 11,460. There is 13.77 acres of park land per 1,000 residents in the City.
-100% of all residents live with one-half mile of a park or protected green space.

All residents are within ½ mile of a park or protected green space. 460 acres of municipal parkland/population of 32,489 (2012) equals 14 areas per 1,000 residents.

The Trust for Public Land's ParkServe tool confirms that 99.3% of Robbinsdale residents live within a 10-minute walk of a city park/green space. As of 2020, according to the Metropolitan Council, the city has a total of 213 acres of park and recreational space, or approximately 14 acres per 1000 residents. There are 18 total parks in Robbinsdale.

All City residents are located within 1/2 mile of park or protected green space.

Over 90% of St. Louis Park residents live within 1/2 mile of a park or open green space.

Saint Paul has 1 of the highest per capita acreages of parks and trails in the country, with an average distance of 6 blocks, or 1/2 mile to a park from each residence. Working to fill gaps noted above. Saint Paul's park system comprises approximately 3,973 acres.

Sherburn boosts of just over 20 acres of parks and green space open for public use for our 1,137 residents. Regardless of where anyone lives in town, everyone (100%) lives within a half mile of one of our parks or green areas.

1-Star: The City has 14 acres of municipal park land for its 2000 residents

2-Star: The City has at least 20% of total city land area dedicated to either parks, trails, or publicly accessible school green spaces.

3-Star: The City has ensured that at least 90% of residents are within a 10-minute walk or a half-mile of a park/protected green space.

There are currently over 184 acres of park land in West St Paul. There are an additional 34 acres accessible school green space and 150 acres of protected natural resource areas (Dodge Nature Center). According to Parkserve.org 91% of youth in West St Paul live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Currently, there are 10 acres of green space per 1000 residents, and 90% of residents live less that 1/2 mile from a park.

Arden Hills as 15 City parks ranging in size from one acre to 28 acres and other open space areas that cover approximately 145 acres. Arden Hills has a population of 9,966 residents, which is approximately 14 acres of park land per 1,000 residents. The total land area of Arden Hills is 6,121 acres. The 2030 Future Land Use Map guides a total of 600 acres of land for Parks and Open Space and 1,472 acres for Park Preserve. The total of these two land uses is 2,072 acres or approximately 34% of the total city land area.

Bemidji has a population of 15,946 people according to the 2022 United States Census Bureau. Bemidji has 23 parks within city limits for a total of 278 acres of parks. This statistic is much higher than 7 acres per 1,000 residents.

The City of Burnsville provides about 46 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Burnsville has 25% of its total land area in parks, open space/conservancy, and open water.

See land use map showing that more than 20% of City land is designated as parkland. 54 City parks and other dedicated green space preserved via Conservation easement (e.g. Caponi Art Park). The following link shows Eagan's land use map: http://www.ci.eagan.mn.us/upload/images/map_library/LandUseMap04.pdf

Per the 2030 Comp Plan (Parks and Recreation section), neighborhood common parks are to have a service area of 1/4 mile and neighborhood parks are to have a service area of 3/4 mile. See link to Comp Plan section at: http://www.ci.eagan.mn.us/upload/images/comprehensive/2030%20Comprehensive%20Plan/5%20-%20ParksandRec_low.pdf

Faribault is home to 39 parks, totaling over 400 acres. With about 24,000 residents, the City has a ratio of about 17 acres of municipal park land per 1000 residents. 81% residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park.

Detail of city green space can be found in the La Crescent Park and Recreation Plan. This document covers a variety of items, from existing land use/future land use to trail improvements and new and expanded park facilities.

8.5% parks and recreation land use
40+% of land area (332 acres of land) is classified as conservation, open space, parks and recreation, and water
21.8 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents

The City of Lake Elmo currently has 46.61 acres of municipal parkland per 1000 residents. In addition, Lake Elmo has 2853 acres of protected green infrastructure, comprising 20.1% of the city.

The City Comprehensive Plan (pp 18-19) states: Parks, Recreational, or Reserve lands make up a considerable area of the city: 32 percent of the total acres [849 acres of the City's 2,664 acres are park, recreation or preserve land]. William O'Brien State Park makes up the majority of this total with approximately 584 acres... Other open spaces in Marine have a wide variety of uses and owners, including the City of Marine, the Minnesota Science Museum, Minnesota Historical Society, National Park Service, Kiwanis Club, and private property owners. 2010 census population = 689.

In the 1990s Minnetonka incorporated a natural resources focus on its green space efforts and began working with several entities including the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to protect and restore wetland, floodplain and other natural areas. Following an increase in development pressure the city engaged a citizen’s task force to help the city identify strategies to preserve open space and develop criteria for preservation and restoration of natural areas. Today, the city and its residents take pride in the preservation and resident-accessible green space. Almost 24 percent of land within city limits is in protected green space, equating to about 4,100 acres. Over 70 percent of Minnetonka's population are within a half mile of protected openspace larger than one acre in size.

The city of Morris contains 8 parks, the largest of which is the Pomme de Terre Park. Pomme de Terre Park is the largest city park, and it was established in 1973. The park deed says that it has 363.51 acres, but ParkServe, which is connected to the ParkScore system, reports that PDT Park is 257.6 acres.
ParkServe reports Morris as having 288 total acres of park.

Per the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, there are 15 acres of park land per 1000 residents in Oakdale, and a total of 420 acres of parks. 23.7% of the total city area are protected parks, open space, lakes, and wetland areas.

The City of Pierz includes 9.409 acres of park space for our residents. This does not include the municipal golf course or the new city property that was purchased for additional park space. If you include the additional land and the golf course into the calculations the City of Pierz currently has 150 acres of park space for the residents.

The City of Shakopee has a population of 40,893 people with 1,110.5 acres of park land and 766 developed acres providing an average of 27.16 acres per 1,000 population. The total planning area is 18,421 acres, 2,935 of which are open space and 690 are dedicated park lands for a total of 20% of the total city land. The City of Shakopee has a ParkScore profile which determined that 72% of residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park and that 5% of the total land area is for parks.

Within the city of Stillwater 32% of the city’s land area is parks and open spaces (16.4% is open water and 15.6% is on land. When just including the parks and open space on land there is 35 acres per 1,000 residents.

The City of Willmar has 281.76 acres of parks and 19,610 residents and the total acres of the city is 824. This is about 14.27 acres per 1000 resident, and 34% of the total city land area is protected green infrastructure.

Woodbury’s park system consists of approximately 3,200 acres of city-owned parks and open space and 130 miles of paved recreational trails, 63 athletic fields, 40 neighborhood parks, five major open space sites, five community parks. The park system also includes the Bielenberg Sports Center and Eagle Valley Golf Course. The population of Woodbury in 2012 was reported at 63,621, resulting in nearly 50 acres of park land per 1,000 residents. The city has planned for and provided pathways along major roadways, through neighborhoods and within parks and open space to provide and alternative transportation opportunity.
The Comprehensive Plan states that parkland makes up 10% of the City’s area currently. Approximately one-third of the city is not yet developed, so that percentage is expected to go up as the development continues. The Comprehensive Plan sets minimum areas in its design standards for neighborhood parks (1-2 acres per 1,000 people) and community parks (5-8 acres per 1,000 people).

Within the developed area of the city, over 90 percent of residents are within ½ mile of a park or open space.

The city exceeds the 7 acres of park land per 1000 residents. Arlington's population is 2,233 and at least 55 acres of park land, including school/shared recreation facilities. This means the city has approximately 24 acres of park land per 1000 residents.

The City of Belle Plaine is proud of the fact that it can afford its residents access to open land, developed land and public areas such as parks, not available to many metro area communities. - According to the 2008 Comprehensive Plane the City of Belle Plaine has approximately 80 acres of property in parkland and Greenway/trail category. This equals at least 12 acres of park or green space per 1000 residents. Chapter 8 of the comprehensive plan is dedicated to parks, trails and recreation, so that we can maintain the open space into the future.

Big Lake has 215 acres of parkland, 20 miles of trail, and 3.5 acres of greenway. The city population is 10,298. This means that there are roughly 21 acres of parkland per 1000 residents of Big Lake, 3 times the minimum level.

The City has at least 7 acres of parks for 1000 residents

* Cottage Grove provides 53 acres of park land/open space per 1,000 residents.
* Cottage Grove park land is 8% of net land. A large portion of our land is zoned as agricultural.
* Cottage Grove comprehensive plan specifies City’s park system is designated to serve as the recreational and social focus of neighborhoods which includes active and passive recreation activities geared specifically for those living within a half-mile service area. Page 5-5 of Comprehensive Plan.

Crookston has 15.15 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.

Crystal has 28 parks totally over 240 acres, easily exceeding the 7 acres/1000 residents minimum. The parks include a variety of active and passive uses for year-round use.

The City of Eden Prairie has over 1,000 acres of developed parkland, including: swimming beach 5 fishing piers 9 hockey rinks/free skate areas 52 baseball/softball fields 46 soccer fields 12 sand volleyball courts 4 bocce courts 8 horseshoe pits 26 basketball courts 47 tennis courts; two have
overlaid lines for 6 pickleball courts 15 football fields 7 rental picnic areas 2 community garden sites off leash dog use areas:
1 year round and 5 seasonal lighted sledding hill disc golf course skate park over 130 miles of bituminous bike trails The passive areas of the park system include an additional 1,400
acres of property that is unmaintained or involves minimal maintenance work. The removal of diseased and hazardous trees,prescribed prairie burns, trail mowing and periodic boundary checks are the primary maintenance work that is done within these areas.

The City of Elk River is the proud home of 44 parks totaling almost 900 acres. We are well known for our parks regionally. With a population of around 23,000 residents, this amounts to 39 acres of park land per 1000 residents.

The City has 24 parks and over 300 acres of mowed grass. Additionally we have natural areas which are not mowed.

In the city of Gilbert, MN there exists at least 7 acres of municipal park land per 1000 residents. There is 8.5 acres of park land. Gilbert has 1,800 residents. Parks get the residents of Gilbert outside.

Hugo has approximately 856 acres of city, state, and county owned parkland in the City’s boundaries, which translates to around 50 acres per 1000 residents. According to the Trust for Public Land, 52% of residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park. Increasing walkable and bikeable access to parks is a guiding principle of the City's 2040 Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan.

There are at least 7 acres of municipal park land per 1,000 residents as per calculations. Attached in a link to our website with the Master Parks, Trails and Natural and Resource Plan.

Green Space

As stated in the Comprehensive Plan, The City of Mahtomedi has 15 city parks that total roughly 144 acres. The city had a population of 7,676 at the 2010 census. The City has well over 7 acres of park space per 1,000 residents

The City of Mankato currently maintains more than 900 acres of park and open space areas with varying amenities to serve the City population of 39,309 residents (per 2010 U.S. Census), and 18.06 total square miles within the City.

The City of Maple Grove currently has approximately 65,000 residents and 1488 acres of parks and city owned open space. This gives a ratio of 27 acres of municipal park land per 1000 residents. This does not include any of the extensive acreage of Three River's Park District land.

There are 233 acres of parks and 20,787 residents in New Hope (11.21 acres per 1,000 residents). The 233 acres of parks comprise 7.1% of total land use within the city.

The City has over 140 acres of parkland and 15 miles of trails. This equals 40.76 acres per 1,000 residents.

Rochester has 37 acres of parkland per 1000 residents.

The city has 679 acres of parks for approximately 35000 residents.

Sartell has about 295.27 acres of Parkland which equates to about 18 acres of parkland per 1000 residents (Pop. of 16,523). This eclipses the city's goal of 10 acres of parkland per 1000 residents. Sartell has also recently acquired Sauk River Regional Park. In terms of acreage the Sauk River Regional Park is Sartell's second biggest. Sauk River Regional Park is planned to be kept in a natural state with minimum disturbance.

The 2009 Comprehensive Plan states that there are 237 acres of park/recreation space in the city. With a population of 20,436, this equates to 11.6 acres of park land per 1,000 residents.

The city exceeds the 7 acres of park land per 1000 residents. Two Harbors has approximately 3650 residents, and at least 80 acres of park land, not including the golf course. This means the city has approximately 22 acres of park land per 1000 residents.

City of Winona has 1873.18 acres of park land, which is equivalent to 69 acres per 1000 residents (2017 population).