Mpls. park design competition finalists to be announced Monday

The four finalists in the Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition will be announced Monday morning at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board headquarters.

Organizers of the competition say it's the largest design competition in Minneapolis history. Fifty-five teams from 14 countries submitted entries.

Minneapolis Parks Foundation President Cecily Hines says the competition will produce a plan for a "vibrant" Minneapolis riverfront.

"And by vibrant we mean one that draws people to the river, that connects different communities to the river and to each other and one that is also sustainable both ecologically and financially for the long term," Hines said.

Hines said her group doesn't expect to implement the whole plan immediately.

"But we do expect to try to get one of the sites implemented and then have a plan, a design, that we can look at as a community and start to prioritize what we want to do next," she said.

The winning team will be chosen in the next few months. The prize will be a commission for a specific Minneapolis parks site.

The foundation will ask for public input before a final design is chosen over the next few months.