What is the Federal Reserve parking garage?
The Federal Reserve parking garage is a proposed parking garage that, if built, will have 800 parking spaces and be five stories tall. The parking garage is planned to be built in the North Loop in downtown Minneapolis near the Mississippi River front.
Why does this parking garage matter?
Adding a parking garage to downtown Minneapolis will encourage more people to drive downtown. Encouraging driving downtown goes against the City of Minneapolis's goal to reduce driving in our city by 37% by the year 2040. Increased car traffic will make downtown a worse place to bike, walk, and roll, and will increase carbon emissions. There are many other options for Federal Reserve employees to get around downtown that will not have the negative impact that comes with driving single occupancy vehicles.
What can I do to help?
Today the Planning Commission will host a public hearing about the parking garage. Right now, the recommended motion is to deny plans for the parking garage. We must show community support for this motion in order for it to pass. If you are able, please attend the public hearing to voice your opposition to the parking garage.
Planning Commission Public Hearing
Monday, July 8th | 4:30 PM
Minneapolis City Hall, Room 317
350 S 5th St, Minneapolis
Meet at 4:15 PM outside the room
You can find more information about the public hearing and how you can be involved on the Halt the Ramp Action Group on Facebook.
Has Our Streets Minneapolis spoken out against the parking garage?
Yes, we have. We're proud to stand with The Alliance and the Sierra Club North Star Chapter as we urge our City leaders to live up to the vision of Minneapolis they put forward in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. On July 1st, we sent a letter to our local leaders asking them to reject the application for the parking garage.
Dear Members of the Planning Commission, Mayor Frey, and Council Member Fletcher,
We are writing in opposition to the 800 car parking ramp proposed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. This project contradicts the ambitious goal of Minneapolis 2040 to reduce driving in the city by 37%. The science is clear--increasing the ease and availability of parking increases driving and carbon emissions.
Our Streets Minneapolis works for a city where walking, biking, and rolling are easy and comfortable for everyone. This project will make it harder to get around on those modes of transportation in the area. Increased car traffic will result in a less pleasant environment for pedestrians and bikers, a higher potential for deaths and injuries from car crashes, and higher rates of particulate matter emissions.
Expensive car-centric infrastructure such as this proposed ramp drives up the cost of living for everyone, and deepens societal inequalities. We urge the Federal Reserve to consider transportation options for their employees that maximize the public good--such as supporting free or reduced fare transit, incentives to walk or bike to work, and promoting the use of shared vehicles.
We respectfully ask you to reject the application for this parking garage, and instead invest in land uses that make our city more livable.
Sincerely,
Ashwat Narayanan
Executive Director
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