The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has debuted preliminary plans to relocate the Bde Maka Ska boat launch and Minneapolis Sailing Center.
Minneapolis boat launch and sailing center could move across Bde Maka Ska under Park Board plan
The boat launch and sailing center, currently located on the northeast shore of the Minneapolis lake, might move to the northwest shoreline.
October 1, 2024 at 3:00PM
The boat launch and sailing center are currently located on the northeast shoreline of the lake near a watercraft rental, the Bde Maka Ska Pavilion, and the Pimento Kitchen restaurant. The area is congested and dangerous for pedestrians, according to MPRB President Meg Forney.
MPRB Design Project Manager Daniel Elias said, “The goal is to spread out the busy nodes of recreation around the lake so that it’s not all focused in one area.”
The new boat launch and sailing center would be built on the northwest side of the lake, which is currently home to a recreational field. Forney noted that this area is not used often because it frequently floods.
The site is also within walking distance of the West Lake Street Light Rail Station, which is expected to open in 2027 as part of the Green Line Extension, according to the Metropolitan Council.
“This will serve as more of a welcome center and a gateway to the lake,” said Harvey Zuckman, one of the project developers.
Proposed facility blueprints include a covered porch, an invasive species office, park board offices, and the sailing center, which will offer sailing lessons for children and adults. The plans also feature temporary parking for boat drop-off, a new beach and a boat inspection area. A shared bike-pedestrian path and West Bde Maka Ska Parkway would be reconstructed to surround the facility.
At an open house debuting the plans last week, many community members expressed concern over the proposal’s combined path for pedestrians and cyclists.
Elias said the path’s design may be determined by the final location of the parkway, and the park board is primarily focused on preventing pedestrian-vehicle collisions.
The board initially recommended relocating the Bde Maka Ska boat launch and Minneapolis Sailing Center in the 2016 Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska master plan. In 2021, the park board commissioners asked staff to begin envisioning a new facility, according to Elias. Draft plans were introduced earlier this year.
After receiving community feedback on this initial draft, MPRB will develop a preferred concept.
“We are basically at square zero of a very long project,” Elias said.
He added that plans for funding the project will be determined in the future, noting that there is no set timeline.
“I think it’s safe to say this will not be a cheap project,” Elias said. “It will require financial resources from the sailing center and public funding sources to get across the finish line.”
MPRB is asking the public to complete a survey to provide additional community input on the preliminary draft plans.
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