Minneapolis boat launch and sailing center could move across Bde Maka Ska under Park Board plan

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has presented preliminary plans to move the Bde Maka Ska boat launch and Minneapolis Sailing Center.

The boat launch and sailing center are now on the northeast shoreline of the lake near a watercraft rental, the Bde Maka Ska Pavilion, and Pimento on the Lake 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, now 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.

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 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 moving 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, the board will develop a preferred concept.

“We are basically at square zero of a very long project,” Elias said.

He added that funding 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.”

The MPRB is asking the public to complete a survey to provide additional community input on the preliminary plans.

Gracie Henry is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Minnesota Star Tribune.