Capitol-area board approves Phase 1A of Capitol Mall plan, clearing way for trees, accessibility upgrades

The Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board on Monday approved the direction for Phase 1A of the Capitol Mall Design Framework, authorizing use of a $5,000,000 legislative appropriation to plant trees, add seating, improve wayfinding and pilot low-cost street interventions on MLK Boulevard.

The action, moved by the chair and seconded by a board member, grants Executive Secretary Cedar Lee Dahl flexibility to oversee implementation of Phase 1A and to return the board if there are significant substantive changes. The board recorded the motion as approved after a roll call; the executive secretary announced the tally and declared the motion approved.

The plan presented by Josh Brooks, principal landscape architect at Sasaki, calls for three immediate interventions: a new elliptical commemorative plaza to host tribal flags and seating; a proof-of-concept road-diet on MLK Boulevard using paint and plastic bollards to create room for programming such as food trucks and murals; and regraded axial paths and shaded tree groves on the upper mall that Brooks said would, for the first time, create a universally accessible route from MLK Boulevard to the Aurora Promenade.

"For the first time ever, somebody standing on MLK would be able to get to Aurora Promenade without having to circle all the way around," Brooks said, describing new accessible paths, seating and a planting strategy of more than 100 shade trees. He told the board the Phase 1A scope was sized to fit beneath the $5 million threshold and that heavier construction would be deferred to a later Phase 1B if additional bonding becomes available.

Board members and legislators praised the vision but sparred over whether to remove recently installed scissor walkways — hardscape elements added in recent years to connect the upper mall — to achieve the proposed universal-access alignment. Representative Lee Warren said she supported many elements of the plan but warned it would be difficult to justify tearing out recent work paid for with state money. "We just spent a significant amount of state money to put in those ramps...for us to be ripping them out at this time is really hard for me to justify," she said, noting an original cost figure of $619,000 for that work.

Brooks and Executive Secretary Dahl responded that the design team had explored alternatives but concluded the degree of universal accessibility sought could not be achieved without selective demolition of some existing hardscape. Brooks estimated demolition costs at about $40,000 to $50,000 and described that amount as small relative to the $5 million appropriation.

David Fendly, ABA director at the Minnesota Council on Disability, urged the board to distinguish legal minimums from usable design in Minnesota's winter climate. "The ADA is the law. It's the bare minimum," he said, adding that Minnesota building code calls for some outdoor walkways to meet a 1:20 slope where technically feasible and that meeting only minimal slopes can leave routes technically accessible but functionally unusable in snow and ice.

Senator Sandy Pappas, who spoke in favor of a more holistic approach, noted related accessibility investments including an $8.5 million tunnel project connecting the remodeled state office building and the Capitol. Board members said the Phase 1A package was designed so that, if later phases do not move forward, the Phase 1A deliverables would still produce a respectful, usable public realm.

The board's approval authorizes Phase 1A work to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2024 under the current legislative timeline; members said they will seek a statutory extension through the legislature to provide more time for implementation and to pursue additional funding for Phase 1B, which would include larger construction items and stormwater work.

The executive secretary's read of the resolution also explicitly added campus wayfinding to the Phase 1 scope. The board recorded an abstention from Representative Ginny Cleburne, and several members were noted as absent for the roll call. The motion was declared approved and the board adjourned.

What happens next: staff and Sasaki will move forward with procurement and implementation of Phase 1A tasks within the $5 million allocation and will report back to the board on major changes or if additional legislative funding becomes available.