Louisiana Trail Greenway Expansion and Stormwater Management

Overview

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is exploring opportunities to expand public greenspace, trails, and stormwater management at the Minnehaha Creek Preserve, in partnership with the City of St. Louis Park as it reimagines the Louisiana Avenue Station Area. Project opportunities may include stormwater management, habitat restoration, flood resilience, and trail connections between the Preserve and the Cedar Lake LRT Regional Trail. Implementation will be dependent on available land adjacent to the Preserve as the area redevelops.

Over the last decade, MCWD and our partners have transformed this corridor through the creation of the Minnehaha Creek Greenway — a nearly 2.5-mile linear park with over 100 acres of contiguous greenspace in Hopkins and St. Louis Park. To date, Greenway projects have removed over 150 pounds of pollutants annually, restored nearly 3 miles of streambank, and created over 2 miles of Creekside trails, restoring what was the most degraded stretch of the Creek while increasing access to greenspace, recreation, and transportation. Expanding restoration efforts in this industrialized and flood-prone corridor would support the City’s 2025 Arrive + Thrive Framework goals and MCWD’s Balanced Urban Ecology vision by managing stormwater runoff to the Creek, increasing park and trail connections, and improving access to healthcare, businesses, and transit.