The city of Minneapolis wanted to transform a 145-acre site and former home to four public-housing developments into a haven for mixed-income residents and sustainable green space. Plans for the development included incorporating a natural stormwater-treatment system for managing urban runoff and creating a community park system.
Barr planned the plantings for Heritage Park’s open-space and stormwater-filtration systems. Our contribution to planning the water features’ utilities included revising an XP-SWMM model for 58 tributary watersheds and ponding areas and developing best management practices for improving water quality. Barr also evaluated the hydraulics of conveyance systems for pond outlets and channels, designed augmentation systems to provide low flows, and reviewed sanitary-sewer and storm-sewer requirements.
Because the development has been successful in creating a residential neighborhood near downtown with habitat for birds and butterflies, Minneapolis holds up this project as ideal for stormwater management and open-space development within the city.