Land Use & Planning

As more cities move to embrace the river and capitalize on its exceptional value, FMR works within metro river communities to advocate for public access, equity, environmental sustainability, and community enjoyment of the river.

Here are the park plans and developments that our river corridor team has its eye on. Learn more about the program, how we evaluate development plans and all the places we work.

Development and land use updates are also shared on social (Facebook and Twitter) and in FMR's Mississippi Messages newsletter.

Join us! Sign up to be a River Guardian to receive email action alerts when we need your help the most, plus invitations to educational happy hours and other events.

POSTS

Meet our Twin Cities locks and dams

September 14, 2022

See a map of our three Twin Cities locks and dams, a timeline of when and why they were built, and find out why we may not need them anymore. Read more

What we heard on this summer's lock and dam tours

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

August 8, 2022

This summer, FMR and our partners talked with over 600 community members about the future of our Twin Cities locks and dams. We led more than than 20 focus-group tours that brought many people to the river in new ways. Here's what we heard. Read more

FMR, partners issue Minneapolis 2040 support statement

July 21, 2022

In response to the lawsuit challenging the Minneapolis 2040 plan on the basis of potential environmental harm, FMR coordinated a sign-on statement from several leading environmental and planning organizations. The statement reaffirms our support for the 2040 plan's goals and environmental benefits. >>

Time is running out to stop invasive carp

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

July 10, 2022

This spring a silver carp was recorded swimming 35 miles up Minnesota's Mississippi River in a single day. Across the state our news outlets helped highlight what's at risk for our waterways and why we need the DNR to act with more urgency. >>

Can St. Paul's River Learning Center project get back on track?

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

July 7, 2022

We've long supported the goal of creating a River Learning Center in St. Paul's Crosby Farm Regional Park. Recent design concepts for the center, however, seemed to disregard community input and riverfront development regulations. Here's how we've responded and what we hope to see happen next. >>

Join us for lock and dam focus group tours

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

May 1, 2022

Learn more about the big study that will consider the future of two locks and dams in the heart of the Twin Cities. Read more

A photo showing the river almost emptied to the river bottom as part of a draw down by the Army Corps.

St. Paul riverfront roundup: Five projects to watch

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

April 11, 2022

St. Paul has a lot of projects in the works along its 26 miles of Mississippi River shoreline. Check out the plans for new visitor and cultural centers, recreational improvements and more that will celebrate and improve St. Paul's connection to the river. >>

Our updated Land Use & Planning program name

March 9, 2022

We've updated the name of our former River Corridor program to Land Use & Planning to better describe what we do. >>

An update on the future of St. Anthony Falls

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

February 4, 2022

There's a lot happening around St. Anthony Falls. Here's the latest on the Army Corps' disposition study, upcoming events about the future of the lock area, and that mysterious underwater wall. >>

Rare Maplewood grasslands one step closer to protection

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

February 3, 2022

As covered in several news outlets, Ramsey County is stepping back from its plans to develop a rare grassland bird haven. We're celebrating this win and advocating for the next logical step: permanent habitat protection. Ramsey County residents — please send a note to the county to express support for this special refuge. >>