The Sibley Parkway Redevelopment Project Area covers approximately 70 acres of under-utilized and blighted industrial area located adjacent to the Minnesota River in Lower West Mankato. Working closely with the City’s Community Development and Engineering Departments, I&S took the City’s redevelopment guidelines and developed roadway alignments, utility improvements, and development concepts for the area. Proposed land uses are residential and mixed use. Because the project area is adjacent to the Minnesota River and contains the flood control levee and an old lime storage pond, I&S is also coordinating various design and regulatory aspects of the project with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, The Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Also included in the project was extensive riverbank restoration of the Minnesota River. This restoration work included placing bendway weirs into the river to rechannelize the flow of the river away from the fragile banks. Once this was completed, the riverbank was replanted with native vegetation. This technique is in direct comparison to adjacent areas, where hard armoring with rip-rap was utilized. By utilizing vegetation, it is hoped that the public will be invited to interact with the river both visually and physically.
