Land dedication requirements.
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Code of Ordinances § PB15-4
in effectPB15-4. - Land dedication requirements.
(a) Generally. Any developer of land within the city that will result in a net increase in the number of development employees and/or a net increase in the number of residential dwelling units shall convey or dedicate to the public a reasonable portion of the land for public use for parks, playgrounds, recreational facilities, wetlands, trails, or open space. This requirement shall apply to platting of land, re-platting of land, registered land survey, or development that will require a building permit, but shall not apply to tax parcel combinations or splits, minor subdivisions, lot line adjustments, conversions of apartments to condominiums, or internal leasehold improvements that do not result in a net increase in the number of residential dwelling units or development employees.
City staff, in consultation with the park board superintendent or their designee and the developer, shall determine the location and configuration of any land dedicated, taking into consideration the suitability and adaptability of the land for its intended purpose, future needs of the proposed development, and the criteria below. The park board may decline any such proposed dedication by responding in writing within ten (10) business days to a communication from the city to the park board describing the proposed land dedication. In such case, the developer will be required to make a payment-in-lieu of dedication in accordance with subdivision (c) below.
Criteria to be considered:
(1) The land to be dedicated must be in conformance with the comprehensive plan and applicable adopted small area plans and in an area that is identified for park or conservation purposes in an adopted city or park board plan.
(2) The land to be dedicated should serve an appropriate public purpose, which might include one (1) or more of the following:
a. Connecting existing components of the parks and open space network (including creation of a trail connection).
b. Expanding an existing public park, trail, or open space by the addition of adjacent land.
c. Preserving significant landforms, native plant communities, sensitive habitat, and/or cultural resources.
d. Preserving areas containing vegetation identified as endangered or threatened or that provide habitat for animals identified as endangered, threatened, or of special concern under 15 United States Code Section 1531 et seq. or Minnesota Statutes Section 84.0895, and rules adopted under these respective laws.
e. Providing space for recreational and leisure uses appropriate to meet the needs of the new residents and/or employees.
(3) There must be sufficient resources, public and/or private, available and committed to develop, operate, and maintain the new park land.
(4) The land to be dedicated should help serve an area that is under-served by parks due to distance to existing parks, population density, inadequate facilities, or inadequate size of existing nearby parks.
(5) The land to be dedicated shall be adequate for its intended purpose.
(6) Land dedicated solely for roadway, stormwater retention, or utility purposes, or otherwise unsuitable for the purposes listed above, shall not be accepted as satisfying the land dedication requirements of this article.
(7) Dedicated land shall be accessible to the public served unless the city and park board determine that the dedicated land is an environmentally or ecologically sensitive area for which public access would be detrimental.
(b) Formula for dedication of land. At any time that net new residential dwelling units and/or net new or increased development employees will result from development, the developer shall dedicate:
(1) 0.0066 acres of land for every newly created residential dwelling unit within the downtown area or 0.01 acres of land for every newly created residential dwelling unit outside of the downtown area, up to a maximum of ten (10) percent of the area being platted or developed, plus
(2) One hundred (100) square feet of land for each development employee, up to a maximum of ten (10) percent of the area being platted or developed.
Land so dedicated shall be within the plat, registered land survey, or development site and/or, subject to approval by the city after consultation with park board staff and the developer, in close proximity to the plat, registered land survey, or development site. The city may require the land dedication option under this subdivision (b) as a condition of plat, registered land survey or building permit approval, and in so doing may require that the land be dedicated prior to or at the same time as recording the final plat or registered land survey.
(c) Dedication option; fee payment. If a plat or registered land survey is not required under section 598.40, if the dedication of land is not practical, or if city staff, after consultation with park board superintendent or their designee, determines that the land to be dedicated does not meet the requirements of subdivision (a), then a developer of property subject to subdivision (b) of this section shall contribute a cash payment in lieu of all or a portion of the land otherwise required under subdivision (b) of this section. The fee for mixed-use developments that include both residential and non-residential development shall be the sum of the fees for the residential and non-residential development components. The amount of cash payment for residential development shall be one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) per non-exempt unit, with said amount to be adjusted annually as described below. The amount of the cash payment for non-residential development shall be based upon the city assessor's most recent certified land estimated market value per square foot of the total acreage of the plat or development site at the time of city approval, multiplied by the number of square feet that would have been dedicated under subdivision (b). The amount of cash payment in lieu of dedication for non-residential development shall not exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) per development employee, with said maximum to be adjusted annually as described below. Both the per unit and per development employee limits above shall be adjusted each April 1 by the change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U, all Items) for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the preceding twelve (12) months ending December 31 of the previous year, but shall not be reduced. In determining whether land dedication or cash in lieu thereof will be required, city staff, in consultation with park board staff, may consider without limitation the suitability and adaptability of land within the site for the purposes listed in subdivision (a) of this section and criteria for land dedication in subdivision (a) of this section. The cash payment in lieu shall be contributed prior to obtaining the city clerk's signature on the final plat or at the time of payment of the fees for the building permit that authorizes the construction of the main structure of the project.
In the event there is a significant change in the size and/or type of a development project that is subject to this parkland dedication ordinance, there may be a commensurate increase in the parkland dedication fee or a refund of the previously paid fee. Said increased fee will be payable at the time the building permit review fee for the revised project is collected. Any refunds will be paid from the parkland dedication special fund by the park board.
(d) Exemptions. The following are exempt from the parkland dedication requirements:
(1) All affordable housing units as defined in section 598.360. (2009-Or-030, § 1, 4-10-09; 2010-Or-081, § 4, 9-24-10; Pk. Bd. Ord. No. 2013-103, § 1, 12-18-13)
Source: City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Code of Ordinances, City Charter and Park and Recreation Board Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/mn/minneapolis/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PAREBOCOOR_CH15PADE_.15-4LADEREFetched: 11/1/2026