The Minneapolis Planning Commission discussed a proposed 287-space parking lot for the Community Performing Arts Center during their July 7 meeting, with the project requiring conditional use permits due to its size exceeding zoning limits.

The parking lot would be constructed at 3701 and 3601 Washington Avenue North to support the previously approved CPAC amphitheater, which is scheduled to open in spring 2027. Principal City Planner Hilary Dvorak explained the lot would be divided into two zones: a 74-space southern section for ride-sharing services and a 213-space northern section for paid parking that customers would reserve when purchasing event tickets.

The amphitheater, approved by the Planning Commission in June 2023, will have no onsite parking and can accommodate up to 230 guests for as many as 90 events per year. Ticketed events will not be scheduled from January through April, with larger events expected to begin in mid-May. The parking lot would be located approximately one-third of a mile from the CPAC venue.

As part of the development, the applicant must create an Event Transportation Management Plan to address traffic impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. The plan must be approved by the Community Planning and Economic Development department and Public Works Department before CPAC receives its certificate of occupancy. The parking lot will remain gated and unavailable when no events are scheduled.

The commission also welcomed new member Dave Shepherd, a commercial architect with 30 years of experience. The 2.93-acre parking lot exceeds the maximum one-acre size allowed in the corridor, requiring both conditional use permits for the planned unit development and surface parking lot.