Vacation of Public Right-of-Way Easement: Minnewawa Avenue

In the routine process of drawing the legal boundary map for City-owned Tupa Park located at 4918- 4920 Eden Avenue, the land surveyors have an unresolved question regarding vacation of a local road that was removed in the late 1960s or early 1970s as part of the highway expansion.

Prior to the expansion of State Highway 100 in the early 1970s, a local road named Minnewawa Avenue was located east of the highway in between Eden Avenue and West 50^th Street. Archival records indicate that the Minnesota Department of Highways (now called MnDOT) assembled and acquired the land needed for the highway expansion via eminent domain. Some unneeded portions of land was turned back to the City after construction of the on- and off-ramps.

Minnewawa Avenue was physically removed during the construction of the northbound on-ramp and off-ramp between 1971 and 1974. During this time, the historic Minnehaha Grange Hall building was relocated to the eastern edge of the Tupa Park property. Later, the historic Cahilll School was also relocated to Tupa Park in approximately the same location as the former Minnewawa Avenue location.

Property records from this period are sometimes difficult to find. While City staff, MnDOT staff and land surveyors have found references to the vacation of this road, we have been unable to find a recorded copy of the formal vacation of this road.

To resolve this matter and allow for a clean legal description to be prepared, the survey company and City Attorney recommend that the City conduct the typical vacation process again and affirm that the road is formally vacated.

Since this land originally platted as a local road is no longer needed as a local road, staff recommends that Minnewawa Avenue be vacated.