What might Brooklyn Center look like in 20 years? Should it have a baseball stadium? What kinds of rental housing do people need? Should there be more office buildings and, if so, where should they be built? Does the city need more retail and what kind of shops do residents need? Where should a transit hub be located and how might the transit needs of residents be met?

These were some of the questions confronting about 70 residents who participated in the opportunity site workshop at the Earle Brown Heritage Center on July 11. Their task was to redesign Brooklyn Center’s central business district. The area extends from Brooklyn Boulevard and Highway 100 to Interstate 694 and encompasses approximately 600 acres.

The workshop is one of a series of sessions sponsored by the Metropolitan Council as it develops a regional blueprint that will guide development for the next 20 years. Six areas in the seven-county metro area were selected for in-depth consultation from urban design specialists Calthorpe and Associates of Berkley, Calif. Brooklyn Center’s central business district is one of the six opportunity sites selected by the Met Council for the additional planning.

Calthorpe officials will distill the ideas generated at the Brooklyn Center workshop into two or three scenarios that will be presented to the public from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 20, in the Garden City ballroom at the Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Drive.

The process being used in the design of the metro area in general and Brooklyn Center specifically is called Smart Growth. It focuses on building walkable communities, said Tim Rood, one of the Calthorpe consultants.

“Walkable communities were what we built before World War II,” he said. After that time, development was driven by increased dependence on the automobile.

“After World War II, blocks got bigger and it makes it difficult to walk places,” Rood said.

Jobs and homes have moved farther and farther apart, he said. However, many land uses, such as office jobs and residential, are compatible. It is easier for businesses to thrive when there are people around in the evening, Rood said.

For about 90 minutes, residents and discussion facilitators huddled over maps of Brooklyn Center’s central business district. They used colored squares representing hotels, retail shops, village greens, trails, various styles of apartments, townhouses, combinations of business and housing, office buildings, streets, crosswalks, bus shelters, parking structures, bridges and traffic lights. The paper squares were used to designate what kind of redevelopment should take place and where within the study area.

Met Councilmember and Brooklyn Center resident Todd Paulson urged those participating in the workshop to look into the future at least 10, 15 or 20 years.

“Let’s build something that lasts for 50 years,” he said.

Mayor Myrna Kragness was also enthusiastic about the workshop.

“We have an opportunity no one has ever had before,” she said. “To sit down and look at our community and see what we want in 20 years. I look forward to the outcome because I know it will be wonderful for us.”

After the discussion period, each group presented their concepts to the entire group. Although designs varied, several common ideas emerged. Most groups suggested using the former Jerry’s Newmarket site for a transit hub. Most wanted to “daylight” Shingle Creek, which currently flows through a culvert beneath part of the Brookdale Center parking lot. Most groups suggested construction of a luxury hotel adjacent to the Earle Brown Heritage Center. Everyone wanted more senior housing, more residential options in general and more green spaces.

From these common points, what the area should have varied from one group to the next. One group suggested a new baseball stadium on the west side of Highway 100 complete with a light rail connection to Minneapolis. Another group proposed building a hockey rink across from the Brookdale Area Library and moving Target to the Sears parking lot at Brookdale.

Trolleys, a monorail or personal transit modules were proposed to move people throughout the area. One group suggested establishing a fare zone within the business district similar to the 25 cent downtown Minneapolis rate.

Another group was specific about the type of retail that the area needs. They wanted to see a post office in the central business area, a florist, a bakery, a bike shop and a Bruegger’s bagel shop.

Cultural amenities were not overlooked. A small amphitheater for Central Park was suggested as was an indoor venue for entertainment near Bass Lake Road. A cultural center was suggested in the Hmong-American Shopping Center (formerly Northbrook Plaza), and a historical museum was proposed near the Heritage Center.

People definitely wanted to see more sidewalks, better sidewalks, more attractive streetscapes, more trails and a wider variety of housing options.

Next month, residents will learn what is feasible and how their ideas could change the face of Brooklyn Center in the coming years.

To learn more about Smart Growth in the Twin City metro area log on to the Met Council’s Web site: www.metrocouncil.org. Additional information on Smart Growth can be found on the Internet at www.smartgrowth.org.