Residents from the upper riverfront area had no shortage of ideas Tuesday for what they'd like to see in a redevelopment of the city-owned Upper Harbor Terminal and the kind of developer they'd chose for the job.

They were asked at an open house at Minneapolis Urban League what would bring them to the 48-acre site, especially the Dowling Avenue N. entrance where the city and Park Board want an attraction that will draw people.

A restaurant with a view. Swimming and canoes. Shady walkways. Bird-attracting plants. A dog park. A 24/7 music venue for area musicians. A roller rink. Volleyball and basketball courts. Interpretation of river history.

North Sider Rosemary Froehle is a big supporter of creating an eatery on the order on Sea Salt at Minnehaha Park, or Tin Fish at Lake Calhoun, with an accompanying music area. "We need something like that to bring people to the North Side," she said. "There isn't one thing to bring people to the North Side."

Residents also gave their opinions about the qualifications the city should seek in a developer chosen to oversee the redevelopment of the site. The city plans to ask not for specific redevelopment proposals but the qualifications of developers who want to be chosen. That developer is intended to bring market-driven expertise to community discussions on the redevelopment of the site, and could eventually develop parts of the terminal area or oversee other developers who get the rights to develop specific areas.

Among the suggestions: a developer with experience in projects that affect low-income communities and communities of color; one willing to negotiate a community benefits agreement, a developer with experience in green buildings and projects, and a developer experienced in developing near a waterfront.

The site is the biggest chunk of upper river land likely to come on the market for the long-term plan to revitalize the riverfront with parks, business parks and housing.

The mostly white crowd didn't reflect the multi-racial neighborhoods around the Urban League building. Another public input session may be scheduled for June. The Park Board is trying generally to redesign its techniques for soliciting community input on such projects.

The two meetings precede the design this summer of a lengthier process to gather area opinion during planning for the redevelopment effort. The two agencies also will use that process later this year to influence the selection of a developer. Full-scale planning with that developer for the first phase of redevelopment is scheduled for 2017.

The terminal was closed at the end of 2014, shortly before the closing of the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock. Both were developed to try to increase the city's importance as a port, but tonnage never reached the projections of boosters. The terminal mainly handled bulk commodities, such as fertilizer or grain.

(Photo: The city's Upper Harbor Terminal in 1995, when barges, railcars and trucks all moved commodities through the port. Staff photo by Mike Zerby)