Undeveloped Minneapolis park land often falls to the bottom of the list for upgrades. Parks officials may change that.

When Kyla Krohn moved into an apartment next to North Loop Park in the rapidly growing Minneapolis neighborhood by the same name, the leasing office showed her a pretty rendering of future park improvements with mature trees and seating areas. On Thursday when she walked her dog past the park, it looked much the same as it had for years — an empty grass lot. Residents of the neighborhood's many high rises typically use the park as a leashed dog run.

"There are a lot of apartment buildings, but not a lot of public space for meeting with people," Krohn said. "It would be awesome to just get something here."

Two years ago, there was great fanfare around the Minneapolis Park Board's acquisition of the North Loop Park, formerly a surface parking lot, with the intent of filling a health equity gap for the 2% of Minneapolis residents who didn't live within a 10-minute walk of a park at the time. It became the North Loop's first neighborhood park.

But once the space was converted to a lawn, improvements stalled.

That's because North Loop Park ranks low — no. 127 out of 152 park spaces — in the Park Board's equity matrix for neighborhood park improvements. The matrix uses a community's racial and economic characteristics to schedule park projects, but it had the unintended effect of keeping some completely empty park parcels from getting any amenities.

"Today we are pushing 10,000 [residents], but we haven't expanded any park space in the North Loop other than that little spot on 3rd Street," said David Crary of the North Loop Neighborhood Association, which has heard much demand for a modest picnic area in the park. "But the thing is, just to get simple furniture, we're on the bottom of the list."

Park staff now recommend amending the Park Board's equity metrics in order to prioritize undeveloped parks. A public hearing will be held at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at Park Board headquarters at 2117 W. River Road, with a final vote scheduled for Sept. 20.

At the board's Aug. 16 meeting, park staff presented a list of the 20 undeveloped park spaces that would be most prime for improvements under the revamped equity matrix. They're located all over the city and vary greatly in size. Some came to the Park Board as a result of park dedication regulations imposed on new developments. Others were tiny triangles too small to have obvious amenities. The large Solomon Park in far-south Minneapolis was left undeveloped because it was formerly airport land.

People use Solomon Park's undeveloped fields and trails for rugby, ultimate frisbee,archery, dog walking and nature exploration. In the winter there's always hockey and ice skating on the pond, said Ben Osborn of the Hale Page Diamond Lake Community Association.

But residents also want more information posted in the park about the beloved youth sports coach Edward C. Solomon, whom they believe is the only Black resident of Minneapolis to have a park named after him. There's also interest in a more developed walking trail and a community garden.

"We'll make sure to let our folks know that this could be something that raises Solomon Park's ability to get attention from the Park Board," Osborn said. "I think the neighborhood would be would be interested in having a little bit more there."

Ryan Lake Park on the border between north Minneapolis and Robbinsdale would also be prioritized for developments under a new equity matrix. Staff are eyeing it for play equipment because there is not another playground nearby.

"I want them to attack it and clean it up and get it going," he said. "I just don't want it all bulldozed and made into a big sandy beach."

Park Board Commissioner Meg Forney said she completely supports updating the equity metrics to get improvements on park spaces with the fewest amenities.

"It's about time," she said. "We are finally addressing the inequity of undeveloped parks."