At its Dec 16, 2025 meeting, the Golden Valley City Council approved the selection of Minneapolis-based Perkins&Will to lead the City’s Civic Center Campus Master Plan process. The project will begin in January 2026 and is expected to be completed by early fall.
Golden Valley’s Civic Center Campus is part of a 14-acre site bounded by Golden Valley Rd, Winnetka Ave, 10th Ave, and Rhode Island Ave N, which is at the community’s literal and figurative crossroads. The Civic Center Campus Master Plan will set the stage for reimagining the civic heart Golden Valley. Its scope includes the City Public Safety (Police and Fire) building, City Hall, and Hennepin County Library facilities, a public plaza, and a complex network of infrastructure connections.
City staff reviewed proposals from 18 teams and chose international urban design firm Perkins&Will to lead a multidisciplinary team of planners, designers, architects, strategists, artists, and community collaborators in developing the Master Plan. This team will include:
- TKDA (supporting on-site planning, engagement, and campus utilities while also leading transportation, multi-modal access/circulation, parking, water tower, and fire/police building programming)
- Pierce Pini (leading civil engineering and stormwater management design)
- CDA Enterprises (providing Indigenous history, stories, and planning support)
- Modern Day Me (supporting public art, integration, and activation)
Known for its “Living Design” philosophy, Perkins&Will has expertise is in blending a compelling vision—of resilience, sustainability, beauty, innovation, community, inclusion, and well-being—and deep experience with complex civic projects of a similar scale, like the Fair Park Campus Plan in Dallas, TX.
“Perkins&Will’s demonstrated expertise in complex projects that combine urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture give us confidence that their technical know-how and project management will deliver an innovative and actionable master plan,” says Chloe McGuire, Golden Valley’s deputy community development director. “More importantly, Golden Valley is a deeply rooted community, and Perkins&Will’s emphasis on engagement and public art shows they understand our history and our vision.”
“When complete, the Civic Center Campus Vision will redefine for this generation Golden Valley’s relationship between the greenspace, trails, and architecture that give our community its singular character and livability,” adds Emilly Goellner, Golden Valley’s community development director.
Civic Center Campus: Get Involved and Stay Connected
Throughout the 2026 Master Planning process, the community will be invited to participate and stay informed. For project updates, bookmark the Building Forward website and sign up for emails (scroll to Community Development and select "Building Forward Updates").
Once the Master Plan is complete, the City will release a separate RFP for schematic design in late 2026 or early 2027. Following this schedule, construction could begin as early as 2028 or 2029.