City Council revives mixed use plan debate for future of George Floyd Square
Minneapolis leaders are again weighing the future of George Floyd Square as a last minute push revives a stalled mixed use redevelopment plan. With competing visions for a pedestrian mall, bus access and community led design, council members are divided over how to honor the site’s history while moving long delayed reconstruction forward.
A last-ditch effort could possibly revive a stalled plan to redevelop the intersection where George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers in 2020. Minneapolis City Council members voted Nov. 20 to add a plan to the final Dec. 11 meeting agenda of the current council that would restore mixed-use access to the intersection.
The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, now known as George Floyd Square, was occupied by protesters and closed to traffic shortly after Floyd’s killing. Although car traffic now proceeds through stop signs and around a traffic circle, the City Council has struggled to align on a shared vision of the development.
The City Council previously worked with staff to develop a “mixed-use” plan that council members tabled in February, which would have reopened the intersection to bus traffic and included a number of features like bikeways and wider sidewalks.
City staff didn’t include an analysis of a pedestrian mall on the site because they said it wasn’t feasible. That spurred Council Member Jason Chavez, whose district includes a portion of the intersection, to propose a pedestrian mall study; the council ultimately overturned a mayoral veto of that provision.
The report on a pedestrian mall, which does not include a specific layout, will be presented to a City Council committee in the first week of December, just a week before their final meeting this term. A community group will also release a plan ahead of that final meeting.
More than five years after Floyd was killed, council members have expressed some urgency about resolving the issue of what happens to the intersection.
Council Member Andrea Jenkins, whose district also includes a portion of the intersection, said at Thursday’s council meeting that she wanted to put the concept proposed by city staff back on the table to prevent yet another delay of the reconstruction. Jenkins said her action “would only provide us with an opportunity to consider this option if the pedestrian mall option is not a viable solution.”
Chavez strongly supports a pedestrian option and cited his vote total at one precinct close to the intersection as a mandate from voters to deliver it. He also noted that State Sen. Omar Fateh, who supported that option, won handily against incumbent Jacob Frey in the neighborhoods around the square in this month’s mayoral race. Chavez opposed Jenkins’ motion but said he’s “ready to find a compromise.”
Jenkins countered that “there are three other neighborhoods that are at that intersection, and they did not vote for you, sir. It would be a disservice to the entire community to have one precinct determine the outcome for the entire intersection.”
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said she was “frustrated and confused” about what the city’s vision is for the street: “I really am asking for leadership across the board from everyone, to lean in and figure out what’s our path forward.”
Council Member Robin Wonsley said it’s important that the “community is in the driver’s seat” and not the city, which she said was ultimately responsible for Floyd’s death.
The city has been gathering input from residents on the future of the site since 2021. About 70% of people who responded to an online survey administered by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs in 2023 said they wanted the streets to remain fully accessible to all forms of transportation.
Council Member Linea Palmisano said insisting on a pedestrian mall was a waste of taxpayer dollars and ignored community input that had been gathered.
“Not supporting this option to take a vote on this at the end of this term means continued delay on George Floyd Square development, continued delay on the revival of George Floyd Square,” Palmisano said. “It is an important issue to everyone in our city.”
Minneapolis City Clerk Casey Carl said embracing the pedestrian mall plan would require council members to restart the process of crafting an ordinance next year when the new council is seated. If the mixed-use layout fails, the council will also be forced to start that process again.
To further complicate matters, city staff are still trying to decide which organization to put in charge of the redevelopment of the former gas station on the site, which is known as The People’s Way.
Council Members Andrea Jenkins, Linea Palmisano, Aurin Chowdhury, Katie Cashman, Jamal Osman, Michael Rainville, LaTrisha Vetaw and Emily Koski voted to add the mixed-use plan to the Dec. 11 meeting’s agenda. Council Members Jason Chavez, Robin Wonsley, Aisha Chughtai, Jeremiah Ellison and Elliott Payne voted against the motion.
This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color.
Sign up for a free newsletter at www.sahanjournal.com/newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox. For more information, visit www.sahanjournal.com.