Who Gets to Redevelop the People's Way at George Floyd Square?
The city of Minneapolis released a new request for qualifications Sept. 21 to find a developer for the People's Way, the former Speedway station at 38th and Chicago that became a memorial after George Floyd's murder. The RFQ requires the lead applicant to have development experience and to take ownership of the property, a rule Rise and Remember's Jeanelle Austin says excludes her organization, which earned 58% agreement in a city survey, the highest of any applicant. Council Member Soren Stevenson says added requirements around repairing harms of racism and honoring Floyd should push developers to partner with Black-led groups, while city staff plan to recommend an applicant before year's end.
As the city of Minneapolis reopens its search for a partner to redevelop the People’s Way at George Floyd Square, the community organization that earned the strongest support in a city survey says new eligibility rules are written to exclude it.
The city released a new request for qualifications and proposals Sept. 21, with applications due Oct. 19. It requires the lead applicant to have commercial real estate development experience and to become the property’s owner, though it can partner with other organizations. According to the RFQ, the requirement follows feedback from some council members who, after rejecting the city’s previous recommendation, asked for a proposer with established development experience and the capacity to finish the project quickly.
Jeanelle Austin, executive director of Rise and Remember, called the requirement discriminatory toward her organization.
“We are a cultural heritage preservation institution that was formed six years ago because a city employee on city time murdered George Floyd,” Austin said in a written statement to the MSR. “We have not had an opportunity to have development experience.”
Austin said Rise and Remember has preserved thousands of memorial offerings since 2020 and partnered with NEOO Partners and Black and local art conservators during the first RFQ process.
The People’s Way, a former Speedway gas station at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, became a memorial and mutual aid site after Floyd’s murder in May 2020. The city owns the property.
In a city-commissioned survey conducted in early 2025, 58% of 796 respondents agreed that Rise and Remember’s project idea matched community values, the highest of any applicant. The Minnesota Agape Movement drew 36% agreement. City staff nonetheless recommended Agape, and the City Council rejected that recommendation June 11.
“No one knows why they did not choose Rise and Remember,” Austin said. “Not even Rise and Remember.”
Council Member Soren Stevenson, whose ward includes George Floyd Square, said the first process “ignored what the community had asked for through the city’s own engagement survey, and it left many feeling left out and hurt.”
Asked whether the new RFQ addresses concerns about fairness, Stevenson answered, “Yes and no.” In written responses provided by his office, he said some of the changes he advocated for made it into the new process and some did not.
Stevenson said concern that the experience requirement could exclude community-rooted and Black-led groups is valid, which is why he pushed for additional requirements. Applicants must explain how their projects will repair the harms of racism, center the George Floyd Square community, honor Floyd and respect the square as an active memorial. Stevenson also pushed for outdoor gathering space and for applicants to describe their connections to the Southside community.
“I do not think it would be possible for any developer applying to meet these requirements without partnering or working closely with the existing community-rooted and Black-led organizations,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson said he plans to gather input from residents, business owners and caretakers after the Oct. 19 deadline.
Austin said Rise and Remember asked to meet with Stevenson, Council Member Jason Chavez and Mayor Jacob Frey in mid-July. The council members did not agree to meet until Sept. 22, the morning after the city launched the new RFQ, and Frey declined to meet, according to Austin.
At that meeting, Floyd’s aunt Angela Harrelson and Paris Stevens shared a family committee’s concern that once city codes are applied, there will not be enough space for a meaningful permanent memorial, Austin said.
Austin also said city staff told the Memorial Caretakers, neighbors who have tended the memorial since 2020, that the city intends to request an easement on the property to remove the site’s iconic red marquee, and plans to dismantle the square’s bus shelters and distribute them to artists.
“As a community, we are being informed of what the city decides they want to do, and they do not consult us on how we want to preserve our story,” Austin said.
Erik Hansen, director of the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development department, said in written responses that the city incorporated feedback from council members and residents into the new solicitation, but is looking for “a partner with demonstrated development experience who can maintain the community-centered elements that have been important throughout the process.”
The RFQ is open to any entity with real estate development experience, Hansen said. “We encourage developers connected to the community to apply,” he said, adding that applicants must explain how they understand the site’s importance and how they would steward it.
Hansen said city staff plan to recommend an applicant to the City Council before the end of the year, and the city will hold a community engagement event after the Oct. 19 deadline and before the council votes. If the council approves, the city would enter an exclusive development rights agreement and hopes to see a full proposal by the end of 2027, followed by a land sale and redevelopment agreement.
City public art staff will guide stewardship of the memorial offerings and public art on the site, Hansen said.
“It is not uncommon for complex redevelopment sites to take more than five years to see development take place,” Hansen said.
The new RFQ comes as Phase 1 street construction around the square wraps up ahead of schedule, with streets expected to reopen by Oct. 9.
C Terrence, founder of Bichota, a coffee shop that opened at the square about two years ago, said business dropped off noticeably during construction, and customers told him it was hard to figure out how to get there.
For the People’s Way, Terrence wants someone to take responsibility for the space while letting the community keep using it for gatherings, events, music or simply reading a book, much like a community park.
“At the end of the day, lack of clarity about who’s responsible for what happens there makes it really hard to plan a future,” he said.
“We do need to move forward with the development of this site, but we need to do it right,” Stevenson said.
Austin said Rise and Remember wants both preservation and revitalization for the neighborhood.
“We can preserve the story and uplift the neighborhood sustainably if given a chance,” she said.
Stevenson said he plans to gather input from residents, business owners and caretakers after the Oct. 19 deadline.
Updates on the city’s People’s Way process, including the planned community engagement event, will be posted at minneapolismn.gov/business-services/doing-business-with-the-city/community-planning-development-rfps/peoples-way.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.