Minneapolis city staff want to keep George Floyd Square open to vehicle traffic, while bringing back bus lines and preserving artwork and memorials.
More than four years after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers, the intersection where he was killed in south Minneapolis has remained almost unchanged. Artwork fills the streets, and some buses still haven’t returned to the intersection.
City planners unveiled three street concepts for George Floyd Square — located at E. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue — in July, along with five ideas to redesign the People’s Way, a former Speedway gas station.
The three street concepts were based on community engagement the city has conducted since 2021. The proposed ideas were open concept, a transit mall or a pedestrian plaza. The city is recommending a “flexible-open” concept that would keep vehicular traffic in the intersection, but allow the streets to be closed off for events, such as the anniversary of Floyd’s murder.
Officials hosted an open house at Calvary Lutheran Church Tuesday night to unveil the plan to community members. About 200 people attended, circulating among poster boards that described the city’s plans.
Anthony Scott II, a Minneapolis resident who lives near George Floyd Square, said the meeting was an opportunity to meet with city leaders in-person and discuss the plan.
“I call it real face time,” he said. “It ain’t on the phone, on the screen, it’s looking at somebody in real time, having those conversations and then getting honest feedback.”
The city’s plans
In addition to allowing normal vehicle traffic to circulate throughout the intersection, the plan would also restore the D Line and Route 5 buses to the area. Sidewalks would also be widened to allow for more foot traffic, and protest art and memorials will be preserved. City officials say they are working with the artists to come up with a plan on how to best preserve the artwork.
The large fist and traffic circle in the center of the intersection would remain in place. Medians would also be installed, and could house the four smaller fists that currently mark the square’s entrances.
The city has no plans to touch the “Say Their Names” cemetery which is on a city-owned flood pond located at 37th Street and Park Avenue S. The symbolic cemetery honors Black people who have been killed by police.
The Floyd family is also working with the organization Rise and Remember to create a memorial, city staff said.
Nathan Koster, the city’s transportation planning manager, said at a media briefing Monday that plans to restrict the area only to pedestrians proved to be too challenging to implement, due to the alleys, driveways and garages that homes and businesses need to access nearby.
City staff also see the redevelopment as a way to update the infrastructure in the area, which they said is in urgent need of repair. The streets were built in the 1950s and 1960s.
“The street really needs to be reconstructed,” Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the city’s operations officer, said at the media briefing. “It has very [severely] aging infrastructure.”
The vision the city revealed Tuesday is still considered to be a draft. The next step is for city staff to present their final report to the City Council. The presentation is currently slated for November 12, during the Committee of the Whole meeting.
The city purchased the People’s Way property in 2023. Since 2020, it has been boarded up and covered in protest art. It continues to be a place for gatherings and protests.
The city released five ideas for the People’s Way site, which show the building in different sizes, ranging from one to six stories high. All of the plans include adding more green space outside the building.
The city recently opened up a request for qualifications or RFQ application for a group to receive the developmental rights of the People’s Way project. That application is open until November 22. The application review process will include community engagement.
Erik Hansen, the city’s director of community planning and economic development, said at the briefing that once the organization is selected, then the process of deciding what the People’s Way should be will ramp up. At a community meeting in August, residents put forward ideas such as a museum, an art gallery and an education service center.
“That organization can then take over the responsibility of honoring the site and moving it forward so that it continues to meet the community’s objectives,” Hansen said.
It is unknown at this time how much money the George Floyd Square project will cost, but the city has already allocated about $5 million to go toward the project. City staff have said it could take one to two construction seasons to complete. Construction won’t begin until after the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s murder takes place on May 25, 2025.
Jay Webb, a caretaker of George Floyd Square, attended Tuesday’s meeting. He said he doesn’t think the square needs to be reenvisioned, and the money that’s being allocated for it should go more toward other resources, such as helping unhoused people.
“They’re missing the whole point,” Webb said. “It’s not about the shape of the square, it’s about the shape of the heart.”
Kelliher said the city is also considering asking the Legislature for funding to support small businesses during the construction process.
“We need to move forward”
Alexander Kado, a senior project manager with the city’s Office of Public Service, said the city has engaged with community and business leaders in the area extensively throughout the process, and said many are ready to see progress.
“I don’t view this as the city’s process, this is the community’s process, and it’s a vision that will guide future work,” Kado said. “We have this framework. It’ll be a continually iterative process, I think, for years, decades, centuries.”
Willie Robinson lives near George Floyd Square. He said that it’s time for changes to be made to the square now that it’s been more than four years.
“We need to move forward,” he said. “But we always have to keep the community involved.”
Anthony Taylor is the community development lead for the Cultural Wellness Center, which partnered with the city on the community meetings. He said they worked vigorously to engage with community members, and ensure that a diverse pool of people attended.
“That’s what we’ve worked to do, is to make sure that the people showing up represent all of the different perspectives related to what we define as the community around George Floyd Square,” he said.
