Minneapolis officials release options for redesign of George Floyd Square area

Minneapolis city planners have developed a range of options for redesigning the streets that line George Floyd Square and the People’s Way, a former gas station that has been occupied by protesters since 2020.

All three concepts, unveiled at a community meeting Tuesday evening, would allow the city to update street infrastructure that is more than 60 years old and build wider sidewalks, with more greenery and space for the preservation of art and memorials in the process.

The options include an open concept that maintains regular vehicular access, restoring Metro Transit’s D Line and Route 5 bus service; a transit mall concept that limits car access to local traffic and emergency vehicles in addition to buses; and a pedestrian plaza running north from the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue and past the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, creating a cul-de-sac on Chicago Avenue. The latter plan would prevent buses from returning to the street, though Route 23 would continue to serve 38th Street.

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City staffers also proposed five design ideas for the People’s Way, an ongoing protest site covered in murals where activists meet regularly. A former Speedway, it was taken over during protests of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

After a man was found dead inside the gas station in spring 2022, the city purchased the property intending to find a community-centered developer to transform it into a museum, art gallery, commercial space or residential building, depending on the outcome of this year’s engagement. The five concepts show buildings of various sizes replacing the gas station, ranging from one to six stories tall, all with substantially more green space for outdoor gathering than currently exists.

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Dozens of people participated Tuesday in small-group discussions of the concepts, where they learned that, while the state had passed a law this year to convert the streets to nonvehicular pedestrian malls, local business delivery and parking needs would make that less than ideal for Chicago Avenue between 37th and 38th streets.

Some attendees expressed concern for community art and gardens that may be uprooted in construction, including the “Mourning Passage” by Mari Mansfield, a still-evolving work with the names of people killed by law enforcement officers painted on the street.

Tuesday’s community meeting was the latest in a series of monthly workshops that began in March and will culminate in the city’s plan for the intersection by the end of this year. The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 27 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Square at Chicago Ave. Shops, 3736 Chicago Av. S.

A parallel community visioning process is hosted by activists from 10 a.m. to noon every third Saturday of the month at Calvary Lutheran Church, 3901 Chicago Av. S.