Construction on George Floyd Square delayed, council puts redesign plan ‘on ice’

Construction on George Floyd Square is facing a setback as Minneapolis City Council members voted Thursday to table a redesign plan for the intersection and instead consider making it a pedestrian-only plaza, despite property owner opposition to that plan.

The Climate and Infrastructure Committee voted 4-2 to put the city’s plan “on ice.” Council member Katie Cashman said the plan could be reconsidered if the pedestrian design didn’t work out. 

Mayor Jacob Frey has urged the City Council to move ahead with the city’s plan. He said he was initially open to the idea of a pedestrian plaza, but property owners made it clear that’s not what they want. 

The city’s Public Works Department surveyed property owners on the block, most of which are small businesses. Owners of 15 of the 20 properties responded; all said they would not support a pedestrian plaza. A state law allows cities to convert streets to pedestrian-only designs, unless more than half of the abutting landowners oppose it.

City staff in December proposed the now-tabled redesign for George Floyd Square, the intersection where a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd. The design would rebuild streets to fix old infrastructure, with space set aside for future memorials. The roads would be open to traffic, with gates installed that could close the street occasionally for events.

The council committee instead opted to explore an alternative plan: a pedestrian-only plaza closed to traffic on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue.

Council member Andrea Jenkins opposed the delay, saying it feels like council isn’t listening to residents who want the streets repaired and open to traffic.

“We are literally saying to hundreds and hundreds of constituents who’ve shown up for hours and hours and hours over many, many years that we don’t care what you think,” Jenkins said.

Since the council has not approved a specific plan yet, public works director Tim Sexton said construction in the square will need to wait until at least 2026, given the time it would take to finalize plans and break ground on the project. City staff had aimed to start this year. 

“It’s been five years. People want to see progress. They want to see change at that intersection,” Mayor Frey told reporters Wednesday.

Council member Jason Chavez voted in favor of the motion to table the city’s plan, which he said is not a delay.

“We have said we want to move forward. We are extending an olive branch to say, OK we hear what the mayor is saying. The mayor’s saying he wants to move forward. OK, we are working toward a pedestrian mall to at least recognize that this has been, and still is, and will always be a protest zone at George Floyd Square,” he said.

He said it is important to be thoughtful about the redesign and remember what happened at George Floyd Square.

“I feel like people want to sanitize and want to forget what happened in the summer of 2020, and I’m going to keep on saying it: It’s that the Minneapolis Police Department, the city of Minneapolis, broke trust with Minneapolis residents. They murdered George Floyd in broad daylight,” Chavez said.

He said there has been a lack of investment in the area.

Some neighbors and activists who still meet regularly in the square have told the city to stay out. They’ve urged officials to hold off on construction and instead put money toward social programs and housing in the neighborhood. 

Cashman said community members had urged the council to try pedestrian-friendly options if possible. 

Frey and public works staff say construction is needed — not just for the aesthetics of the square, but to update decades-old infrastructure. 

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