Frey vetoes council move toward a pedestrian plaza at George Floyd Square
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has vetoed the City Council’s plan to explore building a pedestrian-only mall at George Floyd Square, the intersection where an officer killed Floyd in 2020.
Frey’s veto Wednesday is the latest in an ongoing conflict between the mayor’s and the majority of council members’ visions for the site. Frey has asked the council to support a plan for road reconstruction at the intersection; the council has delayed the plan in favor of considering other options.
“It has been nearly five years since George Floyd was murdered and it is time to move forward together now,” Frey said in a veto letter to the council.
Last week, the City Council voted to direct city staff to do more work on concepts for a pedestrian mall — an area that would replace part of the road on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, closing it to vehicle traffic.
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“By doing this today, we are listening to community members who continue to reach out about trying pedestrianization to the greatest extent possible,” council member Katie Cashman said before voting for the pedestrian plan.
But property owners closest to the proposed plaza say they don’t want it. City staff recently surveyed owners on the block; all who responded to the survey — 15 of the 20 property owners — said they don’t want a pedestrian plaza.
That could pose a legal problem for a pedestrian design. A state law allows cities to convert streets to pedestrian-only zones unless owners of more than half the abutting land oppose it.
The City Council proposed taking more time to seek support for the plan, and possibly building a smaller pedestrian plaza abutting only the city-owned properties on the block.
Frey said it’s not worth delaying construction for a plan that lacks public support.
“I have never had an issue with a vision for a pedestrian mall. In fact, we started this process by examining that option. The problem, however, is that the community does not want it, and given the present facts, the spirit of the law does not support it,” Frey wrote in his veto letter.
Even if the City Council could legally build a smaller pedestrian plaza abutting only city property, Frey said, it would go against what the block’s neighboring property owners want.
“This is, for lack of a better word, shady,” Frey wrote.
He urged the City Council to approve the plan proposed by city staff, which would repave roads open to cars with added bike lanes, green space and areas designated for future memorials. Under that plan, the intersection could be temporarily closed to traffic for events.
Staff developed the plan based on several rounds of community engagement over several years. But some local activists and residents say it’s too soon for the city to make changes at the site. They’ve called on the city to set aside the reconstruction conversation, and put funds towards housing and other community resources instead.
The City Council voted 9-4 last week in favor of further considering the pedestrian plaza option, so the council could override the veto if no one changes their vote.
The city plan called for construction to start in summer 2025; Frey and city staff have said the lack of consensus on the project will likely delay it to at least 2026. City staff say they want to move ahead and start replacing aging infrastructure at the site.