Minneapolis moves ahead with plans to repurpose former 3rd Precinct building
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The city of Minneapolis is moving ahead on a plan to convert the former 3rd Precinct building into a new voter services center. A city council committee signed off Monday on a $871,500 contract for an architectural firm to begin the engineering phase of the project.
The building has been vacant after it was burned during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in 2020.
Minneapolis-based LSE Architects, Inc. was chosen as the firm to begin the initial design phase. City officials say, if approved, LSE will provide “architectural and engineering services” for the project.
Council member Jeremiah Ellison who represents a section of north Minneapolis praised LSE for its work on projects in his ward. He said they are a “community-oriented” company.
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“That’s been my experience with LSE and so I’m happy to move approval of this here today, and I hope my colleagues will join me in that, in moving this forward with approval,” he said.
The committee voted unanimously to forward the contract to the full council, which meets next week.
In the past, city leaders have been at odds over what should become of the former police station. Last fall, the council passed a non-binding resolution opposing the inclusion of a warehouse as part of the voter services facility. Some members of the city council said the plan didn’t take into account how much trauma the building represents for communities of color.
City officials say the warehouse space is needed to store ballot machines and other apparatus needed to conduct elections.
Construction on the voter services center is scheduled to begin in 2026.