Minneapolis mayor pushes for George Floyd Square plan to finally move forward

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is calling for a decision to be made on redevelopment plans for George Floyd Square.

The mayor is urging the city council to move forward with a flexible, open-street plan. Some city council members say a pedestrian plaza is the way to go.

Years of delays and no progress at historic site

The backstory:

It has been nearly five years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. After multiple delays, the city has yet to agree on a path forward for reimagining George Floyd Square in South Minneapolis.

Flexible, open-street concept:

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed the urgent need for city council to approve a path forward.

"It was very clear what community members were looking for. They wanted a flexible, open street. A street where you can lower a gate, close it down, have a big festival or a party. A street that would allow for a variety of options. And one yes, that would allow an emergency vehicle to get down," said Frey. "People want to see progress. They want to see change at that intersection. They want to see a long-term memorial set up."

The city’s Public Works director said this plan would also reestablish Metro Transit service along the region’s busiest route, restoring essential connectivity to the community, while making sure no vehicles pass over the sacred site.

Pedestrian plaza plan:

Some city council members are pushing for another concept.

City council member Jason Chavez thinks a pedestrian-only concept is a better way to preserve the significance of the site. In a statement to FOX 9, Chavez wrote, "It’s important to recognize what happened here in the summer of 2020 and to listen to the concerns of the community. I agree that it is important to move forward, but it must be done without sanitizing police brutality and what neighbors experienced. The pedestrian plaza concept plan would honor the protest space and will still allow the city to move forward."

Frey said from the community feedback his team has received, this pedestrian-centered plan is not feasible because it will likely not meet the support required by law.

"To move forward with the option that the council members are looking to do. You have got to get more than 50% of the businesses, the property owners along that block to agree with you. So far, zero of them do," said Frey.

What's next:

The Climate and Infrastructure Committee will discuss this issue at a meeting on Thursday.

What you can do:

Learn more about the city’s work to redevelop George Floyd Square here.