MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis unveiled its new recommended street design for George Floyd Square for the first time to more than 100 community members on Tuesday night.
City leaders said the square and the neighborhood area needed to be re-envisioned to honor Floyd’s memory through three projects: streets (right-of-way), Peoples’ Way and memorials.
“The murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 fundamentally changed the intersection of 38th and Chicago now known as George Floyd Square,” said Alexander Kado, senior project manager with the City of Minneapolis who is responsible for managing city-led efforts at George Floyd Square.
Through talking with thousands of people, Kado said project planners came up with three values that will guide all decisions at the square.
“The first one is repairing the harm this community has experienced through the murder of George Floyd. The second one is centering the needs of the community, and the third one is honoring George Floyd Square as an active and sacred memorial place,” he said.
The city council will look at the final draft on Nov. 12 and the climate infrastructure committee will review it on Nov. 21. If approved by the council, the city plans to start construction in 2025 following the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death.
Project leaders don’t have a final estimate on the cost of the project but have already allocated over $5 million in the capital program. Officials estimate it will take at least two construction seasons to complete.
City officials said they have invested over $5 million into the area since Floyd's death and will continue to invest even after the project is complete.
Streets
“It’s an opportunity to really reimagine what the streets can look like," said Public Works transportation planning manager Nathan Koster. Prior to Floyd’s murder, he said that the Public Works Department was already planning to improve 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.
They plan to reconstruct 38th Street from Park Avenue to 10th Avenue, and Chicago Avenue from 37th Street to 39th Street in 2025.
Koster said 38th Street and Chicago Avenue are more than 60 years old and no longer meet community needs. He said planners used community ideas as a starting point, which led them to consider three concepts: one that was open to traffic, one that prioritized transit and one that was closed to traffic.
The city settled on what it calls a “flexible open” design that will allow them to shut the street down when necessary. Koster said planners will integrate traffic calming projects and a bikeway network.
There are six priorities of the project, including environmental disparities; storm water runoff; improving access and reducing barriers to high-quality transit; creating welcoming and flexible spaces for community; preserving space for art and memorials; and ensuring access to businesses and residents in the area.
“There’ll be a new street, a new sidewalk that will be ADA accessible with green space, accommodating the arts, memorial active space that’s there for gatherings," Koster explained. "But it’s also an opportunity to look at all the stuff underneath the street. This is an opportunity to not only replace really old infrastructure, but also an opportunity to remediate some of the lead pipes in the area that provide water to people in homes.”
Koster said the traffic circle will be a key part of the design, constructing it into a raised intersection to better connect it to the memorial and the Peoples’ Way.
“One of the main themes that we heard amongst many was really trying to make this a pedestrian-friendly, pedestrian-forward space,” Koster said.
He said they are planning to restore Route 5 and the Metro Transit D line. Koster said this area is one of the region's highest ridership lines.
The Peoples’ Way
The Peoples’ Way is the old gas station that sits at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The city purchased the property in June 2023.
Erik Hansen, director of community planning and economic development for the City of Minneapolis, said they are still looking to find a community partner to take over the property. He said requests for proposals are due Nov. 22 and the city plans to select the new community owner by spring 2025.
By the end of 2025, Hansen said he hopes to have a development concept for the site.
Memorials
The city plans to preserve current memorial sites at the square, even during construction.
Mary Altman, public arts administrator for the City of Minneapolis, said the site where Floyd was killed will be preserved in a new right-of-way design developed by the Floyd family and Rise and Remember.
She said “Mourning Passage” will also be preserved. Every year, community members paint the names of people who have died at the hands of police.
Altman said the city plans to keep the traffic circle in the middle of the intersection with the large fist sculpture and medians where smaller fist sculptures are located. The city hasn't developed a preservation plan, and Altman said city officials plan to speak with the artists before proceeding.
The Say Their Names Cemetery will remain the same, according to Altman.
For more information on the site and project, click here.