Minneapolis officials unveiled concept art Tuesday showing how a proposed pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square might look.
Why it matters: Competing plans for long-overdue street repairs around the spot where Floyd was murdered five years ago — and where daily memorial and protest activities continue today — have become deeply divisive.
- The debate is less about street design and more about who gets to shape the future of George Floyd Square.
Catch up quick: City Council members voted last December to order these new designs after concluding city staff hadn’t fully explored a pedestrian-only option for 38th Street & Chicago Avenue.
- They tabled city officials’ original proposal, which essentially would make the square’s current layout permanent.
The latest: Along with pedestrian mall renderings, city officials also released more detailed concept art for the original proposal — the “flexible” design — which would restore transit routes on Chicago Avenue and add new gates that could close off the square for special events.
Friction point: Local property owners oppose the idea, saying a pedestrian mall would rob their businesses of needed parking access and undermine their investments in the area.
- They’ve accused the council of “gerrymandering,” designing the plaza to fill only a short stretch of Chicago Avenue, skirting a state law that requires a majority of nearby property owners to approve of the pedestrianization.
The other side: “Parking is a crutch argument for people who don’t want things to change,” Powderhorn resident Phi Khalar told Axios at Tuesday’s community meeting.
- “We have a lot of the types of businesses that benefit from pedestrian plazas,” said Khalar, pointing to restaurants, art galleries and the memorial site. “It’s a recipe for success.”
- Jennie Leenay, who co-chairs a neighborhood group charting a “community-led” vision for the square, told Axios she thought the square was safer when it was closed to cars.
What’s next: City officials plan to present the findings from their pedestrian mall study in December — after Mayor Jacob Frey and the entire City Council stand for reelection…