City of Minneapolis planners have developed a range of options for redesigning the streets of George Floyd Square and the People’s Way, a former gas station that has been occupied by protesters since 2020.
The three street options range from an open concept that maintains regular vehicular access that restores Metro Transit’s D Line and Route 5 bus service; a transit mall concept that limits car access to local traffic and emergency vehicles in addition to buses; and a pedestrian plaza sprawling from the intersection of 38th and Chicago north past the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, which would create a cul-de-sac on Chicago Avenue and prevent buses from returning to the street, though Route 23 would continue to serve 38th.
All the concepts — unveiled at a community meeting Tuesday night — would allow the city to update aging street infrastructure that is more than 60 years old and build wider sidewalks with more greenery and space for the preservation of art and memorials in the process.
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City staffers also proposed five technical study design ideas for the People’s Way, an ongoing protest site covered in murals where activists meet regularly. A former Speedway, it was taken over during protests of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. After a man was found dead inside after being lit on fire in spring 2022, the city purchased the property with the intention of finding a community-centered developer to transform it into a museum, art gallery, commercial space, or residential building, depending on the outcome of this year’s engagement. The five concepts show buildings of various sizes replacing the gas station, ranging from one to six stories tall, all with substantially more green space for outdoor gathering than currently exists.
(Can’t see the document above? Click here.)
Dozens of people participated in small-group discussions of the concepts Tuesday, where they learned that while the city had gotten a law passed this year to allow for the conversion of streets to nonvehicular pedestrian malls, it would not be ideal to do it for the full length of Chicago Avenue from 38th and 37th due to local businesses’ delivery and parking needs.
Some attendees expressed concern for community art and gardens that may be uprooted in construction, including the “Mourning Passage” by Mari Mansfield, a still-evolving work with the names of people killed by law enforcement painted on the street.
Tuesday’s community meeting was the latest in a series of monthly workshops that began in March and will culminate in the city’s plan for the intersection by the end of this year. The next one is scheduled for Aug. 27 from 5:30-8 p.m. and the Sabathani Community Center, 3736 Chicago Av.
There is a parallel community visioning process hosted by activists every third Saturday of the month at the nearby Calvary Lutheran Church, 10 a.m.-noon at 3901 Chicago Av. S.
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