Plans for pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square put on hold
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A Minneapolis City Council committee on Thursday tabled plans to build a pedestrian plaza at George Floyd Square, after a survey found a majority of property owners don’t like the idea.
The council voted in December to study a pedestrian-only option for the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, where a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd in May 2020.
The city’s Public Works Department surveyed property owners on the block to ask if they would support a pedestrian plaza closed to traffic. Owners of 15 of the 20 properties responded; all said no.
Public Works transportation planning manager Nathan Koster spoke to the City Council’s Climate and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday. He said those 15 property owners sat down for meetings with city staff to discuss the project.
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“This was a very proactive step to start to understand any potential protests from abutting property owners,” Koster said.
Under a state law, a city can’t construct a pedestrian plaza if owners of more than half of the abutting land are opposed.
Public Works had recommended an alternative design that staff called a “flexible-open” model. It would reconstruct streets open to all traffic, with green space and designated memorial areas. Gates would be part of the design, allowing the street to be closed to traffic for events and memorials.
Council member Aurin Chowdhury said Thursday that she still has hesitations — and logistical questions — about how the “flexible-open” model would work.
“I don’t know if community members in George Floyd Square would need to get a permit through the city in order to hold an event,” Chowdhury said. “If they needed a permit, I don’t know if that feels right to me, that they would have to go through a bureaucratic effort, that they would potentially have to pay a fee, in order to do activities that they have already been doing.”
Some neighborhood residents who operate the current memorial in George Floyd Square urged the city not to reconstruct streets open to traffic. Some pushed for the pedestrian-only plaza.
Most of the properties on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue are businesses. Two are residential, and two are city-owned.
The council has delayed votes on construction multiple times in recent months to do more research and discussion. But some city staff, along with Mayor Jacob Frey and some council members, have said it’s time to pick a plan and move ahead.
Council member LaTrisha Vetaw criticized her colleagues for pushing for a pedestrian plaza when property owners on the block said they don’t want it.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to make everyone happy on this, but I do think people want to see some progress in this. And I think that’s a citywide thing. It’s not limited to the people who live in that area,” Vetaw said.
The committee will discuss options for George Floyd Square again at its meeting on Feb. 6.
