Blueprint for the future: George Floyd Square redevelopment takes steps forward

At 38^e and Chicago, George Floyd’s presence is everywhere.

People from all over the world visit the monument, the place where he breathed his last.

“It wakes you up to what’s going on and what’s still happening,” said Amaya Gray of Memphis. “Just being here in the moment with George Floyd and the impact it has had on this community itself. It’s something that I think is bigger than me.”

But now, after years of planning, a blueprint for the future.

The City of Minneapolis is sharing a draft of a final vision document and recommended street design.

“I think this is a very special moment in our city,” explains Alexander Kado, senior project manager at the Minneapolis Office of Public Service. “Our city (is) really trying to grapple with what we’re doing, what’s the path forward.”

City staff, in collaboration with the Floyd family, will work to improve the memorial area and make it more pedestrian-friendly.

The raised fist remains at the intersection, and smaller versions remain on the four roads that connect there.

“We at the city feel very strongly that we should not design a memorial or memorials on that square, but support the community and artists as they design it,” Kado notes.

“So it’s love for the community, understanding the community, but also coming together,” added Tyara Moore, also from Memphis. “Recognizing that something has happened that is so damaging and groundbreaking for the United States.”

The project involves a redesign of 38^e Street from Park Avenue and 10^e Avenue and Chicago Avenue, between 37^e Street and 39^e Street.

“Some of the things we are doing are reducing the lanes, creating hump points and raising intersections,” Kado explains. “It’s still open to vehicular traffic, to public transit, to cyclists, to walkers and pedestrians, so the street will have through vehicular traffic. These are design signals that really force drivers to slow down.”

The plan also includes requests for proposals from a community-minded owner to purchase and develop the Peoples’ Way site – a former gas station that has become a place for community gatherings.

For the first time in years, bus transport is being introduced in the area.

We hope that these steps will boost the businesses around the square.

“It almost looks like it has a new coat of paint on it,” said Stephen Payne of Brooklyn Park. “I think it’s going to look really nice when it’s all said and done. Attract more people here.”

The project has cost about $5 million so far and is expected to cost millions more.

Kado says the final vision document will be shared with the city council’s Committee of the Whole on November 12.

On November 21, Council’s Climate and Infrastructure Committee will vote on the recommended street design.

If all goes according to plan, construction could begin shortly after the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder next May.

That work will likely continue into 2026.

“I think it’s really a balance,” says Kado. “How do you make this space work for the people who live and work there? But also for people who came to this space from all over the world. And it really is a bit of a juggle with those dynamic elements.”

You can view the city’s full vision document below: