Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the City of Minneapolis has engaged with community members to create a vision for George Floyd Square including streets, memorials and the Peoples’ Way site. The City shared a draft of the final vision document and recommended street design concept during an engagement event Tuesday evening at Calvary Lutheran Church.  

“We deeply appreciate the thousands of members of our community who’ve shared their thoughts on the future of George Floyd Square,” said City of Minneapolis Chief Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher. “Together, they’ve contributed to a vision that honors this space as an active memorial, centers community needs and takes important steps forward in repairing the collective harms experienced by the community due to the historical impacts of racism and the murder of George Floyd.” 

Vision  

Building on previous community engagement work over several years, the City and its partners (4RM+ULA and the Cultural Wellness Center) hosted two dinner dialogues, focus groups, door knocking, neighborhood pop-ups, and five vision workshops in 2024. Hundreds of community members participated, spending months establishing a set of values and priorities that will guide the future of the square’s development.  The final vision document includes: 

• The racial and cultural values, priorities and actions that will serve as the foundation for the future of George Floyd Square.  

• The criteria for the use of the Peoples’ Way site and selecting a community-centered owner.  

• Locations for future memorials and how the City can support memorial processes.  

• A recommended design concept for streets and sidewalks that aligns with the future use of the Peoples’ Way site and accommodates memorials within the public right of way. 

Read the vision document on the City website. 

Streets 

Informed and created through ongoing community input and in alignment with the vision for George Floyd Square, the City shared a recommended street design concept for the area of 38th Street East and Chicago Avenue, which is a flexible-open street design concept. The design concept prioritizes the safety of people walking, rolling, and biking through the area, and restores Metro Transit service along Chicago Avenue, while also preserving and expanding community spaces for gathering, art and memorials. Vehicles access in and through the area will be maintained, while ensuring that no vehicular or transit traffic will pass over the location where George Floyd took his last breath. The design concept will offer new sidewalks, planted boulevards, green stormwater treatment, pedestrian street lighting, new off-street bikeways for all ages and abilities, and some on-street parking, as well as additional green space for trees. The design concept also preserves locations for existing and future memorials. 

The street project is necessary in order to repair aging infrastructure and to better meet the needs of people who live, work, and gather in the area. Addressing underground utility needs will allow for better coordination with planned memorials and the potential redevelopment of the Peoples Way site. 

Community engagement will continue, as the city advances designs of the features of the street project will be included in the subsequent design phase. 

View the flexible open street plan on the City website. 
 

Memorials 

Since most current memorials are on property owned or managed by the City, the engagement also gathered input from community members about how the Peoples’ Way and the street design concept could accommodate memorials in the future. 

The recommended street design concept confirms the locations for new memorials, defines a space for a new memorial sponsored by the Floyd family, and specifies existing memorials within the new street project. 

The City will continue to engage with community members about existing and future memorials as City projects move forward. 
 

Peoples’ Way 

A request for qualifications (RFQ) is currently out for a community-centered owner to purchase and develop the Peoples’ Way site. The Peoples’ Way site is a former gas station at 3744 Chicago Ave. that has become a space for community gatherings. The City purchased the property on June 30, 2023.  

Applications are due Fri, Nov 22. The review process will include community engagement and is expected to take place in early 2025. 

A link to the RFQ can be found on the City website. 
 

Next steps 

The final vision document and preferred street design will be shared with the City Council’s Committee of the Whole on Nov 12.  

Construction could start in 2025, after the five-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. More information about the work to redevelop George Floyd Square can be found on the City’s website.