A plan for a new development in George Floyd Square is facing an uncertain path forward, after a committee of the Minneapolis City Council voted to deny it.
A team of city staff had recommended a partnership with Minnesota Agape Movement to redevelop the People’s Way, a defunct Speedway gas station on the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The committee voted 4-2 against the plan.
The proposal will now go on to a vote by the full city council. If the council denies it, city staff can make a new recommendation — or restart the process of finding a community development partner.
The proposal arose from a city search for a community organization to lead development at the site, which is currently owned by the city and used by local residents and activists as a meeting place at the center of the square. Agape was chosen from among four groups that applied.
But some council members and local residents said Agape wasn’t the right group for the job. They pointed to a city survey conducted last year, which asked residents which of the applicants they preferred; results showed higher approval for a different group’s proposal.
At a meeting of the council’s business, housing and zoning committee Tuesday, council member Soren Stevenson urged his fellow council members to deny the partnership with Agape.
“We cannot ignore what constituents are clearly asking for,” Stevenson said. “This project will not be successful without the support and input of the residents who live, work and build community and care for George Floyd Square.”
The community survey showed the most support for a group called Rise and Remember: 58 percent of survey respondents said they agreed with Rise and Remember’s proposal, compared to 36 percent who agreed with Agape’s.
Rise and Remember currently oversees memorial preservation in the square.
Stevenson and council member Jason Chavez — who each represent portions of George Floyd Square — said they did not see the results of the city’s survey until after city staff had selected Agape as the developer.
Council members also raised concerns about Agape’s development experience. The group does violence intervention work, led by several former gang members, with a goal of steering young people away from violence. But council members noted that the group has never led a development project.
At Tuesday’s council committee meeting, city planners said Agape has assembled a team with more experience to help, including local developer VY Management and architectural firm HGA.
“City staff believe that Agape has put together a team with relevant experience,” said Miles Mercer, manager of business development with the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development department.
In Agape’s proposal submitted to the city, they suggested a six-story building for the People’s Way site, with space for a local business, a museum and a gift shop. Council members opposing the plan said that was too ambitious for a group with no development experience.
City staff clarified that the group would spend at least two more years finalizing a plan, which would not necessarily match that proposal.
“They have already realized the feasibility challenges of such a building and are scaling back,” Mercer said. “Agape will need to do more analysis and community engagement to formulate a viable development concept.”
Council member Aurin Chowdhury voted to deny the plan. She said her vote wasn’t a reflection of Agape’s experience or the scale of the proposal, but of the community’s preference. She said opting for the most popular group in the community survey would be a way to build trust, after contentious years of debate over street construction in the square, which angered some community members and activists.
“We lost that trust in that community a long time ago collectively, and here's our opportunity to repair it,” Chowdhury said. “We have to go with a group that does have that trust built in, because we can't supplement it.”
Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement that he wants a plan to move ahead soon.
“Voting down the selection and returning to the drawing board is the council’s prerogative. My goal is to stop the delay and achieve forward progress at George Floyd Square,” Frey said.
Some council members blamed Frey and city staff for a slower-than-expected timeline on the People’s Way project, after the team announced last year that it would have a decision by May 2025. The decision came a year later.
Even once a community partner is approved for the project, years of work still remain. The city plans to offer the community partner a two-year pre-development period, with the option to extend it by a year. The city would then sell the site to the partner, and construction could start.
In the meantime, the city will keep up maintenance of the property, which costs about $40,000 last year. Agape would take the time to fundraise for the project.
The full council is expected to vote on the proposed partnership with Agape next Thursday.