A pair of Minneapolis City Council members are asking Mayor Jacob Frey to reconsider the Minnesota Agape Movement as the choice to develop the People's Way community site at George Floyd Square.
"When it comes to organizational capacity and feasibility, we are concerned that the Minnesota Agape movement may not have the experience and support for carrying out this proposed project," Ward 8 council member Soren Stevenson said. "Their specialty is not in real estate development or memorial sites. They do not have experience in site development."
The council will consider the development rights recommendation at its Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee Tuesday afternoon, and the full City Council meeting set for June 11.
Stevenson says community members chose Rise and Remember's redevelopment proposal as one that aligned with their values, and that choice is being ignored.
"So, Rise and Remembers is more about a refurbishment, about improving the site as-is, while the other one is a six-story building," Stevenson adds. "And so, for two organizations that don't have any development experience, one that's a refurbishment is much more realistic."
The plan that would give Agape three years to redevelop the site still needs Minneapolis Council approval.
Construction was set to begin in June and is expected to wrap up in 2027 after a years-long process finally came to a consensus with the Minneapolis City Council late in 2025.
The plans include flexible space for gatherings, art and memorials, green space, on-street parking and upgraded bikeways.
City Engineer Adam Hayow said the new design will allow buses to move through freely.
"In order for the turning movements for buses to work, we had to slightly modify the shape of the center fist, in order for buses to move around it," Hayow explains. "But yes, the buses will be able to go through the intersection without any issues."
Project leaders say they will be temporarily moving the large fist that has become a landmark at the intersection, along with other smaller fist memorials during the process.
This May marked six years since George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, sparking a rash of violent demonstrations in the Twin Cities and nationwide.
