On Dec. 2, 2025, the Community Visioning Council (CVC) is hosting a Town Hall meeting at Phelps Park to share details of a “people’s streets” concept for the street layout at 38th and Chicago. According to CVC Co-Chair Mileesha Smith, the plan represents a unified vision that is the result of ongoing conversations among residents, businesses, neighborhood groups and others with an interest in the future of George “Perry” Floyd Square.
“I think where we are right now is long overdue, and I’m proud of the overall collective. Not just for their patience, but their effort,” said Smith. “Everybody has their own ‘why’ in all of this, and it’s nice that everybody kept their voice alive.”
The plan blends elements of two existing concepts – “flexible/open” and “pedestrian mall” – that were created and evaluated by city of Minneapolis project planners, with some added features.
As with the city’s concepts, the people’s streets plan keeps a roundabout and fist sculpture at the center of the intersection of 38th and Chicago. It raises a section of the road at the on-street memorial on Chicago Ave. in front of Unity (formerly CUP) Foods. Electrical bollards are installed to close the streets safely for events. Bus stops – even if D-Line buses remain rerouted – return to 38th and Chicago.
There are a few key differences. Instead of a cul-de-sac just north of the on-street memorial, as was proposed in the pedestrian mall option, the people’s plan creates a turnaround space that doesn’t permanently close off vehicle access to 38th St.
“The turnaround design allows the street to evolve with the community,” said Smith.
Unlike the flexible/open design that kept two-way traffic in the narrow space between the on-street memorial and the People’s Way, the people’s concept creates a southbound one-way next to the memorial to provide access from the 3700 block of Chicago Ave. onto 38th St.
Additionally, parking would be angled on the east side of the 3700 block of Chicago (north of the turnaround), and there would be no parking on the west side of the road. Both of the city’s concepts showed parallel parking on both sides of the block.
Consensus reached
With support from the 38th and Chicago Business Coalition, whose members opposed the city’s pedestrian mall, the plan marks the first time a consensus has been reached at the Square.
Ward 8 resident Art Serotoff thinks the city promoted division and spoke to the importance of the Black businesses there.
“They were hurt by the occupation… they want to keep their business, and the community wants to encourage their business,” he said. “Many of them live in the community, they serve the community, and they’re in danger, especially I think with some of the mayor’s plans, of being displaced.”
Smith likened the process of reaching agreement to preparing a Thanksgiving meal. “The turkey was marinatin’ in all that other good stuff, and it was cookin’ and it was cookin’… and everybody was so focused on the bird, not realizing that there were so many sides, so many desserts, so many beverages, so many other things. [It’s also a] cultural Thanksgiving. We don’t just have turkey, we have fried chicken and ribs… it hit different,” she said. “Everybody was all focused on one thing, and there was a whole bigger picture.”
Serotoff, who has participated in community conversations about the Square at the CVC and city-led workshops and as a member of the city-appointed Co-Creation Team (now disbanded), has kept his eye on the bigger picture.
“Almost from the very beginning, we said that whatever we create or co-create needed to benefit the broader community. It couldn’t just be about ‘How do we pave the street better,’” said Serotoff. “And the city was focused on ‘How do we pave the street better’? And yeah, we can put in some green spaces, and we can put in some amenities, but they were all about making the street look better.”
It was the Co-Creation Team that urged creation of the CVC as its successor. The city council gave the CVC through the end of this year to continue the community visioning process while city planners more fully explored the pedestrian mall option. Despite the CVC work underway, the city council voted on Nov. 22 to revisit the flexible/open plan. The resolution was authored by Ward 8 Council Member Andrea Jenkins, a move that frustrated many CVC members.
“Y’all granted the community a year and y’all didn’t give it to us,” said Smith.
“It is hugely disappointing to me. I’ve known Andrea for a long, long time, and she is the council person for the ward in which I live,” said Serotoff. “I don’t get it.”
The CVC voted in favor of the people’s streets plan in October, and in November they voted to present it to the city council. The concept will be presented and testimonials shared at the Town Hall meeting on Dec. 2, 6-8 pm, at Phelps Park. Along with the CVC, the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization, Black Visions and Pledge are co-hosting the forum. There will be an opportunity for Q&A, and dinner will be served.
With final community approval, the CVC will present the plan to the City Council Climate & Infrastructure on Dec. 4.
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