Overview
- The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to suspend special assessments that would have billed about $630,000 to roughly 84 nearby property owners for a $15 million reconstruction at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.
- Also on Thursday the council voted 10-2 with one abstention to deny Mayor Jacob Frey’s recommendation of the Minnesota Agape Movement for exclusive redevelopment rights to the People’s Way (former Speedway) parcel.
- With Agape no longer under consideration and no replacement chosen, the People’s Way redevelopment is stalled and city staff must restart or revise the procurement and selection process.
- Business owners and residents say ongoing construction and the vacant site have hurt sales and increased blight, while some supporters of Agape cite the group’s past violence-prevention work, underscoring sharp community divisions over stewardship.
- The council’s actions remove the immediate financial burden from neighbors but open questions about how the city will fund memorial-focused work, protect memorial elements during multi-year construction, and map a new timeline for redevelopment.