Minneapolis City Council rejects city plan for George Floyd Square [Video]

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday morning to kick discussions about George Floyd Square back to committee, in essence rejecting the city’s recommendations in favor of a new vision involving a pedestrian mall at the site of Floyd’s murder.

After years of public engagement, the city of Minneapolis presented a plan this fall that would rebuild streets and sidewalks around the square, while preserving green space and memorials. That plan largely opened the site up for a regular flow of traffic.

Instead of pursuing that plan, though, a majority of council members expressed support Thursday for the pedestrian mall concept, an idea made more feasible in light of a new law passed by the state legislature. The pedestrian mall — which might roughly mirror a walker-friendly design like Nicollet Mall — would drastically limit vehicular traffic with …