Minneapolis is still debating where to rebuild police precinct destroyed in 2020 unrest
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A Minneapolis City Council committee will resume discussions on Tuesday in hopes of reaching an agreement in the long-simmering debate over where to rebuild the Third Precinct.
The big picture: It's been about 1,250 days since the police station burned in the riots that followed George Floyd's murder.
Yes, but: Despite months of community engagement and debate, city leaders have so far been unable to agree on how and where to house officers assigned to the South Minneapolis precinct.
The latest: Mayor Jacob Frey is now backing 2633 Minnehaha Avenue — a parcel of land just north of the Lake Street Cub and Target that was first considered in 2020.
- His new pick is across the street from the vacant city-owned lot that he'd previously endorsed.
- Two additional sites — the nearby Memory Lanes bowling alley and a former grain mill at 3716 Cheatham Avenue — have also been added to the mix in recent weeks.
Between the lines: Frey's latest preferred pick was first put on the table in 2020 and then taken off due to opposition from the previous council and threats against the site's owner.
- The owner is now willing to sell again, per the mayor's office. The site would cost about $14 million to buy and renovate, cheaper than the other options, and could be completed in about a year and a half.
Of note: Renovating the badly damaged original location at the corner of Minnehaha and East Lake is technically still on the table, as is co-locating the precinct's officers out of a downtown police station.
- But both are seen as unlikely given past council actions and the mayor's stance. The council voted in July to eliminate the old building from consideration.
What's next: If the committee can agree on a location on Tuesday, the proposal will go to the full council for a vote.