Plans for the planned “Democracy Center” on the former site of the 3rd police station are taking shape

The city of Minneapolis has proposed converting the former 3rd Police Precinct building into a democracy center, and on Wednesday it shared the results of a community engagement survey at an open house.

“So this would be home to the city’s election and voter services department,” explained Laura Mellum, assistant city manager for communications and engagement.

“And this is really strategic for election and voter services for a number of reasons. This would move the city’s early voting center there, providing a more central location with closer transportation and also an area with lower voter turnout,” Mellum continued.

The city just completed its months-long community engagement. Mellum said they heard from about 2,000 people; Sixty-three percent of people citywide support the proposal, and 70% of people in the 3rd District agree with it, she said.

“I would describe this as clear support for the proposal,” Mellum added.

Sam Gould is a neighbor of the former 3rd District building who has been independently advocating for his community for just over a year.

Asked if he thought the city survey accurately reflected what his neighbors had told him, he replied, “No, definitely not.”

“We have created a petition that makes it very clear that people don’t like the way this process is going,” Gould said. “The aspect of it being a voting center is fantastic, but we don’t need this big building with this incredibly important history that we can’t just sweep under the rug, to employ 16 people, to have a huge warehouse…”

The city also plans to dedicate another portion of the building to community services, and Mellum said they got some ideas from the survey, such as “social services, business-related services and other types of community meetings or cultural events.”

Gould said neighbors want to be assured they will be more involved in shaping these community services before pledging support.

“Anything that leads to growth and healing must start with the neighbors,” he said. “It just seems really disingenuous.”

The open house runs until 7:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis American Indian Center on E Franklin Ave.

The city will present the survey results to a Minneapolis City Council committee in a few weeks.

If approved, the center would not open until 2026 at the earliest, Mellum said.

Mayor Jacob Frey also sent a statement in support of the proposal:

“The community has been at the heart of the redevelopment of 3000 Minnehaha and they are tired of waiting. Our city has already held seven meetings with residents and conducted a survey to gather opinions on the future of the site. The survey results show clear support for transforming the site into a democracy center and community space. We will continue to gather input to ensure our shared vision comes to life, but we will not sit idle while the Third District sits empty. It’s time to move forward,” said Mayor Jacob Frey.