| Dear neighbors,
Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. Here are some updates from our Ward 8 office.
Bike to Work Day
Friday was Bike to Work Day! I biked to City Hall and was able to join other bike commuters for a gathering and celebration. It was great to be with fellow bike commuters. I hope we can continue celebrating this sustainable way of commuting, and working towards a city where everyone can bike, walk, roll and share our streets safely and joyfully.
Council Member Stevenson speaking at Bike To Work Day event.
Update on Peoples' Way
After a multi-year process, and months after when the decision was expected, the Mayor has chosen to award Minnesota Agape Movement exclusive development rights to the Peoples' Way site. Like the street reconstruction in the George Floyd Square area, this has not been an easy process, and our Ward 8 communities have often felt ignored and underserved.
My priority is to work alongside community leaders and residents to support the best outcome for everyone involved. I look forward to connecting with the community on the ground in George Floyd Square and Ward 8 to best represent their vision and demands for this site and the area.
Davis Moturi speaks to the City Council
Davis Moturi is a Black resident and Ward 8 neighbor. His household called 911 38 times between October 2023 and October 2024, reporting threats and harassment from his racist and violent neighbor. Nine days after the last time he called 911 to report the threats, his neighbor leaned out of his window and aimed a firearm at him. He was shot in the neck and almost lost his life. The Minneapolis Police Department did not arrest his neighbor for five days after that. This was clearly a hate crime.
On Wednesday, Mr. Moturi visited City Hall and attended the Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee to share his experience and the accountability needed for what happened to him. His testimony was heartbreaking, and really spoke to how broken our public safety systems are. He shared a quote that I have been carrying with me since, he said: “I hope that one day I can become a fraction of who I used to be.” The trauma that he experienced cannot be understated. Mr. Moturi and his family deserve justice. I will work with my colleagues to oversee the changes and reforms that we need to fight for justice for Davis Moturi and all of our neighbors. This week I took one small step toward that by co-authoring a legislative directive with Council Members Jason Chavez and Robin Wonsley, requesting that the Office of Community Safety and the Minneapolis Police Department present quarterly updates to the Council on the implementation of reforms and accountability measures recommended by the City Auditor in their after-action report of this case.
Watch Mr. Moturi’s full testimony.
Drones as first responders
At Wednesday’s Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) presented on their current use of drones and on a pilot program that they are interested in exploring to expand the use of drones as first responders. MPD has been using drones in a limited capacity since 2022. Now they would like to explore expanding their use through a fee pilot program through a company called Skydio.
Watch MPD's full presentation.
I appreciated this presentation and the benefits it presents, while still having questions and concerns about how this program will relate to our shared vision of public safety, surveillance and privacy. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this topic! Please reach out to my office to share what you think about it.
View the committee’s questions and discussion on the presentation.
MPD participation in the Federal Homeland Security Taskforce
In January 2026, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) joined a Homeland Security Taskforce with the federal government. Considering the attacks our communities have experienced at the hands of the federal government through Operation Metro Surge, and the Trump Administration’s racist and violent approach to homeland security, this raises serious concerns.
That's why this week I brought forward a legislative directive with Council Member Jason Chavez and Council President Elliott Payne requesting more information on this task force and the impacts it has on our city. Residents deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent, how our data is being shared and the extent of MPD’s collaboration with HSI. The Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee voted unanimously to approve this legislative directive. The presentation on MPD’s participation in the Homeland Security Taskforce is requested for June 3, 2026.
View the legislative directive.
Environmental justice bus tour
On Wednesday, I was fortunate to join a community run bus tour of the sites around the Northside that are environmental justice concerns and success stories. These included the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center, I-94, Upper Harbor Terminal, and many more. It is clear to me that community members on the Northside are dedicated to seeing their land, water, and air become clean and safe. I am eager to work with them to advance those goals over the next four years.
Two neighborhood meetings
On Wednesday evening, I attended two neighborhood meetings, in the Central and Kingfield neighborhoods. Ward 8 is lucky to have active and engaged neighborhood organizations! Getting to connect with residents over our shared values and vision for our Ward and City is one of the very best parts of being in office. Thank you to all who attended!
38th & Chicago Reconstruction special assessments
As we get closer to the start date of the 38th & Chicago Street Reconstruction project, my office has been hearing about concerns over the special assessments tied to the project. We are approaching the 6th anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, and it is in the front of my mind just how much our neighbors who live, work, and own businesses at this intersection have been through over the last six years–and how the challenges will continue with the street reconstruction and the People’s Way. I hear you when you say that special assessments feel overly burdensome and counterproductive to our City’s goals of stopping Black displacement and supporting the local business owners at the intersection of 38th and Chicago.
As we continue these conversations, I want to provide some basic information. Here’s breakdown of the costs of the project and some information about the special assessments:
Cost of the Project
The 38th Street and Chicago Avenue construction cost estimate is $14,868,343. The City’s funding breakdown is estimated as follows:
- $2,136,000 in Levy Funded Debt
- $10,520,000 in General Funds Transfer
- $1,000,000 in Municipal State Aid Funds
- $636,447 in Special Assessment Bonds (about 4.3% of the total cost)
- $382,500 in Storm Funds
- $151,000 in Sanitary Funds
- $312,000 in Water Funds
The Municipal Code requires that every street reconstruction project include a special assessment. There is a formula for calculating the amount that property owners are assessed that is based on two factors: square footage of the property and whether or not it is a residential or non-residential property. The cost is:
- $3.20/ sq. ft. Non-residential
- $1.12/ sq. ft. Residential
This means that the overall cost or scope of the project does not impact the amount that property owners will be assessed.
Important upcoming dates
There will be a 38th St & Chicago Ave Reconstruction - Pre-assessment informational meeting. This meeting will provide an overview of the project and important assessment related information about the project.
- Monday, May 18, 2026
-
5 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
- Meeting ID: 278 316 976 799 516
- Passcode: S4q5AL9t
There will be a Public Hearing on the Special Assessment for 38th and Chicago
- at City Hall (350 Fifth St. S. Minneapolis, MN 55415, 3rd Floor)
If you wish to appeal your special assessment, you must either:
- Attend this public hearing and give a statement at the hearing
-OR-
- Submit a written comment prior to the hearing. If you would like to submit a written comment, please submit your comment on this form: Under “subject or file number” be sure to add: 2026-00440
Data centers
Following the trend that we are seeing across the country, data center developers are now attempting to bring data centers to Minneapolis. Over the past month, lobbyists have been visiting City Hall and making it clear that they want to open new data centers soon. At the same time, there are many significant concerns and questions on this topic. Across the country we are seeing people rejecting data centers and fighting big tech companies who aim to extract from our communities. I share many of the concerns that these developments often do not contribute to housing or our shared economic priorities, could have extremely harmful impacts on our energy and water system including utility rates, and take up space that could be dedicated to green infrastructure and transit-oriented development.
This week Council Member Aurin Chowdhury will bring forward a proposal for a moratorium on data centers. In accordance with state law, this would not be a permanent ban, but rather a temporary pause to give the City time to research these centers and the impacts they might have, as well as develop a regulatory framework for them. I plan on supporting Council Member Aurin Chowdhury’s proposed moratorium so that we can have more time to work on this issue, and to allow more time for public input on this topic as well. I encourage everyone who feels strongly or would like to submit a public comment on this topic or Council Member Chowdhury’s proposed moratorium to email CouncilComment@minneapolis.gov.
Public Safety Training & Wellness center
Despite repeated pushback from the City Council and community, the Mayor’s administration is bringing back the proposal to acquire land for a $38 million Public Safety Training & Wellness Center. On Tuesday the Council will vote on whether to authorize $6 million in capital funding to acquire a building for this proposed center. While the Mayor’s Administration has improved the proposal slightly by no longer looking to defund traffic calming measures, this project remains fiscally irresponsible and not a priority for our communities.
The Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee voted to approve a three-year contract to rent a gun range for MPD training, and the City Council is already funding nearly $100 million in precinct renovations, which will all include training and wellness facilities. At the same time, our communities need investments in critical infrastructure and services like housing, green infrastructure and climate resilience, filling potholes, now more than ever. I couldn’t support this proposal when it was brought forward in March because it did not reflect our shared needs and priorities, and I continue to not support it now for the same reasons.
Thank you and solidarity,
Soren Stevenson |
