MPD 3rd Precinct: Minneapolis Mayor offers new, ‘just right’ location option

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Following continued indecision on where to create a new 3rd Precinct for the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has proposed yet another option - one he says will cost less, and open sooner than others presented.

The city says MPD Officers for the 3rd Precinct have been operating out of a downtown facility in Century Plaza since the former location at 3000 Minnehaha Ave. burned down during protests over George Floyds’s death.

The Minneapolis City Council has previously considered two sites for the home of the new 3rd Precinct: the former precinct site at 3000 Minnehaha Ave. and a vacant city-owned lot at 2600 Minnehaha Ave.

Less than a block away from the latter, Frey has proposed a third location for the precinct – located at 2633 Minnehaha Ave. – that he says, "comes at less cost to taxpayers than previous options and will be ready to house officers sooner than other viable sites."

"It is time to draw this Goldilocks story to a close," said Frey in a statement on Friday. "My administration has found another option – and this one is just right."

According to the announcement, city staff met with the owner of the 2633 Minnehaha Ave. location on Oct. 25, to discuss a possible acquisition.

The location is estimated to cost $10 million to purchase, plus an additional $4 million to build out – a total cost of $14 million to the city. It would take an estimated nine months to have the location ready for MPD, "the quickest timeline of any location option presented to date," according to Frey's announcement.

The location was previously proposed, but ultimately failed to gain approval, "due to opposition from the previous council and threats made against the owner and his family," Frey said in a statement.

Frey says he plans to seek approval for the site plans before the city council as soon as next week.

"Thank you to city staff who have worked tirelessly to provide information to the council and pursue viable locations for a precinct and community safety center," said City Council President Andrea Jenkins in a statement Friday. Jenkins represents Ward 8 in the city, in which the precinct would be located.