Minneapolis City Council committee approves lease for temporary 3rd Police Precinct site

A Minneapolis City Council committee on Thursday approved a lease for a temporary Third Police Precinct site.

The Policy and Government Oversight Committee advanced a proposed three-year lease for a temporary precinct building at 2633 Minnehaha Avenue. The lease would cost the city about $1.2 million per year, and the city would have an option to extend the lease for a fourth year.

Adapting the building for police needs would take an estimated $1.2 million in one-time costs and rent this year, while the current tenant would contribute about $100,000 each in furnishings and HVAC upgrades.

The proposed lease would begin in October however the committee recommendation from Thursday will go to the full council next Friday, August 28th, for final approval.

Ward 9 Minneapolis councilmember Alondra Cano said, "It’s not just about the future rebuild of the city-owned lot where the third precinct headquarters are, but also the surrounding buildings on that block and on blocks that are kitty-corner to it…I know that I’m not supportive of reinstituting a third precinct headquarters there."

Ward 2 Councilmember Cam Gordon said, "For the people in the Second Ward, this could pose certain challenges in terms of community worries and concerns and fears and hopes."

Since the destruction of the building, officers in the precinct have been working remotely and at the Minneapolis Convention Center.