Minneapolis will end its partnership with the group that puts on Open Streets

The future of Open Streets in Minneapolis is in question, after the city ended its partnership with the nonprofit that has orchestrated the pop-up festivals.

Open Streets has been running since 2011, closing streets to cars to create small festivals in Minneapolis neighborhoods. Sunday saw an Open Streets event draw thousands of people to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood for food, music, vendors, a dunk tank and a play structure in the middle of Cedar Avenue.

"I love things like this — you walk around, do whatever you want," said University of Minnesota graduate student MaryKate Wolker, who is from Kansas City. "It's stuff like this where I could envision a future here, instead of returning home."

Jose Zayas Caban, executive director of the advocacy group Our Streets, which has planned the festivals with the city since 2018, said the future of Open Streets events is in doubt without the city's help.

The Department of Public Works has helped with the infrastructure of the program — closing streets, working with police and emergency medical responders to staff the festivals, working on food permits with vendors and facilitating trash pick-up.

Without the city as a partner, he said, it's hard to see how Open Streets could go on.

In a statement, city spokesperson Sarah McKenzie said public works would be ending its partnership with Our Streets after two more events scheduled for 2023.

"By mutual agreement, the city and Our Streets will not be extending the current contract for Open Streets events for 2024," McKenzie's statement read.

"That's 1,000% not true. We haven't even met with them," Zayas Caban said. "We have not yet had a single discussion about 2024."

McKenzie reiterated the statement when the Star Tribune told her Zayas Caban had not known the partnership would end.

Our Streets did request a budget from the city to make the festivals happen, Zayas Caban said. He asked Public Works to consider $841,000 to cover his group's expenses for five events — primarily the time it takes his staff to reach out to neighborhood businesses and community leaders to draw local vendors and people to events.

"Imagine having a wedding, and asking the caterers to do the food for free," Zayas Caban said. "We need a different kind of partnership with the city to make [Open Streets] more sustainable."

Zayas Caban noted the city has seemed more open to proposals to spend on activating Nicollet Mall. One city task force recommended spending $750,000 in 2024 on events to make the downtown street livelier.

"We specifically go into communities that are marginalized," he said of Open Streets events, in contrast to the city's central business district.

Zayas Caban said he had yet to hear back from city officials about his request for funds when he learned the city would end its partnership with Our Streets. He said he first learned the partnership was in question from a newsletter sent by Ward 2 City Council Member Robin Wonsley on Friday.

City officials hope Open Streets will continue, McKenzie's statement read.

But she said Public Works plans to shift its focus to events with a more explicit emphasis on walking, biking and public transit.