Even as companies look for new space and bring employees back in person, it’s not enough to offset space vacated in the wake of the pandemic. But some brokers and boosters are optimistic despite the ongoing challenges.
It probably won’t be affordable housing due to code, but the crux of the issue is that walkability is horrible, basically a checkerboard of one-ways for cars. Block E used to be an entertainment spot like 20 years ago but now all the fun spots aren’t in downtown, people go to the warehouse district, north loop, lyndale and lake because those are established.
Not much reason to do anything in downtown anymore and anyone opening a restaurant or whatever knows that, so it’s just a boring spot
Last time I was in Minneapolis we just walked around in the Skyway stuff on the second floor all over downtown. Didn’t even need to be outside in the frigid cold. So walkability seemed fine.
IMO the problem of entertainment, food, and whatnot would fix itself. If a bunch more people move into downtown, things will get built pretty quickly. People don’t like being bored. Car culture is a little harder to fix, but Minneapolis is generally pretty good about handling that sort of thing. That’s assuming Frey doesn’t starting vetoing things though.
It probably won’t be affordable housing due to code, but the crux of the issue is that walkability is horrible, basically a checkerboard of one-ways for cars. Block E used to be an entertainment spot like 20 years ago but now all the fun spots aren’t in downtown, people go to the warehouse district, north loop, lyndale and lake because those are established.
Not much reason to do anything in downtown anymore and anyone opening a restaurant or whatever knows that, so it’s just a boring spot
Last time I was in Minneapolis we just walked around in the Skyway stuff on the second floor all over downtown. Didn’t even need to be outside in the frigid cold. So walkability seemed fine.
IMO the problem of entertainment, food, and whatnot would fix itself. If a bunch more people move into downtown, things will get built pretty quickly. People don’t like being bored. Car culture is a little harder to fix, but Minneapolis is generally pretty good about handling that sort of thing. That’s assuming Frey doesn’t starting vetoing things though.