Think about a future downtown Minneapolis that features a Nicollet Mall for pedestrians solely. That is simply one of many concepts popping out of a working group to revitalize town.
“We will make a unprecedented pedestrian mall in Downtown in Minneapolis,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey mentioned on Tuesday. “We will do it. And we shouldn’t be afraid to lean into what’s subsequent.”
Mayor Frey joined members of the Vibrant Downtown Storefronts Workgroup inside the brand new Dayton’s Venture constructing as they introduced suggestions to revitalize town’s middle.
That middle has modified lots since pandemic and the homicide of George Floyd. Much less individuals work downtown and positively much less individuals go to downtown.
Frey says they need to lean into the problem and provide you with a complete plan to get individuals again, and make them really feel secure.
“We don’t need to take something off the desk right here,” mentioned Frey.
The mayor created the group final 12 months and it’s co-chaired by Downtown Council CEO Steve Cramer and African-American Management Discussion board CIO Gabrielle Grier. The group additionally contains metropolis council members, enterprise leaders and different metropolis residents in an effort to revitalize downtown.
Key takeaways from the Workgroup’s suggestions embody:
Metropolis-Enterprise Partnership: Create an unbiased facilitator/concierge position by way of the Minneapolis Downtown Council/Downtown Enchancment District (MDC/DID) who will use data, house stock, and relationships to match constructing house owners with potential companies, entrepreneurs, and artists. Pair this facilitator with a Metropolis workers particular person devoted to strategically catalyzing downtown revitalization. Fund and institutionalize this partnership.
Ease of Doing Enterprise: Consider present rules associated to land use, zoning, signage, and allowing, licensing, and charges, and search new methods to be versatile and make doing enterprise with the Metropolis even simpler. Focus intentionally on the particular wants of downtown. Be open to new concepts and enterprise fashions and supply extra technical help. Proceed creating sturdy partnerships between Metropolis workers and enterprise and property house owners.
Nicollet Mall: Consider the way forward for Nicollet Mall as a pedestrian-only zone. Discover different choices for transit service elsewhere by way of downtown and have interaction stakeholders to know the total vary of impacts. Model Nicollet Mall because the “greatest winter road within the nation” and discover laws to permit open containers on Nicollet Mall and in different particular areas downtown. As a primary step, think about consolidation of the northernmost block (third Road to Washington), becoming a member of RBC Gateway Plaza and Most cancers Survivors Park as an illustration undertaking.
Incentivize Activation: Implement evaluation practices that incentivize energetic, reduced- or non-revenue makes use of of economic retail house as a substitute for vacancies. Acknowledge that offering decrease value and extra versatile leases to rising companies and artists reduces rents and property values, whereas latest (pre-2020) rents and valuations not replicate actuality and incentivize constructing house owners to maintain areas vacant versus filling them at diminished rents.
Focus Sources: Allocate vitality and assets in direction of implementing interventions at targeted intersections to maximise success and construct momentum. The Warehouse District, with its historical past as an leisure node, adjacency to the energetic North Loop, and historic buildings extra readily transformed to residential makes use of, ought to be a place to begin for added examine and intervention.
Funds: Starting within the second half of 2023, make investments $75,000, in partnership with MDC/DID, for a complete of $150,000, to start this work. In 2024, make investments an allocation of $750,000 to help the continuing revitalization of downtown Minneapolis and funds this as an annual expense.
