Plans in works to revive downtown Minneapolis as pandemic wanes
The skyline of Minneapolis, Minnesota. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - There's a new focus on the state of businesses in downtown Minneapolis.
On Friday, a group of Minneapolis leaders are bringing the discussion to center stage. Part of the reactivation are three key dates when workers will return, while the rest of the plan is convincing everyone else to come back for fun.
"People have been away from downtown for a long time, many people almost a year or over a year," said Leah Wong of the Downtown Council.
Downtown Minneapolis is in many ways the sleeping giant that is now slowly starting to wake. Those who promote it, want you to know that.
"That all these events they’ve missed for the past year, that they’re coming back and there’s an opportunity," said Courtney Ries of Meet Minneapolis.
On the workforce front, about 24% of employees are back in the office at least part-time. The Downtown Council has surveyed companies and most target the day after Labor Day as when they’ll be fully back, though many will adopt hybrid approaches.
"However, we’re also hearing that June and July are also months where we expect to see an uptick in the number of employees who are back downtown working in office, at least in some capacity," said Wong.
In other words, after Memorial Day and after the Fourth of July 4, you’ll see workers return, too.
The other half of the revival is drawing the entertainment crowd. Expect a full court press on outreach, largely on social and digital, coming from Meet Minneapolis.
"As it relates to tourism in general, you’ll see a lot of advertising coming from Meet Minneapolis this summer trying to get people to come and have that overnight stay, that weekend getaway and getting them away from their house for a little while," said Ries.
The Downtown Council plans marketing, too. A lot of it will be focused on the nostalgia of the return of the things you loved downtown, such as Downtown Thursdays with farmers’ markets and music.
"Really making sure Thursdays is the day when people really want to be downtown," said Wong. "They’re going to want to check out all that downtown has to offer."