Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Downtown - North Loop - Mill District - Elliot Park - Loring Park
SurlyLHT
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby SurlyLHT » September 23rd, 2021, 7:37 am

I am downtown everyday and last week there was a significant increase in foot traffic. Most restaurants that are open have decent lines over the lunch hour. I have also seen some of the skyway restaurants starting to extend their hours.
Your observations make me wonder...are those who like to be downtown and like to go out for lunch and be around others coming back to work first? Those who don' t like the commute and rather eat at their desk and have less economic impact...are maybe less likely to come into the office?

MinnMonkey
Landmark Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby MinnMonkey » September 23rd, 2021, 7:57 am

I am downtown everyday and last week there was a significant increase in foot traffic. Most restaurants that are open have decent lines over the lunch hour. I have also seen some of the skyway restaurants starting to extend their hours.
Your observations make me wonder...are those who like to be downtown and like to go out for lunch and be around others coming back to work first? Those who don' t like the commute and rather eat at their desk and have less economic impact...are maybe less likely to come into the office?
I would say from my observations yes. A lot of people socializing in groups. I have also heard from a few people that the days they are in the office, they eat out since it's a nice change from grabbing food from the refrigerator at home.

I am curious that if people are downtown fewer days per week, if they will eat out the same number of days as pre-pandemic.

I think that fact alone will have a very positive impact on downtown retail and restaurants.



uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby uptownbro » September 23rd, 2021, 8:00 am

I also wonder how they break down the number. Are people more likely to wfh on a monday or friday and thus skewing the numbers so that on any given work day 36-40% of the office force is back but its actually higher on those mid week days? I drive out of the city every morning and there are days that gridlock is back on 394/62/35W.

It will be a big win when some of the largest employers come back hopefully in the next 4-6 weeks?

dimabima
Block E
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby dimabima » September 23rd, 2021, 9:14 am

I've been back full time in the office for over two months now. Many more people are here now than before but it's still concentrated on Tuesday - Thursday. I think downtown restaurants that are open are benefiting from less competition so they're probably still doing 80%+ of revenue now by taking a higher share of the population.

It'll be nice when the larger employers come back. I'd guess 75% of the professional services / financial firms are back in the office at this point, but the corporates / retail banks are being more cautious.

Does anyone know anything about the suburban office parks? My bias would be that businesses catering to those workers are hurting even more than downtown.

Mdcastle
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby Mdcastle » September 23rd, 2021, 9:30 am

I am downtown everyday and last week there was a significant increase in foot traffic. Most restaurants that are open have decent lines over the lunch hour. I have also seen some of the skyway restaurants starting to extend their hours.
Your observations make me wonder...are those who like to be downtown and like to go out for lunch and be around others coming back to work first? Those who don' t like the commute and rather eat at their desk and have less economic impact...are maybe less likely to come into the office?
Maybe we should assess a fee on the people that eat at their desk rather than go out and eat due to the "negative externalities" they cause.

dajazz
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby dajazz » September 23rd, 2021, 9:41 am

I am downtown everyday and last week there was a significant increase in foot traffic. Most restaurants that are open have decent lines over the lunch hour. I have also seen some of the skyway restaurants starting to extend their hours.
Your observations make me wonder...are those who like to be downtown and like to go out for lunch and be around others coming back to work first? Those who don' t like the commute and rather eat at their desk and have less economic impact...are maybe less likely to come into the office?
That assumes that people have discretion right now whether they can return to their office downtown. Some do, most do not. Many employers are being strict on who can be at any onsite right now. 95% of our staff are WFH and have been told normal operations won't resume until Q1 '22 at the earliest. If they want to be in the office it has to be for a specific need/project.

SurlyLHT
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby SurlyLHT » September 23rd, 2021, 9:41 am

I've been back full time in the office for over two months now. Many more people are here now than before but it's still concentrated on Tuesday - Thursday. I think downtown restaurants that are open are benefiting from less competition so they're probably still doing 80%+ of revenue now by taking a higher share of the population.

It'll be nice when the larger employers come back. I'd guess 75% of the professional services / financial firms are back in the office at this point, but the corporates / retail banks are being more cautious.

Does anyone know anything about the suburban office parks? My bias would be that businesses catering to those workers are hurting even more than downtown.
This might be a good Streets.mn piece...but it would be great is someone catalogued which places are open and talked to the owners about what they've seen. I work in North, but am tempted to bike Downtown and get some lunch.

dimabima
Block E
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby dimabima » September 23rd, 2021, 9:50 am

I've been back full time in the office for over two months now. Many more people are here now than before but it's still concentrated on Tuesday - Thursday. I think downtown restaurants that are open are benefiting from less competition so they're probably still doing 80%+ of revenue now by taking a higher share of the population.

It'll be nice when the larger employers come back. I'd guess 75% of the professional services / financial firms are back in the office at this point, but the corporates / retail banks are being more cautious.

Does anyone know anything about the suburban office parks? My bias would be that businesses catering to those workers are hurting even more than downtown.
This might be a good Streets.mn piece...but it would be great is someone catalogued which places are open and talked to the owners about what they've seen. I work in North, but am tempted to bike Downtown and get some lunch.
Downtown still has the best lunch spots in the city, imho. I was worried during Covid but 90% of my favorite spots have survived. I imagine landlords have been very accommodating (as they should be).

uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby uptownbro » September 23rd, 2021, 9:59 am

I think downtown is coming back even if the daily avg metrics is slower then we hoped for. This whole conversation is contingent on how employers feel about covid moving forward.
Some have kept with there return to office plans due to already having 95% of there workforce vaccinated . I think for companies with offices all over the country this is hard due to different vaccination rates which is why smaller local companies have returned while the big ones are sitting on the side lines

John21
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby John21 » September 23rd, 2021, 10:08 am

I've been back full time in the office for over two months now. Many more people are here now than before but it's still concentrated on Tuesday - Thursday. I think downtown restaurants that are open are benefiting from less competition so they're probably still doing 80%+ of revenue now by taking a higher share of the population.

It'll be nice when the larger employers come back. I'd guess 75% of the professional services / financial firms are back in the office at this point, but the corporates / retail banks are being more cautious.

Does anyone know anything about the suburban office parks? My bias would be that businesses catering to those workers are hurting even more than downtown.
Obviously only related to here, but I work in an exurb and multiple places are drive thru only because they don't have enough staff for the dining room.

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Nick
Capella Tower
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby Nick » September 23rd, 2021, 10:23 am

I was definitely going out for coffee and getting lunch in the skyway a lot the first couple months I was back in the office, for the novelty of it, but realized I was spending a lot of money and am mostly back to making coffee at home and packing a lunch now.
Nick Magrino
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tedlanda2571
Metrodome
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby tedlanda2571 » September 23rd, 2021, 12:21 pm



Maybe we should assess a fee on the people that eat at their desk rather than go out and eat due to the "negative externalities" they cause.
Ha! A hot one coming in a week+ later. I musta hit a nerve!

SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby SurlyLHT » December 1st, 2021, 2:49 pm

From CPC Packet.

240 Portland (22 stories) is back and Red Lake Nation wants a college next to US Bank Stadium. I couldn't find a thread on 240 Portland.


https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/download ... land%20Ave
https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/download ... d%20St%20S

drgrant
Block E
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby drgrant » December 1st, 2021, 3:30 pm

From CPC Packet.

240 Portland (22 stories) is back and Red Lake Nation wants a college next to US Bank Stadium. I couldn't find a thread on 240 Portland.


https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/download ... land%20Ave
https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/download ... d%20St%20S
I think 240 Portland is now called O2 (like oxygen). I think there's a thread somewhere.

Silophant
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby Silophant » December 1st, 2021, 4:27 pm

Joey Senkyr
[email protected]

alexschief
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby alexschief » December 20th, 2021, 8:26 am

Borrowing Joey's post from the Block One thread:
By my math, that puts us at more than 1350 market-rate units in the four downtown apartment towers that are in the early stages of construction or about to break ground: this, 240 Portland/O2, 21 N Washington, and North Loop Green, in addition to the ninety affordable units adjacent to 240 Portland and the hundred short-term rentals in North Loop Green. Guess those "downtowns are dead forever" takes from early in the pandemic aren't really panning out.
Almost Open: (732 units)
270 Hennepin — 346 units
The Larking — 350 units
Gateway — 36 units

Under Construction: (1339 units)
200 12th — 225 units
Duffey Paper Block 1 - 188 units
Thrivent Block 2 - 240 units
North Loop Green — 356 units
240 Portland Block — 330 units

Supposedly About To Start: (769 units)
Block One — 342 units
21 N Washington — 427 units

There are 2,840 housing units either under construction or seemingly poised to begin in the next couple months in the downtown.

MinnMonkey
Landmark Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby MinnMonkey » December 20th, 2021, 2:43 pm

Does anyone know the average occupancy of each unit? I am thinking it's around 1.5 or maybe a little higher. That would mean about 5000 additional residents in the next 2 years.



John21
Rice Park
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby John21 » December 20th, 2021, 3:24 pm

Thanks for summarizing everything, guys. Good stuff!

alexschief
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby alexschief » December 21st, 2021, 2:23 pm

I was reminded of three more projects at opposite corners of downtown.

Almost Open
Eleven — 124 units (how did I forget that one?)
724 1st — 49 units

Under Construction
H. Alden Smith House and Apartments — 125 units

That brings my count up to 3,138 units.

uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Postby uptownbro » December 30th, 2021, 10:24 am

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... rouge.html

Speakeasy and event center inspired by France's famous Moulin Rouge in the Ribnick building


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