Minneapolis city leaders hope to revitalize parts of downtown such as the Nicollet Mall to convert former office space into housing, add more entertainment options and create a safety communications center in their 2035 plan.
The Minneapolis Downtown Council introduced its 2035 plan that aims to improve or add housing, entertainment, pedestrian accessibility and more in Downtown over the next 10 years. The previous 2025 plan called for the construction of US Bank Stadium and the opening of the green tram line in 2014.
Initiatives to modernize Nicollet Mall include widening sidewalks to 10 feet, providing secure bike storage, a dog park, water fountains, more public seating, better access to public restrooms and much more.
Ben Shardlow, chief of staff for the Downtown Minneapolis Council, said he is eager to see how the 2035 plan could expand pedestrian infrastructure and create more user-friendly systems, especially in skyways with kiosks interactive airways for easier navigation.
“The pandemic has been a problem because the doors are locked and the hours are irregular,” Shardlow said. “We kind of have to make it work better as a pedestrian system, but then that could lead to a lot of opportunities.”
Minneapolis City Council Member Michael Rainville (Ward 3), who represents part of downtown, said he believes the priority of increasing housing opportunities downtown is important and achievable. The 2035 plan calls for the conversion of three million square feet of commercial space into affordable housing and a complete overhaul of 1st Avenue.
“When the 2025 plan came out, they wanted 50,000 people to live downtown, and at the time there were about 20,000 and people laughed. Are you crazy or are you going to attract 50,000 people one day? Well, there are now 58,000 people,” Rainville said. “The 2035 Plan foresees 100,000 people living in the city center. And I think it’s just fabulous and it’s totally doable.
Downtown improvements, such as a new safety communications center that would respond to pedestrian requests, track weather and emergency alerts, communicate with nearby services for those in need, and monitor public cameras, would be very beneficial, Shardlow said.
Shardlow said that in addition to the city’s partnership with Metro Transit to create a Nicollet shopping center without busPlan 2035 also focuses on pedestrians and residents. He said the plan calls for converting underutilized office space into residential housing.
“We’ve done a lot of work for years on how to really focus on people as the primary source of revenue for downtown,” Shardlow said. “So how can we make sure that when people are here for whatever reason, they have a good experience?” »
Rainville said he also hopes the initiatives will expand entertainment opportunities in the Warehouse District from Hennepin to 2nd Avenue North and from Washington to 8th Street, making the neighborhood and the city an entertainment district viable.
Reimagining and redesigning old downtown office buildings built in the 1970s into feasible housing will be a challenge, Rainville said.
“They’re built differently,” Rainville said. “They have big floor plates. They feature sealed floor-to-ceiling windows. And they have all the plumbing on one side of the building. And it would be much more difficult and more expensive to convert them into housing.
The four goals of 2035
Neighborhood culture, hassle-free systems, fundamental safety and an “irresistible ambiance” are the goals of the 2035 plan for Nicollet Mall. Shardlow said the goal of the irresistible vibe is to transform downtown into a center of culture, art, entertainment and people.
“The Irresistible Vibe section is very much about understanding that we want downtown to have a magnetism,” Shardlow said. “We want people to want to spend time here. We want there to be plenty of reasons for people to make the trip and choose to spend time downtown.
Policies like the 2035 Plan are important because they not only provide a guide for improving Minneapolis, but they also bring people and organizations together, Shardlow said. He added that this is the ideal time to implement Plan 2035, as the city has moved beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and can set more ambitious goals.
“We know from past experience that these planning exercises, both kind of developing the plan and then implementing it and implementing it, are a great way to galvanize and focus energy downtown ” Shardlow said.
Rainville said Plan 2035 planning around downtown shows how important teamwork is to create a prosperous future. He said the 2025 plan succeeded because of the creation of U.S. Bank Stadium, which brought artists like Taylor Swift and the Rolling Stones to Minneapolis.
“Minneapolis is a city that plans. We are a city on the rise. We’ve been through a very difficult time with the civil unrest of the ’20s, the horrific murder of George Floyd and the pandemic,” Rainville said. “It was just terrible. COVID was a real blow. We took two big hits, and now we’re getting back up and succeeding.