For as long as I can remember people have been concerned about the future and viability of downtown St. Paul. In the last decade, we have seen a lot of investment in the area. The amount of housing has tripled in the last 15 years.
At the same time, there is a lot of vacant commercial space along the skyway and on the street. There is almost no retail and a glut of office and retail space. Our little downtown has been struggling for decades
My dad once owned a business on St. Peter street and even back then there were a lot of questions about the future of downtown.
Last Monday I walked downtown at 5:00 PM. There has been little traffic because of the governors stay at home order. Even the library is closed and the parks are empty too.
Will downtown recover from COVID-19? Will the new restaurants near the ballpark survive? Is the housing downtown enough to keep the neighborhood vibrant?
Rush hour on Monday, May 11, 2020, 5:00 PM ish
It’s so sad to see towns and cities around the country looking like that….