Recreation can be a tough road but it sounds like there are more than a few that want to give it a go. The key is to cater to the neighborhood because as brought up the suburban dollars are not going to come back. The weekly farmers market with the live music and the food trucks sounds like a good start but if the idea is to attract people into the surrounding businesses not to replace the currently available services. That was an issue I had with the art fair, they became so big the store fronts were unaccessable and few ventured into the restaurants and bars. The purpose became solely yo make money not bring in new business. There used to be live concerts in the summer on Hennepin but the acoustics were terrible and everyone was very drunk so maybe something a little more quality and a little less alcohol would be a fun inclusive neighborhood thing.
The entertainment goals had changed from when I started working in Uptown to when I left, smaller portions and drinks became popular over sit down dinners and expensive drinks. People wanted to go out and socialize 4 or 5 days a week and to multiple places a night and with high rents somethinghad to give. Annother issue was you could have a full place one minute that was empty the next because everyone is watching social media and going to where everyone looks to be having fun. Smaller operations may have to be the future to reduce rent and property taxes because they also don't look as empty and there is more variety. Currently many are now ordering in or hiring a ride to and from the destination so safety along with a campaign that it is cheaper to go out on foot, maybe even reduce the tip average to encourage the ability to order more and ho out more. It's a balancing act on the funds and getting people to leave their homes again might need a little more encouragement.
Terry, thank you for another thoughtful, impactful piece on Uptown businesses. Like many business owners, we’re managing existential crises, but I’d love to talk to you once the dust settles on the latest challenges.
Enjoyed Keeping the Flame Alive in Uptown, podcast. So much renewed energy has surfaced in Uptown as we enter the Spring season. Residents and business owners want to see positive change in the area. A great comment in your coverage Terry! Let's keep the momentum rolling forward.
If the 2040 plan can be repealed, the clowns that make up the City Council are replaced (except for a couple), a new Mayor, and we get some of Elon's guys to DOGE the "Departments", all is lost. The tax base is gone. Replacing the lost revenue with residential property tax will drive the rest of the tax base off. State government isn't in any better shape. This, and we haven't yet conquered crime and the indigent. addicted, population problem won't be abated until we face the real solutions which the electorate has refused to face, and there is no evidence of changing their minds. We're seeing what happens when socialist utopians get power. Prove me wrong. I'm just waiting for the "you don't even live in Minneapolis" reaction. It will be fun answering that one, as it always is.
We will start conversations about the 2050 plan soon, as we are legally required to update our comp plan every 10 years. We should push for an expansion of commercial zones and uses, and even more density along or adjacent to main commercial corridors. People can hate on the 2040 plan all they want, but between changes that were allowed under both the 2030 and 2040 plans, we built a lot of mixed use and multi-family buildings that have added to our tax base. As the value of commercial buildings has dropped, the city has shifted even more of the tax base to multi-family. Homeowners would be seeing even higher property tax increases if we didn't do that. The 2040 plan has absolutely no bearing on the loss of value in commercial buildings, especially in downtown. The success of our city, an in particular places like Uptown, will depend, in large part, on increasing the residential population.
Recreation can be a tough road but it sounds like there are more than a few that want to give it a go. The key is to cater to the neighborhood because as brought up the suburban dollars are not going to come back. The weekly farmers market with the live music and the food trucks sounds like a good start but if the idea is to attract people into the surrounding businesses not to replace the currently available services. That was an issue I had with the art fair, they became so big the store fronts were unaccessable and few ventured into the restaurants and bars. The purpose became solely yo make money not bring in new business. There used to be live concerts in the summer on Hennepin but the acoustics were terrible and everyone was very drunk so maybe something a little more quality and a little less alcohol would be a fun inclusive neighborhood thing.
The entertainment goals had changed from when I started working in Uptown to when I left, smaller portions and drinks became popular over sit down dinners and expensive drinks. People wanted to go out and socialize 4 or 5 days a week and to multiple places a night and with high rents somethinghad to give. Annother issue was you could have a full place one minute that was empty the next because everyone is watching social media and going to where everyone looks to be having fun. Smaller operations may have to be the future to reduce rent and property taxes because they also don't look as empty and there is more variety. Currently many are now ordering in or hiring a ride to and from the destination so safety along with a campaign that it is cheaper to go out on foot, maybe even reduce the tip average to encourage the ability to order more and ho out more. It's a balancing act on the funds and getting people to leave their homes again might need a little more encouragement.
Terry, thank you for another thoughtful, impactful piece on Uptown businesses. Like many business owners, we’re managing existential crises, but I’d love to talk to you once the dust settles on the latest challenges.
Jaime Davis MD
UptownDermatology.com
Enjoyed Keeping the Flame Alive in Uptown, podcast. So much renewed energy has surfaced in Uptown as we enter the Spring season. Residents and business owners want to see positive change in the area. A great comment in your coverage Terry! Let's keep the momentum rolling forward.
If the 2040 plan can be repealed, the clowns that make up the City Council are replaced (except for a couple), a new Mayor, and we get some of Elon's guys to DOGE the "Departments", all is lost. The tax base is gone. Replacing the lost revenue with residential property tax will drive the rest of the tax base off. State government isn't in any better shape. This, and we haven't yet conquered crime and the indigent. addicted, population problem won't be abated until we face the real solutions which the electorate has refused to face, and there is no evidence of changing their minds. We're seeing what happens when socialist utopians get power. Prove me wrong. I'm just waiting for the "you don't even live in Minneapolis" reaction. It will be fun answering that one, as it always is.
We will start conversations about the 2050 plan soon, as we are legally required to update our comp plan every 10 years. We should push for an expansion of commercial zones and uses, and even more density along or adjacent to main commercial corridors. People can hate on the 2040 plan all they want, but between changes that were allowed under both the 2030 and 2040 plans, we built a lot of mixed use and multi-family buildings that have added to our tax base. As the value of commercial buildings has dropped, the city has shifted even more of the tax base to multi-family. Homeowners would be seeing even higher property tax increases if we didn't do that. The 2040 plan has absolutely no bearing on the loss of value in commercial buildings, especially in downtown. The success of our city, an in particular places like Uptown, will depend, in large part, on increasing the residential population.
I'm pretty sure most of us in Minneapolis don't want Elon or his "guys" anywhere near our city departments or government.