Mayor Jacob Frey’s latest plan for revitalizing downtown Minneapolis aims to turn the city’s urban core into a 24-hour playground for everyone.
The new Downtown Action Plan pulls from existing Frey administration initiatives, including Vibrant Storefronts, and outlines specific strategies, along with steps and timelines for their implementation. An “action council” chaired by Frey will meet monthly over the next year – and quarterly after that – to carry out three main initiatives identified in the plan.
The plan builds “on the reality of where we’re at, and the reality is, downtown will be more of a playground and entertainment hub,” Frey said in a Tuesday interview with Downtown Voices. “There has been a significant change with remote or distance work, and we’ve gotta find a way to shift with it.”
Among the ideas for downtown activation are “social districts” where open alcohol containers are allowed, vibrant Times Square-style billboards that generate revenue for the City, and an indoor park for kids or doggy daycare in the skyway.
The plan echoes efforts already underway downtown, including the conversion of Nicollet Mall into a pedestrian-only corridor, the adaptive reuse of older commercial buildings, and the reconstruction of First Avenue North. It also reiterates ideas previously floated but not yet put into action, like the demolition of a U.S. Postal Service ramp to better connect Nicollet Mall to the Mississippi River, which was mentioned in a similar report by the Minneapolis Foundation from late 2023.
During a Monday press conference, Frey said the Downtown Action Plan “helps bring it all together and execute a clear path forward.”
The 18-page Downtown Action Plan further outlines each strategy with action steps, success metrics, and participating City departments, partners, and stakeholders. Many of them require policy changes, cooperation from other agencies, and collaboration with landlords or developers.
Frey’s action council is composed of about 20 people affiliated with various businesses, organizations, and commercial real estate firms, including Target, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, and Hennepin Arts.
Foot traffic in downtown Minneapolis has increased by 45% since 2023, one of the highest rates in the country, according to Frey.
Minneapolis hotels, the vast majority of which are downtown, had their best summer in 2024 since 2019, thanks to large-scale events including the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials at Target Center and several sold-out concerts at Target Field and U.S. Bank Stadium.
Nearly 70% of downtown workers are in the office at least once a week.
The City currently spends about $2 million in public programming downtown, including $750,000 this year for Warehouse District Live, an “enhanced pedestrian zone” along First Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets on summer and fall weekends.
Meet Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Downtown Council are expected to release their own visions for downtown Minneapolis before the end of the year.
