PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 12-month public-private partnership to bring people back to Philadelphia after last year's COVID-19 pandemic closures folded as planned on Tuesday, while business leaders put their heads together to explore ways to bring more office workers back to Center City.
Many leaders gathered at the Rothman Ice Rink Cabin in Dilworth Park, which was packed with people strolling through the holiday market. That reality sharply contrasted the empty streets that surrounded the kick-off event in March.
As Executive Director Angela Val noted, perhaps it was the clearest sign that the effort had some success.
"The city should feel like in-person, full of people, traffic and a festive atmosphere," said Val.
In fact, she said that last weekend, the city recorded its highest number of visitors in three years.
But Co-Chair Sue Jacobson conceded the effort fell short of its goal, to get office workers back in place by Labor Day. Two-thirds are still working remotely, and Jacobson blamed the delta variant.
"Things started to change quickly and the whole group really had to pivot," said Jacobson. "We readjusted our efforts as the situation changed."
Mayor Jim Kenney praised the effort, joking he was even pleased to see traffic back, but he has not done the one thing that would likely contribute most to restoring the weekday economy, ordering the city’s 25,000 employees back to their offices.
The mayor said he didn’t know how many city employees were back at their desks, but suggested the vaccine mandate set the stage for a larger number to return.
Private business community's exploration of how to get office workers in Center City
At a morning forum at the Union League, Center City District CEO Paul Levy pointed out that 93% of restaurants and 97% of retailers are open again, compared to before COVID-19.
But he noted that only 43% of office workers have returned.
“What’s the problem with offices, where actually social distancing is far easier to achieve?” Levy asked.
For SEPTA, the slow return of Center City office workers has posed a continuing dilemma: Add regional rail service or wait for the return of center city workers who will help support it?
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Currently regional rail ridership is at 42% of pre-COVID levels, said Jody Holton, SEPTA’s Assistant General Manager for Planning.
Holton said some employers have told SEPTA they were planning to bring back Center City employees in the new year.
“We anticipate that we could get up to 60 to 70% of our ridership throughout and at the end of the spring for regional rail,” she said.
Holton said on Sunday SEPTA is starting a new schedule bringing regional rail service up to 75% of pre-COVID-19 levels.
She said the new regional rail schedule included more midday and weekend service.
“It is very focused in the daytime hours. It should be very convenient for our riders to come back,” Holton said.
At the forum sponsored by the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, Levy encouraged Center City employers to bring more workers back to the office.
“The recovery of the entire city really depends on this,” Levy said.