Minneapolis Downtown Council President Steve Cramer told WCCO Radio he’s optimistic more workers will return to the city after Labor Day.
“We thought there’d be a bigger bump over the summer,” he told Jason DeRusha on Drivetime with DeRusha on Friday. “It’s plateaued a little bit. We’re hoping there will be a bump after Labor Day but we’re just going to see how it plays out.”
Cramer said 55% of downtown businesses report some workers being in the office at least part of the week this summer, and 20% of businesses were waiting until after Labor Day to implement flexible work schedules for workers, which may include working out of downtown offices.
“Organizations like ours—we can’t directly affect the decision-making going on here,” he said. “But we can certainly try to create the conditions downtown through better safety and better vibrancy that make it an attractive place to come back to work.”
The Downtown Council is working with law enforcement on safety concerns, as Cramer said often the perception of what it’s like downtown amid multiple reports of violent crime even this summer can be contradictory to what people may experience if they’ve brought their families to a Twins game or the theater.
“We have to invite people to come back downtown, to have their own experience,” he told DeRusha.
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