Minneapolis has had its issues, especially with crime and certainly with getting workers to show up downtown. But city leaders are touting another successful year of investment in the city.
For the thirteenth year in a row, 2023 saw more than a billion dollars in construction projects, whether it be affordable housing, hospital expansions, or other projects.
One project is converting commercial buildings into apartment buildings, like the Northstar East project downtown.
"There are more than a few naysayers about Minneapolis over the last few years, but what this shows and what these numbers show is that we are on the right track," says Mayor Jacob Frey.
Frey says 2023 saw $1.5 billion in construction projects but admits applications and permits are off to a slow start this year.
He says that has a lot to do with last fall's decision by a Hennepin County District Court Judge to strike down the city's 2040 growth and development plan over zoning issues.
"Part of a lack of new projects coming through the Planning Commission right now is some confusion about what the future holds in terms of development," says Frey. "Well, I'm telling everybody that we're going to make sure that this 2040 Plan can be enacted in full. We're going to make sure that it happens."
Frey also says they have both a judicial and a legislative strategy in place to get the city's 2040 development plan back on track.
In the meantime, the city has streamlined its permitting process for developers and city operations officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher says $1.5 billion in projects for 2023 and more than a billion the 12 years before should be a sign to investors that Minneapolis is a solid place to set up.
"I think the investments mean that we have something special happening in Minneapolis, we are the economic engine for the state and we want to both highlight that for our partners, and also make sure people are aware of the, sort of, you know, positive, positive energy happening," says Kelliher.
