Downtown St. Paul civic leaders are feeling good about some new momentum but say the area's revitalization is a long-term process.
First, there's still work to do before part of the skyway system that closed down a year ago can reopen, says Joe Spencer President of the St. Paul Downtown Alliance.
"It's not colossal kinds of capital costs but meaningful, you know, construction work that has to get done to make these buildings safe to traverse. And that includes adding security," Spencer says.
On the flip side, there has been numerous businesses that have had soft and grand openings recently.
"Having those kinds of stores, they're offering unique experiences and products that you can't get anywhere else," adds Spencer. "You can't even get on the internet. Like, that's the lifeblood. That's what gives a place its energy."
Spencer said being proactive with properties around downtown has been successful.
"You see these kinds of investments, and really kind of leaps and bounds of progress happening," added Spencer. "Because we were able to step in and stabilize some of those more questionable properties that might otherwise kind of spook the market."
Spencer also laments that downtown St. Paul has always been the sleepier of the two Twin Cities, something he thinks can change.
"I've always felt like slightly frustrated that we haven't really realized our potential," he says. "We haven't really become the best downtown we can be, and I think right now this transformation that is underway puts us on the precipice of really realizing that full potential for our downtown."
