I understand that is a desperate attempt to placate downtown St. Paul business and building owners but it is just a bandaid and is just dumb in the long run. Remote work isn’t going anywhere but highly qualified state workers might. And downtowns are still going to be full of empty expensive office buildings nobody wants.
All you have to do is look at San Francisco to see this at its worst. Downtowns are devastated by WFH. Businesses in cities rely on suburban dollars to stay running, even ignoring property management companies.
While I’m glad to see property management companies go out of business, and the properties used for something more productive, like affordable housing, I feel sorry for the small businesses that survive on commuter spending. I think if we could eminent-domain all of those empty businesses and convert them to housing, in time the businesses would have enough local income, but the transition would be rough and many wouldn’t survive.
All that The Cities need is a couple buff office buildings, with weekly office space rental and a bunch of well-networked and provisioned conference rooms. Meeting in person has a lot of value, and a surprising number of people both want and need space outside of home to work without interruption; or, just a change of scenery, and interactions with other people than their families. Extroverts exist.
But I think we need a new model for how cities work, because the must-be in-the-office argument is indefensible.
sigh Well, there goes most of HIS good will and credibility.
