Feb. 24—ROCHESTER — Business owner Svaar Vinje is excited to see more discussion emerging around options for downtown recovery.

The owner of Knight Chamber and a Rochester Downtown Alliance board member, Vinje has pushed for discussion of options in recent months and said expanding the discussions is key.

"Accepting that something is difficult is the first step in solving the problem," he said.

The community discussions start Monday, with the first of four Downtown Rochester Task Force work sessions, where business owners and community members are invited to discuss concerns and possible solutions.

"They are interested in trying to figure out what the problems are that they can address," Vinje said. "I don't think they are going to like some of the answers."

Patrick Seeb, executive director of the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency, said the goal is to hear ideas and focus on the future.

"We realized we need to shift our work to realize how we can be supportive to our downtown as a destination and a place for experience," he said of the work started with the city and a variety of community organizations.

The need for new approaches and work toward pandemic recovery isn't new for the DMC EDA staff. Even as the pandemic continued to actively stifle downtown activity, the

organization financed a study on possible recovery scenarios

, which pointed to the likelihood of a need for long-term adjustments.

"We've estimated that by the end of December 2022, Rochester's economy is going to have significantly recovered but will still be about 2% to 7% lower than pre-COVID levels," Erin Lonoff, a principal with HR&A Advisors Inc, said in late 2020.

The estimate came with a variety of unknowns, from how long vaccination efforts would take to how much of the workforce would return downtown.

While new businesses are locating downtown, others have closed or are struggling to come close to pre-pandemic levels of activity.

With a clearer picture of what the post-pandemic downtown will face, the new task force was created from the collaborative effort that created Rochester Ready in 2020, which included the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, the Diversity Council and a variety of other groups active among downtown businesses.

The work that led to new outdoor dining options, accelerated permitting, deferred fees and local grants amid the onset of COVID restrictions will now focus on recovery efforts as the pandemic wanes.

Jamie Rothe, DMC EDA director of community engagement, said the goal is to find ways to address the known changes in activity downtown.

"People are choosing to shop differently, work differently, (conduct) their activities differently, and we want to take this time to intentionally come together to solve those," she said.

The task force work sessions will be facilitated to draw out concerns from participants, which are expected to include business and property owners, downtown residents and other community members. The sessions are open to the public and will be held at:

* 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Fagan Studio and Studio 324, 324 S. Broadway Ave.

* 9 to 10 a.m. Friday, March 3, at Chateau Theatre, 15 First St. SW.

* 2 to 3 p.m. Monday, March 6, at Pasquale's Neighborhood Pizzeria, 130 Fifth St. SW.

* 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, with a planned virtual meeting with details pending.

Online registation

is requested, but not required. A link for registriation can be found on the DMC website at

https://dmc.mn

.

Rothe said the concerns and ideas heard during the four events will be divided into themes, which will fuel additional community work and planning in April, with the hope that an action plan can be implemented in May.

"We don't just want to plan and say 'these are the things.'" she said. "We actually want to get them into action."

Paul Williams, a member of the state DMC Corp. board, said Rochester is unique with a strong Mayo Clinic presence, but many of the challenges faced in downtown Rochester are being seen throughout the state and country.

He said adjusting for new office practices will be important, along with realizing other opportunities exist.

As an example, he pointed out that Minneapolis and St. Paul are seeing a return of entertainment activity, ahead of daytime business.

"The comment was made that we are still worried about having downtown workers here during the day, but you can't get a barstool at night," he said.

Rochester Mayor Kim Norton, during her recent State of the City address, said innovation that helped some businesses find new opportunities during the pandemic will be important as recovery options are considered.

"I thoroughly believe an innovative spirit will continue to help as this new environment unveils itself," she said, adding that collaboration through the task force will also be required.

"No one organization or business can tackle the challenges," she said. "No government can either."