EDITORIAL: We agree downtown Rochester seems ready for a rebound
Feb. 11—Twenty years ago (and perhaps more recently than that), people saw downtown Rochester as a place where the sidewalks got rolled up at 6 p.m.
Downtown bustled with economic activity during the workday — especially over the lunch hour — but other than a few bars and some events at Mayo Civic Center, the city center offered virtually no night life.
Change happened slowly, but it did happen. New restaurants, new apartments, new entertainment venues, new street-level retailers and a new university brought energy to downtown Rochester. Not every venture succeeded, but the city core was gaining momentum, and with every passing year, residents and visitors alike found more reasons to spend some of their time and money downtown on weeknights and weekends.
Then came the double-whammy of downtown infrastructure construction and COVID. To call this an unfortunate confluence of events would vastly understate the pain felt by downtown merchants and restaurateurs. Thousands of their usual customers suddenly were working from home, and those who still ventured downtown faced an ever-changing labyrinth of closed streets, blocked sidewalks and pandemic-related restrictions.
These were undeniably dark days for our city, our state and our entire nation — but as the old saying goes, it's always darkest before the dawn.
The sun appears to be rising on a bright, albeit very different, future for downtown Rochester, and it turns out that light was appearing on the eastern horizon even as the pandemic raged.
The Rochester Downtown Alliance reports that nine downtown businesses closed in 2020 — but 10 new ones opened. In 2021, five more closed — but 19 opened. And last year, while 11 businesses closed, 13 new ones opened.
We won't be surprised if similar "churn" occurs in 2023. Some ideas succeed, and others fail. That's the nature of business and the free market. When people are waiting in line for a seat at a just-opened restaurant, other nearby restaurants feel the pinch.
Still, we'd argue that the downtown economic needle clearly is moving in the right direction. Big local names such as restaurateur Joe Powers and downtown Realtor Bucky Beeman are unabashedly bullish on downtown (see
Theodore Tollefson's Feb. 4 PB story "Could downtown Rochester be set for a rebound?"
), and newcomers to the downtown scene are putting their money down and betting on a bright future.
The reasons for this optimism are many and complex (least among them a still-in-its-infancy transition to green energy that might significantly reduce utility costs for businesses), but perhaps the most obvious can be found in one number: 845. That's the number of apartments that have been built since 2019 or are currently under construction within a 1.5-mile radius of downtown.
Residents in these apartments might work from home and seldom venture downtown for lunch, but in decent weather they can walk there to shop, dine or see a show. Events like Social Ice, Thursdays Downtown, Honkers games and Down by the Riverside concerts happen almost in their backyard.
And, by 2026, some of those who live a bit further out and don't care to walk (or drive and park) should be able to get a free ride on the
Link Rapid Transit bus system
, which is slated to operate 18 hours per day, seven days per week.
With more people living downtown, or within an easy walk or a free ride, we can envision a post-pandemic future in which Rochester's city core is best known for its night life, including an array of ethnically diverse dining options, street-level retailers, music venues and performance sites like the revitalized Historic Chateau Theatre, which hosted an operatic singer's showcase on Feb. 3. (For a sneak peek inside, see
PB photographer Traci Westcott's pictures from "An Evening of Opera."
)
Sadly, the improving outlook for downtown Rochester doesn't apply to all businesses in town.
Mestad's Bridal and Formal Wear announced its closure
earlier this week, after 43 years of operating in Rochester. And, while the details remain somewhat murky, it appears that
Bed Bath & Beyond on South Broadway will close its doors before summer arrives
.
These closures will leave holes in the city's business landscape, and other closures are likely to follow. People's shopping habits changed during the pandemic, and not every business will be able to adapt to this new world.
But unlike the situation 20 years ago, downtown Rochester now seems well-positioned to adapt, grow and flourish in this new economy. Crucial infrastructure is updated and ready. Mayo Clinic is growing. The University of Minnesota Rochester is expanding its footprint. The city's most heavily used public park and pool, in the shadow of downtown,
is about to be upgraded
.
If we were making a wager, we'd bet on downtown Rochester.
