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Friends,
As you know, I always love the opportunity to connect and learn from my colleagues in other downtowns. Last week at the International Downtown Conference was no exception. One of the things that stands out to me is looking at the Seattle Waterfront project. Downtown Seattle used to be separated from the waterfront by a major roadway that stood 60 feet high and a steep vertical separation between the downtown core and the waterfront. Then city, state and federal officials came together with a bold plan to reconnect downtown Seattle with its most obvious resource, the waterfront. Over $3 billion later, the transformation is jaw dropping.
Looking around the country at projects like the Big Dig in Boston, the Waterfront Park in Memphis and the Riverwalk in San Antonio, these projects were all tremendously expensive and created some angst within their communities over paying such expensive price tags. However, once those projects were completed and their cities enjoy the benefits, tourism and economic boost, they are all better off for it.
In Saint Paul we have some major downtown projects ahead of us, including RiversEdge, a refreshed arena with a new entertainment district and future development at Central Station, just to name a few. Looking at these successes around the country is a reminder to us of the need to advocate and support these critical projects.
I also want to extend my thanks to Cathy Wurzer and my old friend Tim Niver for a great chat we had on air at MPR earlier this week. You can find a link to that conversation below. Keep reading for more news from downtown and a look ahead at this week's events.
Have a great weekend,
Joe
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