Blog Meet the man who will save Block E

Earlier this week, Twin Cities Business reported that “urban retail specialist” Bruce Kaplan will try to revamp one of the biggest and most depressing blemishes on the face of Twin Cities civic planning, Block E. Kaplan is a Chicagoan who’s spent the last six months studying the downtown Minneapolis area. Let’s see what he’s learned (and what he’s learned to spin).

“[Block E] is a remarkably ugly building today.”
Can’t argue with that. The faux balconies, the burnt sienna façade, the weird shapes up top that look like cemented-over windows, the billboards that cover everything else—it’s a hideous mess. We’re inclined to say a hopeless one, but let’s hear what else Kaplan has to say.

“‘In Chicago, everyone wants to be on the first floor because it’s closer to the street.’ Here, tenants essentially have two first floors because the skyway brings enough foot traffic to make the second level an equally prime retail spot.”
Well, kinda. One thing Kaplan doesn’t bother to address is that skyway use fluctuates a lot depending on the season. Traffic may be high now, but don’t expect the same in June. Temperature changes aside, that sort of visibility doesn’t always lead to sales. In 2008, Williams-Sonoma vacated its space in the IDS Tower, a hot-spot for skyway-level foot traffic if ever there was one. Sometimes being in a location that people walk past only means you see a lot of people walk past.

“You can’t change where a piece of real estate is located. Fortunately, Block E is in a very good location.”
Easily the best thing Block E has going for it, especially now that it’s just a few blocks away from the new stadium. But in some ways, the stadium is working against it. During Twins season, Block E’s ramp charges “event parking” prices—even to people who actually want to spend time in Block E. Also, baseball season doesn’t necessarily mean much to skyway-level businesses. If the weather’s nice, people walk outside and tend to miss signs that aren’t at street level. If more guys from the suburbs had tilted their heads up and noticed Hooters’ second-floor location, would it have stayed in business longer?

“‘The mistake made here is somebody applied a formula to Block E—put movie theaters, a bookstore, and restaurants, and people will come.’ The key is to determine what the market already has in place and the voids that exist.”
True, we probably didn’t need a Borders two blocks away from a Barnes & Noble, or an Applebee’s right across the street from a Friday’s. (Hey, a battle Block E actually won! Take that, T.G.I.F.!) But downtown did need a movie theater—and now that it’s there, no one uses it. Still, we’re curious to hear what Kaplan’s market research determines we need. It’s like waiting for someone to unveil the Christmas wish list they’ve written on our behalf.

“[Kaplan] expects to see lots of [residential development] spring up in the coming decade and insists that the demand is there—particularly among young people who want to live close to work. Kaplan said that missing residential piece would turn the area into a 24-hour downtown.”
We’re just going to ignore the “24-hour” claim, as our immediate response is snide, uncontrollable laughter. Developers have been banking on the increased livability of downtown Minneapolis for years—they just haven’t been giving people much reason to want to live there. Houses are crazy-cheap right now. For half the price of a downtown condo, you could buy a house with more space in Northeast or South Minneapolis, or even a first-ring suburb. So is a 15- or 20-minute commute really that big a deal, compared to the 10 minutes you’d spend walking to your office from your condo? If Kaplan wants to help solve the “no one wants to live downtown” problem, there’s an easy way to do it: Open a grocery store in Block E. If you want people to live in an area, you have to give them access to food. And sure—snicker, snicker—keep your grocery store open 24 hours a day. That won’t lose money at all.