From Uptown to Downtown, Lake Street to West Broadway, every commercial corridor should be a hub of opportunity. Our neighborhoods thrive when our streets are vibrant, our businesses are growing, and our economy is built to support families and multi-generational communities.
The future of our neighborhoods means thriving street level businesses instead of vacant storefronts. We must have pathways to repurpose and transform our spaces while at the same time creating neighborhood destinations that are fun, family-friendly, and unique.
Minneapolis thrives when our local entrepreneurs do. Small, independently owned businesses are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods, creating jobs, strengthening communities, and defining the character of our city. When we invest in them, they invest in us. And it’s time to make that investment. It is critical our city proactively supports locally-owned independent businesses that sustain our communities, while also making Minneapolis an attractive place to do business for start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, and household brands. Our city and its residents benefit from a diverse, growing economy.
A strong economy isn’t just about businesses—it’s about workers. Residents deserve to know that jobs in our city come with fair wages, safe conditions, and real opportunities for advancement. Residents deserve to know that workers across our city are being treated fairly, safely, and with dignity.
Support new and existing local small businesses by expanding grants and assistance programs, streamlining bureaucracy, increasing public access to the Small Business Office, and fostering collaboration between business owners and the city to drive economic growth.
Address vacant properties by strengthening enforcement of our vacancy fees and advocating for state policies to spur development.
Direct Minneapolis’ Community Planning and Economic Development office to build stronger relationships within our neighborhoods to offer localized support to businesses and plan economic growth by entire blocks over individual properties.
Support our workforce through the development of Minneapolis-based training centers for essential jobs and new industries. I’ll work to ensure employees have a seat at the table as we grow and build our economy and facilitate relationships between our technical colleges, business schools, and universities with companies in our city.
Proactively work to support Union jobs as a city employer, over contracting out. These are the gold standard of good, high quality jobs with livable wages and our city has a role to play in creating and promoting them.
Take a far more aggressive approach to providing career readiness and job support throughout our community, starting at a younger age, as early as Middle School, and continuing through adulthood.
Promote Minneapolis as a destination to do business. Our leadership should be actively reaching out to encourage start-ups and existing businesses to move to our city and hire their workforce form within our communities.
Promote multi-generational activities in our Downtown core year-round by exploring new partnerships with local and national museums and other family-friendly amenities and activities. Support the creation of new tourism opportunities.
A city alive with growth—cranes in the skyline, new businesses opening, and storefronts in Uptown full again.
Bustling streets and sidewalks, with shoppers, diners, and families bringing energy back to our neighborhoods.
A Downtown that thrives beyond the workday. Skyways filled with activity, sidewalks busy long into the evening, and weekends that draw people from across the Midwest.
A place where those who work in the heart of our city can also afford to call it home.
A local economy that works for everyone, where businesses have the support to grow and succeed, and workers have good-paying jobs with fair wages, stability, and respect on the job.
A celebration of culture and community—vibrant Latin, East African, Hmong, and other cultural districts filled with festivals, food, and thriving local businesses.