Proposed Minneapolis revitalization

Happening today

☁️ Cloudy early with sunshine expected later today. Slight chance for rain showers. High temperatures near 80.

💧 Governor Tim Walz will visit a water treatment plant in Brainerd to highlight the projects included in the infrastructure package recently signed into law that will benefit Brainerd and Crow Wing County.

🏛️ White House Council on Environmental Quality  Chair Brenda Mallory and U.S. General Services Administrator Robin Carnahan will join Xcel Energy CEO Bob Frenzel in Minneapolis to announce a new agreement that will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy goals.

⚾ The 2023 FOX 9 Town Ball Tour begins tonight in Freeport. The Freeport Black Sox will host the Avon Lakers, with the first pitch at 6:30 p.m., at Black Sox Park, which opened in 2006. 

🏈 Mall of America will host the final auditions for the Vikings Skol Line, the official drumline of the Minnesota Vikings.

Proposed Minneapolis revitalization could include closing Nicollet Mall to traffic

• After the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, only about two-thirds of the workforce has come back to downtown office space, so Mayor Frey launched a working group for reinventing downtown last year.
• The group is proposing a major revitalization of Nicollet Mall, a popular shopping and dining destination in downtown Minneapolis. The plan includes closing the mall to traffic and creating a more pedestrian-friendly space.
• The revitalization work could take a long time, but the mayor is suggesting the city try closing Nicollet to traffic for a couple weeks this summer as a test run.

“Suddenly you’ve got a big opportunity to create a space that’s valued by people and that people appreciate and that people, most importantly, use,” Frey said. “That could be the first step in making sure Nicollet is focused on the pedestrian experience.”