Civic leaders hope "St. Paul Defibrillator" can jump-start downtown with incentives, upgrades

A group of civic leaders are rolling out what they call "The St. Paul Defibrillator" — a plan they say is meant to jolt the city's core back to life.

Since 1989, jeweler Paul Hartquist has come to work in downtown St. Paul six days a week.

"I was in the building across the street for 36 years," Hartquist said.

But when Alliance Bank Center abruptly closed last spring, Hartquist and other tenants were told they had to leave.

"I ended up across the street right here, which I'll be here for a couple years, and then I'm going to retire," Hartquist said.

He's watched downtown's ups and downs for decades.

"A slow-but-sure decline. Right now it is dismal," Hartquist said.

John Mannillo is a member of the In$ight Saint Paul steering committee and president of the Lowertown Future Fund, Inc.

"The longer we wait, the more we lose," Mannillo said. "Take those buildings that are half occupied, spend some money to attract users."

The plan calls for reviving the skyway system and expanding security, parking incentives for businesses that relocate, partnering with local colleges to bring students downtown, and "St. Paul Lunch," a meal discount program to incentivize workers to return and boost the downtown dining scene.

"I think people gave up when workers went home," Mannillo said. "We're never going to get workers back, but employers need their workers back at least three, four days a week."

Hartquist says parking and getting employees back downtown are key.

"Working from home has hurt a lot. COVID, that was kind of the final nail in the coffin," Hartquist said.

Still, after nearly four decades, he hasn't lost faith.

"It's a beautiful city. It just needs to be turned around," Hartquist said.

Mannillo says they did present these ideas to city leaders and they hope to meet with them to discuss more in the coming weeks.