Article about big companies relocating back to cities from the suburbs (Minneapolis: employment, live in)

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Suburbs are great for animal lovers. The birdwatching is much better than in town. And the Minnesota Zoo is out there, too. I've never lived in a suburb, but living in the city has taught me a few things where suburbs have something to offer.

Right NOW, suburbs offer an escape from the taxes that are paying for the Minneapolis Convention Center.

fixed it for you

[ManBearPig1]

Originally Posted by northsub

I was thinking about what those who lived there told me their actual bus travel times were. My experience with those buses was that they generally took longer than the time on the schedule. Even so, the schedule seems to state that it is 19-21 minutes inbound from the Uptown Transit Station to University and 15th. Outbound the schedule states that it is 25-28 minutes from Ridder Arena to the Uptown Transit Station.

I was talking about to the west bank.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by ManBearPig1

I was talking about to the west bank.

To build on this: the times I've taken that bus, it seems like the majority of people get off either on the west bank station or outside of Coffman. The area over by the stadiums is on the real fringes of the main campus Haven't been on it recently, but am also assuming that the current schedule (and some of the stops) reflect LRT construction. In any case, when I used to take the express bus to/from Uptown to the U, it was closer to 15 minutes. (also worth pointing out: the Uptown Transit Station is near the end of the Uptown route, so for someone closer to the northern end of Uptown, the ride would be even shorter. Also FWIW, the 113 is another Uptown-University express route) All that is kind of a moot point, but in a normal, non-construction year neighborhoods like Uptown have a very quick express commute to the U, certainly not half an hour. But again, specifics would vary depending on where along the route you get on and get off. Some of those suburban express bus routes also originate at park-and-rides and don't run along a regular street, which would also seem to skew things. (if going to measure from last pick-up point before becoming an express, wouldn't it make sense to measure time to/from the Franklin/Hennepin stop?)

I will say that while I think Uptown normally has very quick and efficient service to/from the U, it's true that it needs some better/faster service to downtown. Right now the buses stop nearly every block and so it goes painfully slow. On the plus side, the buses come very frequently and (depending on where in Uptown you live) you have multiple bus options to choose from, and, of course, you also have the option of biking or walking (feasible from anywhere within Uptown, although it can get to be a long walk from some portions of the neighborhood.) Uptown could definitely benefit from some better downtown express or limited stop buses, as that ride DOES take far longer than you'd expect, given the short distance between even the farthest reaches of Uptown and downtown.

[laxster]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

I don't have the means to copy the link but you can google Fair Isaac Moves to downtown Minneapolis and you'll see the articles. They moved in 2004 and have approximately 200 employees on the upper floors of the AT&T Tower at 9th & Marquette. I think they still have offices in Shoreview, but their top execs are in Mpls.

Everyone from the Minneapolis and Arden Hills Fair Isaac offices are moving to Roseville this October or November.

A previous CEO with a big ego decided he wanted to be atop a skyscraper instead of the Arden Hills campus, whereas the employees seem to prefer Arden Hills.

There was a lot of consternation amongst employees about working downtown.

I used to work in downtown Minneapolis and while it was fun for awhile, it is easier to run errands in the suburbs, less people, and I don't spend a large chunk of my day trying to GET there and back. Unless you live near downtown, I can't imagine wanting to work there.

Downtown St Paul is a different story -- seems to be easier to get in and out of.

[uptown_urbanist]

I know a lot of people who prefer working downtown because they think downtown is actually much easier (especially thanks to the skyways!) -- no need to get in your car to have near-instant access to tons of restaurants, and it's easy to run small errands during lunch. I suppose those who drive would find downtown a hassle, but that's less of an issue for the large numbers of downtown workers who commute via public transportation.

[laxster]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I know a lot of people who prefer working downtown because they think downtown is actually much easier (especially thanks to the skyways!) -- no need to get in your car to have near-instant access to tons of restaurants, and it's easy to run small errands during lunch. I suppose those who drive would find downtown a hassle, but that's less of an issue for the large numbers of downtown workers who commute via public transportation.

I did the public transit thing to downtown for awhile. It was fine when I was living in a more urban area. However, it wasn't uncommon for my commute to be over an hour sometimes. And dealing with crowds was always a hassle. I mean, I had fun down there for a little while but I'm not so sure working downtown would be worth trading a short commute for.

My commute is only a 10 minute drive, and the general sentiment amongst FICO employees was very much against downtown. Those who used to work down there always ended up putting in longer days due to the hastle of transportation. The only thing I heard that people really liked in downtown was that there was a coffee shop in the building.

I view the restaurants as a moot point because there are plenty of restaurants in Arden Hills/Shoreview/Vadnais Heights/Roseville. In addition to the shorter commute, FICO currently is located next something downtown Mpls doesn't have: a large park with a wildlife reserve. I love that when I take a break I can escape into nature instantly.

It can't be beat.

At any rate, FICO's experiment with a downtown office is ending this year.

[QuietBlue]

Originally Posted by laxster

My commute is only a 10 minute drive, and the general sentiment amongst FICO employees was very much against downtown. Those who used to work down there always ended up putting in longer days due to the hastle of transportation. The only thing I heard that people really liked in downtown was that there was a coffee shop in the building.

Well, the short commute depends on where you live. It wouldn't be a shorter commute for someone who lived in, say, Burnsville. Thus I can see how it might be a positive move in the short term, but eventually it will be a factor in attracting talent. Does FICO have a lot of long-term, older employees?

[uptown_urbanist]

My MIL works downtown, and her coworkers come from all over the metro area. If they moved out to Arden Hills it would be a HUGE hassle for many of them. I don't know what the balance would be -- some would have a very short commute, some would have a much longer commute, and they'd all effectively lose the option to take the train or bus. Given the express bus options from almost all suburbs, I think that for many companies downtown is still one of the more convenient options, given its central locations and the public transportation option. I suppose those factors are all going to vary depending on the specifics of the company and its employees, and presumably a lot of the FICO employees already lived out in that same direction if they had been working at the company before they'd moved downtown to begin with.

[1stpontiac]

I wonder how much "what the employees like/want" really factors into it, anyways? Obviously there will always be a mix of opinions and you'll never please everyone. In the end, I wonder if it doesn't come down more to cost and whether there is a tangible benefit, in terms of prestige, access to other businesses or city services, and location relevant to clients/customers.

After that is all said and done, it is, of course, good PR to say "we choose to locate here because our employees really like it...". Or maybe I'm just cynical.

I can imagine that businesses that need to compete with large urban areas to recruit talent probably benefit from downtown, though.

[golfgal]

People fail to realize that driving on the highways/freeways for commuting is much more efficient than driving through downtown to get to your office. It can take longer to get from your exit to downtown to your office than it can take to get to that exit from your house. Having an office in downtown is NOT easier for pretty much everyone. Most people prefer working in the suburbs, which is why most jobs are in the suburbs and NOT in downtown Minneapolis. Downtown Minneapolis has a very, very small percentage of the jobs in the Twin Cities metro area. This has been addressed before and yet the city dwellers still don't understand this, why, I don't know. I can get to Arden Hills faster than I can get to say the IDS tower in downtown. Add in an accident in downtown and getting through downtown is 45+ minutes. In 45 minutes I can be in Rogers from Rosemount, even through rush hour traffic.