Skunkworks Meeting
We’ve started a skunkworks project to better understand the downstream impacts from potential commercial real estate financial woes related to the office vacancies and other pressures in the years since the COVID 19 pandemic. Our goal is to understand how the City may be able to help the region avoid the worst outcomes for community and economic resiliency, and also to begin to map out where the City might be able to develop plans to leverage the opportunities for new placemaking and investments in different kinds of projects (and housing!) that may arise in a moment like this.
In our first meeting on August 8th, we will focus on mapping existing research, leadership, and policy development — with a goal of clarifying how a cross-sector group of civic leaders with a mix of subject matter expertise and community stakeholder perspectives could add value in the next 4-6 months.
In our second meeting on August 28th, we’ll continue to refine the scope of the project with partners and stakeholders and set a timeline for bringing ideas forward before the 2025.