>> CATHY: WE HAVE A BIG SHOW FOR YOU TONIGHT.

PLENTY OF POLITICS THIS TIME OF YEAR, WE'LL TALK WITH TWO LEGISLATORS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE UBER/LYFT ISSUE.

POLITICAL REPORTERS ARE HERE.

IN BETWEEN, WE'LL TALK SPRING WEATHER WITH PAUL DOUGLAS, WOMEN'S HOCKEY WITH RACHEL BLOUNT, AND KEVIN KLING HAS A MOTHER'S DAY ESSAY FOR US.

>> ERIC: WE START TONIGHT WITH A FLURRY OF ACTIVITY IN THE DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL REAL ESTATE MARKET.

NEWS BROKE ON THURSDAY THAT TKDA, AN ENGINEERING FIRM THAT HAS BEEN BASED IN ST. PAUL SINCE 1910, WILL BE RELOCATING TO BLOOMINGTON.

RAMSEY COUNTY IS CLOSING DOWN ITS GOVERNMENT CENTER ALONG THE RIVER.

AND THEN THERE'S THE NEARLY DOZEN PROPERTIES, COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL, UP FOR SALE IN DOWNTOWN.

FRED MELO COVERS THE CITY OF ST. PAUL FOR THE "ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS."

AND HE'S BEEN QUITE BUSY TRACKING ALL OF THESE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

SO IN THIS LATEST ONE, FRED, SIX OFFICE BUILDINGS, TWO RAMPS, A RESTAURANT, A VACANT LOT, OFFERED FOR CASH WITH ONE BUYER, HOPEFULLY.

>> THAT'S ALL ONE COMPANY, MADISON EQUITIES IS RUN BY A MAN NAMED JIM COKERAIL FOR DECADES, HE DIED IN JANUARY AND HIS WIDOW SAID, HEY, LET IT RIDE.

I DON'T WANT THIS AND LET'S JUST SELL IT AND IF WE CAN FIND ONE BUYER, WE'LL DO IT THAT WAY.

>> Mary: ICONIC BUILDINGS IN St. PAUL, RIGHT?

>> OH, YEAH, THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING HAS THAT ONE, ANY PORTRAIT OR PHOTO, THAT'S REALLY A FOCUS.

U.S. BANK UILDING, THESE ARE -- SOME OF THESE BUILDINGS DATE BACKS -- I THINK PARK SQUARE COURT DATES BACK TO 1890s, REALLY DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES FROM THE ODDS.

KIND OF HALF EMPTY ON THE INSIDE, AND SOME WERE COMPLETELY EMPTY.

>> Eric: ONE OF THE IDEAS IS TO HAVE APARTMENTS OR CONDOS CONVERTED.

>> YAP.

>> Eric: AND I WONDER, IS THERE A DEMAND FOR THAT TYPE OF HOUSING IN DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL?

>> I THINK THERE S A DEMAND FOR THAT TYPE OF HOUSING IN GENERAL.

WE'VE SEEN MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF SLOWER GROWTH IN TERMS OF PROJECTIONS FOR DEMOGRAPHICS IN St. PAUL IN TERMS OF THE GROWTH OF St. PAUL COMPARED TO THE SUBURBS.

A LOT OF THAT I THINK IS JUST RELATED TO THE PANDEMIC, MAYBE CITIES WILL GET COOL AGAIN AND PEOPLE WILL TART COMING BACK.

THEY WERE KIND OF A TOUGH PLACE TO LIVE DOWNTOWN, EITHER DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS OR St. PAUL IN THE DOG DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC.

BUT OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL CONVERSION IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE REALLY CROSSING NEAR FINGERS FOR.

IT'S NOT CHEAP, IT'S >> EASY.

>> Cathy: AND THIS IS OF COURSE -- WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GENTLEMAN WHO PASSED WITH ALL THESE BUILDINGS BUT IT'S GETTING WORSE IN St. PAUL.

I MEAN, I WAS SURPRISED THAT TDKA IS MOVING ALL THE.

WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THAT?

>> THEY'VE BEEN HERE ABOUT 100 YEARS.

THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, WHEN I INTERVIEWED THE CEO IN 2018, THEY SOUGHT THEY'LL EXPAND AND EXPAND IN St. PAUL.

THEN THE PANDEMIC HILT.

I THINK THEY JUST WANTED MODERN SPACE, THEY'RE GOING TO GO TO BLOOMINGTON OVERLOOKING THE MINNESOTA RIVER, YOU KNOW, FREE PARKING, JUST A VERY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT FOR THAT I REMEMBER WORKERS AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET PEOPLE INTO THE OFFICE IS TO OFFER SOME AMENITIES.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE OVERLOOKING A NATURE PRESERVE, VERY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT.

>> Cathy: YEAH, GUESS, YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT U.S. ANK?

THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE ACROSS THE RIVER -- >> THEY'RE STAYING IN St. PAUL.

U.S. BANK IS INTERESTING, THEY WOULD ABOUT 10 FLOORINGS IN THE U.S. BANK BUILDINGS.

THEY WERE DOWN -- OTHER THAN THE BRANCH LEVEL, THEY WERE DOWN TO 75 OFFICE WORKERS TO LESS THAN ONE PERSON PER FLOOR.

SO THEIR WORKERS WERE ALREADY REMOMENT.

I CALL THEM GHOST LEASTS, THAT YOU HAVE A LEASE TOUGH FULFILL, YOU WON'T BREAK BUT NO ONE IS REMI THERE.

SO THEY'LL MOVE TO THE WEST SIDE.

>> Eric: THIS WILL STAY STUFF LIKE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING, HISTORIC PRESERVATION CREDITS.

>> WILL TAKE A LOT OF WORK.

>> Eric: THE TAXPAYER WILL GET STUCK FOR WHAT IF IT FAILS?

>> THAT'S HASHED TO SAPE.

THERE IS A BILL IN THE SENATE RIGHT NOW, IN THE TAX COMMITTEE, THAT WOULD HELP WITH A 30% CREDIT TO COVER SOME OF THESE TOFFS TO RESIDENTIAL CONVERSION ATTENTION THAT THE MAYOR IS TALKING ABOUT THAT, REALLY, EVERYONE PRIVATE SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR IS TALKING ABOUT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE YOU CAN DO AT ONCE.

THEY ARE HARD TO DO.

THESE BUILDINGS, LIKE I SAID, SOME ARE 100 YEARS OLD.

THEY WERE NEVER MEANT FOR RESIDENTIAL.

THEY CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE A BATHROOM IN WHAT WILL BECOME EVERY HOUSING UNIT SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME AND ALL OF THOSE GRANT SOURCES YOU MENTIONED.

>> Cathy: WHAT'S THE MAYOR SAYING OTHER BUSINESS LEADERS?

>> EITHER A HE BEEN A ALSO QUITE ABOUT THIS, LETTING OTHER PEOPLE DO HIS TALKING.

THERE IS A DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE THAT, UNDER THE MAYOR'S KIND OF BLESSING CAME OUT WITH AN INVESTMENT TRATEGY IN MARCH AND PART OF THAT IS OFFICE RESIDENTIAL CONVERSE MART OF IT IS TO LOOK AT PEDESTRIAN CORRIDORS, OR FOCUS ON KELLOGG OR FOCUS ON ROBERT AND PART OF IT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, ALL GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE AND GETTING EVERYONE ALIGNED TOGETHER.

>> Eric: WE'LL CHECK OUT YOUR COVERAGE OF THE BUSINESS.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU, AS ALWAYS.

ACTUALLY, BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE TO FREDDIE REAL QUICK QUESTION HERE IN TERMS OF THE SAFETY IN DOWNTOWN St. PAUL.

YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT -- >> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: THAT'S A BIG, BIG ISSUE, RIGHT?

>> THAT'S A BIG ISSUE.

ONE THING THE DO YOU THINK TOWN ALLIANCE DID IS THEY LOOKED AT CRIME KIND OF PRE-PANDEMIC AND THEN POTION-PANDEMIC, THEY HAVE GRAFFITI CLEAN-UP, STREET GREETERS, ALL OF THAT IS PAID BY FEES ASESSIONED TO THE BUILDING OWNERS AND THEY SAW A DROP OF 40% COMPARED TO LOWER TOWN WHICH DID NOT HAVE THE DISTRICT, IT ACTUALLY WENT UP 25%, THOSE CRIME CALLS.

LOWER TOWN IT WAS JIM COKERAIL'S AREA, HE WAS VERY MUCH AGAINST THE DISTRICT, HE HAS PASSED SO THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES THERE TO MAYBE EXPAND SOME OF THAT.

>>