Downtown battles back

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The boisterous city life of late reminds us that it wasn’t long ago that one could feel lonely walking through downtown Boston in the middle of the day. Just you, a few other stragglers, and the panhandlers surveying strongly diminished opportunity.

Today there’s a new normal, not quite like the old normal but almost normal enough to reduce (but not eliminate) anxiety about the city’s economic demise. Downtown used to average 100,000 pedestrians per day before the pandemic. Foot traffic has slowly clawed back to about 75% of the old benchmark. Jon Chesto tells me he finds it much easier to satisfy his Diet Coke habit — his famous search provided a barometer of Downtown’s health and was written over three years ago. (He says his search for a $10 lunch is ongoing…)

Scary-high office vacancy rates have slowly declined, and there’s been a flight to quality space, leaving some Class B buildings still feeling lonely. Incentives have sparked residential conversion activity (about 1,500 units approved) and hopes of a downtown residential surge. One former office building in the heart of Downtown Crossing is slotted for 255 units.

Things likely won’t be the same, but are things ever the same after a traumatic event? Companies like Fidelity want things to be the same again with its five-day in-person work mandate, this despite ample evidence that hybrid work-from-home schedules improve productivity and retention. Fidelity decided to put the genie back in the bottle, delighting local retailers and restauranteurs who can’t get enough of slightly-less-productive in-person workers wandering around, eating and shopping.

The patient continues to make progress. As the Globe noted recently, Downtown still has a touch of the Monday blues, which makes Mondays the perfect day to join Fidelity employees at the newly opened Uniqlo on Washington Street. — George Donnelly

George Donnelly is President of Affiliated News Services, LLC, and the Publisher of Mass. Nonprofit News. He can be reached at [email protected].

8:00 | Boston Mayor Wu joins political analyst Jon Keller for a "Keller @ Large Live" segment hosted by the State House News Service and MASSterList | Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Conference Center, 10 Winter Place, Boston | Register

9:30 | Gov. Healey joins Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Lynch and Mass. Building Trade Unions President Callahan and the coalition Climate Jobs Mass. to celebrate the completion of Vineyard Wind 1 and the workers who made it happen | New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, 4 Wright Street, New Bedford | RSVP

11:00 | The House meets in an informal session | House Chamber

11:00 | Senate Democrats meet in private caucus | Senate President Spilka's third floor office suite

11:30 | Rent control supporters gather to discuss Tuesday's Supreme Judicial Court decision disqualifying a planned ballot question and to urge lawmakers to pass a bill enabling municipalities to adopt local option rent stabilization policies | State House steps

2:30 | Gov. Healey participates in deer tick roundtable discussion with Fish & Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea, MassWildlife Acting Director Eve Schluter, Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, Sen. Cyr, Executive Director of Tick Free MV Virginia Barbatti, state and local officials | Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, 35 Panhandle Road, West Tisbury

7:00 | U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton speaks at Leominster Sportsmen's Association monthly meeting | Leominster Sportsmen's Association, 1455 Elm St, Leominster

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RENT CONTROL KICKED TO CURB: The Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday ruled that the initiative petition that would have legalized rent control could not be placed on the ballot, determining that the measure unconstitutionally related to religion and religious institutions due to a clause exempting housing units in facilities operated for religious purposes. It’s the third initiative petition the court has disqualified this cycle. — State House News Service

GUN RIGHTS ADVOCATES AT WORK: Gun rights advocates say that there will be national attention on a referendum to repeal Massachusetts’ 2024 gun law if voters pass it in November. — Boston Globe

SENATE ENERGY DEBATE SET: While its energy bill hasn’t yet been released, the Senate teed up debate on it for July 1. — State House News Service

As electricity demand rises heading into the summer cooling season, National Grid is already taking steps to reduce risk, improve the customer experience, and support businesses and economic activity across the Commonwealth, helping bring energy to power possibilities for customers and communities. Investments in system reliability, coupled with proactive planning and newer technologies, help minimize disruptions and avoid costs that ultimately impact customers. — LEARN MORE

GLP-1 COVERAGE LOSS LOOMING: Thousands in Massachusetts are scrambling to figure out how they’ll be able to afford GLP-1 weight loss drugs to manage their obesity ahead of MassHealth coverage loss on July 1. — WBUR

ED BOARD CONCERNS: Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members are concerned that the costs associated with new graduation standard recommendations are too high for local governments and that the 2027 starting timeline wouldn’t institute enough time for districts to get their curriculums in place. — GBH

COVERING THE CUP: Every nation’s reporters have taken a “slightly different” approach when it comes to covering their respective teams playing in the World Cup at Boston Stadium, creating a different scene in the press box than usual. — Boston Globe

ANNA MARIA ON THE MARKET: After closing for good weeks ago, Anna Maria College’s 261-acre Paxton campus has hit the market. — Telegram & Gazette

NANTUCKET BOARD OF HEALTH RESIGNATION: Pointing to the Nantucket Select Board’s recent decision to oust the Board of Health chair and vice chair, citing “misuse of authority,” longtime Board of Health member Jim Cooper has resigned. — Nantucket Current

UPSET IN CAMBRIDGE: Bar and restaurant owners in Cambridge are objecting to a proposal that would require the establishments to ensure customers wait at least 30 minutes between each drink and stop serving shots, pitchers of beer and bottles of wine an hour before closing, among other provisions. — Boston Globe

Ask your Senator to support S. 1114 and S. 1124 for Clean Slate legislation because an old CORI should not mean a lifetime of blocked opportunities.

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