A Downtown Debate: FOX 9 hosts roundtable discussion on future of St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Downtown St. Paul has been described as "intimidating, unappealing, and empty" as it struggles to fill office towers, storefronts and restaurants.

The backstory:

As downtown areas in cities across the country struggle to recover from the pandemic, Minnesota’s capitol city faces unique challenges. Several office towers have been abandoned after Madison Equities walked away from its entire real estate portfolio. An obsolete and over-retailed skyway system is dragging down street-level business. The stadium that draws millions of visitors is now considered outdated and in need of huge investments in public money for renovations, according to the Minnesota Wild and city officials.

Why you should care:

A recent report found the city is at a critical juncture, facing "daunting challenges" that require "bold action."

FOX 9 roundtable discussion on the future of St. Paul

What you can do:

FOX 9 organized the roundtable for a candid discussion about the challenges and opportunities in downtown St. Paul — and you can watch it live on FOX LOCAL.

The downtown debate will be moderated by FOX 9 anchor Randy Meier live from the Saint Paul Hotel. Here is the list of participants:

B Kyle, St. Paul Chamber of Commerce
Chris Hilger, CEO of Securian Financial Group
Chris Sherman, Sherman Associates President
Joe Spencer, Downtown Alliance President
Matt Majka, Minnesota Wild CEO
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Cater
St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker
Richard Dobransky, Morrissey Hospitality President
Sen. Sandra Pappas
Tom Whaley, St. Paul Saints Executive VP

How to watch A Downtown Debate

Watch live:

FOX 9 live-streamed the roundtable discussion at 2 p.m. on Sept. 22.

You can watch the discussion on your TV via FOX LOCAL, on your phone via FOX LOCAL Mobile, FOX9.com, in the player above and FOX 9's YouTube channel. It will also be available as video on-demand on FOX LOCAL, FOX9.com, FOX LOCAL Mobile and YouTube.

What is FOX LOCAL?

You can watch All Day live on FOX LOCAL, FOX LOCAL Mobile and FOX9.com (as well as in the player above).

All Day and all of FOX 9's newscasts and videos are available for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. FOX LOCAL is free 24/7 live streaming, breaking news, live video, weather forecasts, traffic reports and in-depth reporting on sports, politics, health and more.

With FOX LOCAL, you can watch FOX 9 locally produced programming live on your TV without cable or a TV provider – 100% FREE. Please note, FOX network programming, including NFL games, is not available on the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how you can stream FOX network programming.

Here’s how to download the FOX LOCAL app:

How to watch FOX 9 on Roku

From the Home screen, scroll to "Search"
Enter "FOX LOCAL" (The app should be the first result.)
Select "Add Channel" to install
Select "Go To Channel" to start watching
The app should sense your location and suggest "FOX 9" as your local station. If not, go to "Select a Different City" and navigate to "FOX 9."

How to watch FOX 9 on Amazon FireTV

From the Home screen, go to the "Find" menu
In the search bar, enter "FOX LOCAL" (The app should be the first result.)
Select "Download" to Install
Select "Open" to start watching
The app should sense your location and suggest "FOX 9" as your local station. If not, go to "Select a Different City" and navigate to "FOX 9."

How to watch FOX 9 on Apple TV

Navigate to the App Store
Select the magnifying glass to Search by name
Enter "FOX LOCAL"
Select the Download icon and then click the app to open
The app should sense your location and suggest "FOX 9" as your local station. If not, go to "Select a Different City" and navigate to "FOX 9."

How to watch FOX 9 on Google Android TV

Press the Assistant button on your remote or select Search on the home screen.
Say or type "FOX LOCAL"
Select "Install"
Select "Open" to start watching
The app should sense your location and suggest "FOX 9" as your local station. If not, go to "Select a Different City" and navigate to "FOX 9."

How to watch FOX 9 on Vizio TV

Press the "home" button on your Vizio TV remote
Open the navigation sidebar on the left side of the screen. Select "Apps."
Select "App Search" and search for "FOX LOCAL."
Download and open the TV app. The app should sense your location and suggest "FOX 9" as your local TV station. If not, go to "Select a different city" and navigate to "FOX 9."

More Ways To Watch

If you don't have one of the devices listed above, you can watch FOX LOCAL in other ways on your Connected TV. We have free channels on the Roku Channel (Channel 4165), Samsung TV Plus+ (Channel 1123), LG Channels (Channel 154), Vizio WatchFree+ (Channel 264), TCLtv+, Tubi, Amazon News, Pluto TV, Freevee and Sling TV.