On Wednesday, cabinet ministers held 15-minute one-on-one meetings with community members to discuss concerns as diverse as greyhound racing, environmental policy and town planning.

But the renewal of a town centre that is tipped to lose at least 2100 public servants by the end of 2016 was top of the agenda for commercial and community groups with a stake in area.

Shane Quinn, a manager of commercial property firm Quintessential Equity, which owns a vacant commercial property on Bow Street, said a representative had urged the government to focus on creating more jobs.

"The fact the government decided to hold their first pop-up cabinet in the Woden town centre is an indication they see it as most in need," he said.

"We have about 11,500 square metres of vacant office space in Woden and we have spent an enormous amount of money upgrading the building to have a five-star energy rating to meet government and corporate lease requirements," he said.

Mr Quinn said the ACT government should be praised for its community engagement initiative but more action was required.

"If there isn't some action to point to by Christmas then I would feel as though the work we have done would not have come to fruition," he said.

"If we were still having this conversation in January or February then I would be feeling very concerned."

Earlier this year, Minister for Planning Mick Gentleman released a draft plan to transform the town centre into an economic hub capable of supporting jobs and residential developments.

Chris Redmond, director of the Woden Community Service Group, said any redevelopment of the town would need to balance commercial priorities with the needs of the community.

"There is a crisis within the town centre around getting the right mix of services and business," he said.

"There are a range of issues around the relocation of the public service away from Woden which I think will see a lot of buying power moving out of the town."

Minister for Community Services Yvette Berry said the event was a chance for residents to speak directly with ministers about how Woden could be improved.

A community services roundtable will be held on Thursday, with business leaders continuing to meet ministers.

"Local community service workers are some of the people best placed to help us build a better understanding of their local community and part of town, so we're coming to them," she said.

Martin Miller, president of the Woden Valley Community Council, said declining employment was a major concern and it was beginning to have an impact on smaller businesses in the town centre.

"Some long-term small businesses have closed while some new businesses and franchises have opened, particularly in Westfield Woden," he said.

"To what extent that new business will succeed will depend on future public service and private sector employment."

Mr Miller said the town centre could also become a base for health and science research given the proximity of the Canberra Hospital and the federal health department.

Mr Quinn, a member of the Woden Group, established to lobby for the renewal of the town, has said the departure of 2100 public servants would result in an annual loss of $5 million.

The figure was reached by assigning each departing worker an individual spend of $200 on services and products each month.