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DMC Related Projects

These are projects known to be eligible for DMC funding considerations. Please contact us if you have more information to share about DMC projects.  

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DMC Projects
Project Phase Definitions

The following defines the various project phases:

  1. Available - a product, program or service is in production
  2. Develop - program or application is being developed
  3. Plan - idea is solid, stakeholders are identified, and there is strong commitment to go forward from all parties.
  4. Concept Phase - idea scoped out with enough details to give an early sizing and/or to build a proof of concept
    demonstration
  5. Pre-concept Phase - an early idea or a requirement.

The following projects are deemed to be under considerations for funding assistance from DMC:

Available

Adminstration of Rochester's 3.12M award from Minnesota Main Street Economic Revitalization Program

  • DMC EDA: DMC and City of Rochester adminstrating the distribution of 3.12M award. Formal grant criteria will be established, including the prioritization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) participation. DMC will serve as the administrator of the grant.

Berkman Apartments (Alatus Development)

  • Alatus, LLC: A more than $100 million housing and commercial development is proposed for a high-profile corner of Second Street Southwest, next to Mayo Clinic's Saint Marys campus. The plans call for a 13-story building with two levels of underground parking to be built on more than two acres at the southwest corner of 14th Avenue Southwest and Second Street. The Brentwood on 2nd and the Ray-Mar Motel stand on that corner. The hotels, along with some nearby houses, will be demolished to clear the way for the project. The Brentwood also houses several businesses, including City Market, Charlie's Eatery & Pub, A Shared Smile and the Healing Touch Spa.

Building Strong Communities

  • Building Strong Communities: The Building Strong Communities program is a multi-trade apprenticeship preparatory program that will prepare you for a career in the construction industry. This program offers individuals the opportunity to receive Union endorsed training, exposure and a “foot in the door” to a career in the trades. Program graduates will have an opportunity to interview with participating Construction Trade Unions and Contractors.

Castle Community Proposal for Rochester Armory Building

  • Castlecommunity : A Truly Unique Community Space Imagine a bustling, rejuvenated community gathering space in our downtown, where artists can afford to work, learn, and grow their craft. Imagine a place where the community can explore, meet, and expand. Imagine a creative environment where young, old, rich, poor, artsy, and fartsy can escape, dream, and celebrate together. Imagine a Creative Castle Community.

Chateau Theater

  • City of Rochester/Chateau Theater Re-use Task Force : City of Rochester is looking into various options for the preservation of Chateau Theater. This has been approved as a DMC Project. The historic theater was constructed in 1927 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Conley Maass Build Out on Discovery Square

  • Hunter and Traci Downs: Building owners Hunter and Traci Downs is renovating the 115-year-old downtown Rochester building to help inspire economic activity and preserve local history. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building is slated to eventually be home to Area 10 Labs, Brandhoot, a business incubator, a "maker space" and a future restaurant.

DMC In the Middle of Everywhere (DMC Marketing Plan)

  • DMC EDA: Support DMC development by driving qualified investor/developer, entrepreneur and life science leads through hyper-targeted digital strategies; keep DMC top-of-mind with key influencers and stakeholders. Target audiences include: investors, healthcare innovators, commercial real estate and life science professionals. Target markets include upper Midwest and select national markets.

Destination Medical Center (DMC)

  • DMC EDA: Intended to bring to Rochester, Olmsted County and Minnesota private investment in excess of $5.6 billion: • Seeks to create at least 35,000 new jobs in Minnesota and bring tax revenue in excess of $7 billion to the State • Intended to give prospective employees,patients and visitors substantial reason to consider Rochester their ‘destination’.

Discovery Square One

  • Mortenson and Mayo Clinic: The building (Building1@DSQ) aims to serve as a catalyst for Discovery Square, a 16-block area on the south end of downtown that Mayo and local officials want to develop as a life science research campus. Representatives from Mortenson announced today to members of the Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors the specific location where construction will take place on its hallmark Discovery Square project. The planned 60,000+ square foot, state-of-the-art research and development complex, currently being designed by RSP Architects and HOK, will be built at the corner of 4th Street SW and 2nd Avenue SW, according to Mortenson representative Jeremy Jacobs.

First Avenue Flats

  • Joseph Development: $4.9M - Central Station: A downtown development that has garnered favor with city officials for providing affordable housing is on track to win the city's approval. The Rochester Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday reviewed a final development plan for the Flats on First, a 68-unit apartment building formerly referred to as The Downtowner. The commission previously had recommended denial of the development's preliminary plat, but the city council gave approval based on the city's desperate need for affordable housing in light of Destination Medical Center plans.

 

Development Phase

DMC Dashboard

  • DMC EDA: 1. To be able to best track, present and communicate the progress of the DMC initiative 2. Monitor broader social and economic conditions of the district.

DMC Discovery Square

  • DMC EDA: DMC’s Discovery Square, which will include the current Minnesota BioBusiness Center, is anticipated to be one of the largest drivers for job growth as it positions Rochester to attract medical innovators and researchers with the ultimate goal of commercializing new medical discovery and businesses throughout the city and the state. A feasibility study of the proposed biobusiness hub Discovery Square is expected in February of 2016, according to Economic Development Agency Director and Mayo Clinic Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Bolton. The study, which is being funded by Mayo Clinic, will evaluate the extent to which Mayo Clinic and DMC might attract investment and entrepreneurs to Rochester, in addition to potential developer revenue streams and other types of industries that might be interested. “We’re hoping this serves as a hotbed of innovation that pushes us toward new modes of development,” Bolton said.

Discovery Walk Co-designing

  • DMC EDA: Public realm along the 2nd Avenue corridor from 2nd Street to 6th Street (Soldiers Field.)

Eleven 02 Hotel Plan

  • TBD: TBD

Place Maker | DMC Urban Prototyping

  • DMC EDA: DMC has been working with Rochester Downtown Alliance and Rochester Art Center on a new program concept for Rochester called PlaceMaker|Rochester Prototyping Festival. Prototyping is a business strategy used in other industries and is now being applied to city development. This is a year-long initiative that began in January and will conclude with a final report and analysis in December, punctuated by numerous public events and activities, the most visible of which is the Sept 15-17 public display of project installations held in conjunction with Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation’s Transform Conference.

Planning To Succeed: Rochester 2040 Comprehensive Plan (P2S)

  • City of Rochester, MN: Rochester is a growing community and that growth is anticipated to continue. Growth and change presents both opportunities and challenges. Long-range planning is needed to position the City to address its long-term needs; to be resilient; to support changing demographics; and to address housing demand, multi-modal transportation needs, growth in jobs and visitors, and more; while working with finite resources. Rochester’s long-range planning effort, referred to as “Planning to Succeed” or P2S, will update the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Residence at Discovery Square (Third Ave Lofts Residence at Discovery Square)

  • The Urban Studio: Early tentative plans were presented to Rochester's Committee on Urban Design and Environment in January by the Vinar's architect, Teresa McCormack. McCormack, the owner of The Urban Studio in Rochester, described the complex with an estimated 150 market-rate apartments plus mixed-use commercial space.

Saint Marys Hospital Projects

  • Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic plans to invest $217 million over five years to renovate and expand its St. Marys Campus, the Rochester-based medical system announced on Thursday.

Sustainability and Resiliency Action Plan

  • City of Rochester, MN: The Sustainability and Resiliency Action Plan will focus on five key areas - Vibrant Neighborhoods, City for Health, Transportation, Resilient Economy, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions - highlighting economic, environmental, and social resiliency strategies that can help guide the city on future decision making. This will better prepare the community for foreseen and unforeseen impacts from disasters, but also strengthen the community through successes.

 

Plan Phase

LINK - Bus Rapid Transit

  • City of Rochester and DMC EDA: Link is a proposed 2.8 mile route along 2nd Street that will connect downtown Rochester, Mayo Civic Center, Mayo Clinic campuses, and the Downtown Waterfront Southeast area. Link will be operated by Rochester Public Transit and will be free for all users. Link buses are high amenity, 60-foot electric buses which will provide service to 7 stations across the city. Service intervals will be every 5 minutes on weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., and every 10 to 15 minutes at other times. Link will operate from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends.

Mayo Clinic Bold Forward Unbound

  • Mayo Clinic: An initiative that invests $5 billion to reshape six downtown blocks by 2030. The plan includes the construction of five new buildings — including two clinical buildings — with architectural firms Foster + Partners and CannonDesign and construction manager Gilbane. Construction is anticipated to pick up in early 2024, beginning with the demolition of former hotels on West Center Street, the former Lourdes High School building, Damon parking ramp and the Ozmun building. The 2.4 million square feet of new space will be “infused with technology to improve care delivery,” said Dr. Amy Williams, Mayo Clinic executive dean of practice. Those clinical buildings will feature a flexible grid where rooms and floors can meet the structural specifications needed for operating suites, inpatient hospital beds and diagnostic imaging spaces. This opens the door to converting some operating rooms, for example, into inpatient rooms, or vice versa.

Mix Housing Mayo Civic Center Parking Lot

  • Sherman Associates: The plan calls for creating approximately 335 new apartments — 250 with market-rate rents and 85 at more affordable rents based on income requirements.

Riverfront Small Area Plan

  • City of Rochester and DMC EDA: The City of Rochester is developing a small area plan for a central waterfront property that links together several civic, cultural and government assets to the heart of downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic.

Valleyhigh Villas

  • TBD: 139-unit senior affordable housing

 

Concept Phase

Co-design Tracker

  • OpenBeam: To showcase Rochester Area's Co-design projects and to track the progress toward implementing their recommendations.

Downtown Waterfront Southeast: 6th Street Bridge Concept Design

  • City of Rochester and DMC EDA: As part of the approved 2021 Downtown Waterfront S.E. Small Area Plan, a series of public realm improvements projects was identified to create a cohesive, connected, and activated redevelopment district. These public realm improvement projects not only provide improved access and connections to the district, they also elevate the overall experience, enhance the natural systems on a degraded site, and provide confidence that the Destination Medical Center (DMC) and the City of Rochester are committed to redeveloping the site and improving adjacent neighborhoods.

Education, Health and Recreation Space (DMC UMR/Rec sub-district)

  • TBD: This sub-district incorporates UMR's Master Plan and the northern edge of Soldier's Field as an anchoring element to the DMC Development District and strategies for growth. This sub-district integrates and urban college campus and recreational uses into the district, thereby creating another catalyst for the growth of retail, entertainment and residential uses in the downtown. It is anticipated that UMR will have its first building built in this area before the end of the first phase of the DMC implementation process.

Enclave Development Housing Plan for the Y Site

  • Enclave: Developer sees 220 units and greenspace at former YMCA site. The new apartment complex proposed for the former YMCA site is being designed to take advantage of the surrounding views.

Kmart park-and-ride proposal

  • Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic has proposed converting the site into a park-and-ride hub with more than 1,200 employee parking spaces. Employees would be shuttled from the site to St. Marys Hospital. Mayo says the lot would be a temporary solution for staff parking as the city works toward its goal of establishing a downtown transit circulator.

South-of-Downtown Waterfront Small Area Plan

  • City of Rochester and DMC EDA: In Rochester's most recent comprehensive plan, adopted in 2018, the South-of-Downtown Waterfront Small Area was identified for revitalization due to its proximity to the downtown, frontage along the Zumbro River, and the presence of large tracts of underutilized property. The City of Rochester felt that it would be beneficial to work with stakeholders, including DMC EDA to prepare a collaborative that that represents a shared vision of the Project Area.

The Growth of Gonda Building

  • Mayo Clinic: Rochester’s skyline is going to reach new heights. Mayo Clinic is working with a Singapore development firm to add a seven-story hotel plus four clinical treatment floors on top of its Gonda Building in downtown Rochester. Once completed, the project will make the now 21-floor Gonda Building into Rochester’s tallest skyscraper with the hotel on top.

West Transit Village

  • Mayo, City of Rochester, DMC: Mayo Clinic and Destination Medical Center’s Economic Development Agency are working on a plan to enlist developers to help create a “transit village” at the Link’s west end, which includes 12.3 acres currently occupied by a 936-space parking lot. Preliminary estimates indicate the proposed village could include 680 to 800 new housing units, 35,000 to 60,000 square feet of retail space and 2,800 to 3,100 parking spaces, which would include some private Mayo employee parking, as well as public parking. The plan would also include a plaza area and public restrooms with a transit station and a new connection to Cascade Lake. And 30% to 40% open space.

 

 

Archive

Bloom Rochester River Front Project

  • Bloom Holding: The Bloom Development in Rochester, MN, is located on the riverfront of the Zumbro River, and aspires to set a new standard of quality in the downtown business district. This 1,000,000 square foot development creates an inclusive destination of hospitality and shopping, complemented with contemporary restaurants and nightlife. The project is composed of two high-rise towers: a 4-star hotel, condominiums, and senior living apartments. The towers are placed atop of a podium that features ground level retail, restaurants, and parking garage. The master plan concept improves access to the Zumbro Riverfront with a boardwalk creating a pedestrian friendly environment and activating the river’s edge. The location is ideal to form an urban hub connecting City Hall to the opposite side of the river and the commercial downtown area. The development will consist of a 180 key 4-star hotel, with 130 branded condominiums; 215 unit high-rise senior community; 30,000 square feet of food and beverage establishments and 7,000 square feet of retail. Public spaces will be added, including an indoor winter garden, 3rd St. public plaza, rooftop terrace park, and boardwalk.

DMC Transportation: Parking

  • Kimley-Horn: Study total parking requirements and solutions within the DMC area.

Downtown Rochester Access Management Authority per DMC Transportation Improvement 7.5.1.1 plan draft

  • TBD: To create a thriving environment for business and community by building partnerships, delivering targeted transportation programs, and fostering economic vitality.

Heart of the City North (Days Inn Replacement)

  • Hammes Company: The owner of the Days Inn property in downtown Rochester is working with Wisconsin-based Hammes Company on a proposal to demolish the existing structure and replace it with a 16-story, mixed-use development.

Rochester Public Library Expansion (Two Floor Addition)

  • Rochester Public Library: Plans are in motion for Rochester Public Library to begin a study of a two-floor addition to the downtown location, a renovation that would nearly double the facility in size, and cost an estimated $47 million to $55 million.

Rochester Ready

  • TBD: Rochester Ready is an initiative to ensure a safe and resilient recovery for Rochester, Minnesota.

Rochester’s Keep it Local, COVID-19 Innovators Grant Program

  • City of Rochester, MN, DMC EDA, Rochester Downtown Alliance: The City of Rochester has approved $50,000 in grant funds to help Rochester-based small businesses and organizations that are helping each other respond, adapt, and strengthen Rochester’s economy for the future. Destination Medical Center is making an additional $50,000 available for businesses located in the DMC/EDA geographic area.

Saint Marys Place: Holiday Inn Project

  • Brutger Equities: Brutger Equities' plans for a $63 million hotel project across Second Street from Saint Marys Hospital was a big deal. An array of forces came together to challenge the developer, the city's planning and zoning process, the Destination Medical Center bureaucracy, and eventually the City Council's competency, and developer Larry Brutger decided he'd had enough.TBD