Month: May 2014

A River Runs through It

General

DT Rochester - CJ

 

It’s time to rediscover the Zumbro River.

On April 22, toward the end of a lively first hour of the joint DMCC/EDA visioning session, Peter Cavaluzzi, EEK master planning consultant, directed the board’s attention to an aerial photograph of Rochester.

“Look at this city,” he said, staring at the image. “Just sort of glance at some of the most obvious things,” he said, pointing. “You do see the river.” It is, he added, a “wonderful, natural attribute.” In bringing this visual reference to the meeting, Mr. Cavaluzzi echoes what is already a part of the downtown planning conversation—the Rochester riverfront.

The riverfront is among several development opportunities included in the Rochester Downtown Master Plan (RDMP). The plan’s August 2010 report observes, “Revitalization of the Zumbro River’s edge represents a tremendous opportunity for downtown Rochester.”

DMC: The Beginning of Getting Started

General

“We are starting this thing!” said Lisa Clarke to nearly 450 members of the Rochester community gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Mayo Civic Center on Tuesday evening, April 22, 2014. In her current role as the interim executive director of the DMC Economic Development Agency (EDA), Clarke was well aware, however, that what was “just starting” had actually begun many years ago. In the ballroom that night, though, there was an energetic feeling of something being launched—an end to getting ready and the beginning of getting started.

This evening public forum brought to a close a long and productive day of visioning by DMC leadership groups and Rochester-area residents. The day marked the first of many dedicated to public assemblies, community conversations, and governance meetings that will drive the DMC planning process in the coming months.

For the first time, the boards of the Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) and the EDA held a joint board meeting. Also joining the groups for the first time were representatives of the four companies selected to serve as consultants to the DMC planning process: