Month: January 2017

Community members weigh in on the future of downtown transportation

January 30, 2017General

A sustainable transportation model is pivotal to the success of the DMC vision. And from practical solutions like dedicated bus lanes to more futuristic ideas like driverless shuttles, the topic brought dozens of community members together for the first of four Public Conversations highlighting transit for Rochester’s downtown.

The informal open house, held on January 24 at the University of Minnesota Rochester, provided the public with a chance to hear from transportation consultants about the four integrated transit studies being conducted and offer their feedback on what they see working best for Rochester’s future.

Engaging the community through prototyping

January 26, 2017General

2016 brought a multitude of new ideas and excitement to downtown Rochester with the temporary installation of 16 prototypes at the first ever PlaceMakers | Rochester Prototyping Festival.

The idea of prototyping is not new, but it is new to Rochester.

Since the September festival, which addressed “Health and the Built Environment,” the community is beginning to see more examples of urban prototyping taking place.

The future of transportation: A public conversation

January 19, 2017General

Efficient downtown transportation is essential to the success of the DMC Development Plan, and local residents are being asked to help drive the future of this important component.

Integrated Transit Studies being conducted

The city of Rochester is conducting four integrated transit studies to support and advance DMC’s plan. On January 24, study consultants will host the first of four public conversations to share their findings and listen to the thoughts of attendees on transportation in downtown.

Richard Freese is the director of the city’s Public Works Department and feels that Rochester is a unique city requiring a unique approach to travel demand management. “Since the invention of the automobile, cities around the world have tried unsuccessfully to build their way out of traffic congestion by building more or wider roads,” Freese says.

At your service: Chamberlain provides a personal touch

January 16, 2017General

Taxis, Uber, Lyft. Personal transportation is at the forefront of many discussions taking place in Rochester recently. And while DMC, the city, and community leaders and advocates are dedicated to ensuring that transportation solutions support the growth of the city, those solutions will require more than the point-A-to-point-B services provided by the above options.

Enter Chamberlain, Rochester’s own unique but generally undiscovered transportation service that goes the extra mile for its customers.

Chamberlain is dedicated to providing black car transportation but has found that customers are looking for more. “They want a personal touch,” says owner Laura Elwood, so Chamberlain includes concierge and lifestyle management services as options for its guests. And, according to Elwood, serving those guests is the highlight of the Chamberlain story.

Post Bulletin: Design team chosen for Discovery Square

January 12, 2017General

Discovery Square diagram

A new design team was chosen Thursday to map out Mayo Clinic’s largest downtown DMC project, Discovery Square.

RSP Architects and St. Louis, Mo.-based HOK were selected design Discovery Square, which could include up to 2 million square feet of research and education space in the Destination Medical Center’s Discovery Square district. The 20-block subdistrict is between Fourth Street Southwest and Sixth Street Southwest bordered by South Broadway and Fifth Avenue Southwest.

Discovery Square is anticipated to be a major driver of the $6.5 billion DMC initiative’s projected job growth and private spending. M.A. Mortenson Co. of Minneapolis is leading the development of the project for Mayo Clinic.

Read the original article >

Read the original news release >

Kicking off 2017: DMC puts you in the middle of it all

January 6, 2017General

The DMC vision is not one that can be accomplished alone – or overnight. But with the advancements that took place on the DMC Development Plan over the past year, Rochester is well on its way to becoming a premier global medical destination.

It doesn’t take an urban planner to recognize the qualities it takes for a city to be successful. DMC is in the middle of it all: growth, investment, culture, community, innovation… the list goes on. And Rochester is hitting the mark on each attribute, ensuring 2017 will be another year of success.

Growth: A map on the DMC website highlights the fourteen projects currently in various stages of development in the DMC district, including the Alatus Development Project in St Marys Place (#14), the Titan-OPUS Project in Discovery Square (#3), and the Lofts at Mayo Park in the downtown Waterfront (#9), just to name a few.

Investment: Private investment gained significant momentum during 2016 that put DMC on course to reach the $200 million threshold that unlocks $585 million in public funds spanning over 20 years.