Spring brought the Rochester Rapid Transit project positive news: First, the project received the support of the federal government as U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg announced a recommended $2.5 billion budget for new and expanded public transit services across the country, including $56.1 million for Rochester Rapid Transit. Additionally, Rochester Rapid Transit received an official FTA Rating of Medium-High. Here’s what this news means for the project as it moves forward:
Green Lights Ahead for Rochester Rapid Transit Project, says Sen. Klobuchar
“My announcement today is that all lights are green when it comes to this important rapid transit bus project for the city of Rochester,” said U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar last Friday at a press conference at the Rochester Government Center.
Senator Klobuchar was joined by Rochester City Council President Brooke Carlson and Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency (DMC EDA) Executive Director Patrick Seeb.
She highlighted the project’s potential impact to the city’s fabric of caregiving, as well as the high-level federal interest in it. In May of 2021 it was announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) had rated the project as “Medium-High.” Her former presidential debate stage mate, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, included $56 million for the project in his proposed $2.5 billion budget for 2022. These “breadcrumbs,” as she called them Friday, are why the senator sees green lights.
A milestone achievement for One Discovery Square
Healthcare innovation building now fully leased
One Discovery Square, Mortenson’s life sciences building which opened in 2019 in the Discovery Square sub-district in downtown Rochester, reached a major milestone this spring: the building is now 100 percent leased. Thermo Fisher Scientific is the latest company to commit to space alongside other tenants, including Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota Rochester, Epic, Philips, Boston Scientific, RION, WuXi Diagnostics, Cytotheryx, Exact Sciences and Café Steam. The Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors at a recent meeting commended the continued momentum in the sub-district.
A New Tool for Decision-Making: Rochester’s Air Quality Sensor Network Safeguarding Air Quality Through Data
Healthy cities require healthy air. Thanks to a constellation of local organizations and civilian scientists, Rochester is poised to safeguard its air quality with robust data.
Destination Medical Center has partnered with University of Minnesota Rochester, Rochester Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County, the Sierra Club, We Bike Rochester, and civilian scientists to install a network of air quality sensors throughout the city.
Destination Medical Center Corporation Board celebrates milestone achievement in Discovery Square
Healthcare innovation building, One Discovery Square, now fully leased
(Rochester, Minn.) May 20, 2021 – The Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors today commended the continued momentum in DMC’s Discovery Square sub-district. One Discovery Square, Mortenson’s first life sciences building in the sub-district which opened in 2019, is now 100 percent leased. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Cytotheryx and Exact Sciences are the latest companies to commit to space alongside other tenants, including Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota Rochester, Epic, Philips, Boston Scientific, RION, WuXi Diagnostics and Café Steam.
Working Toward an Equitable, Prosperous Rochester Region
Like millions of Americans, I watched in horror the video of George Floyd being murdered by Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. In the aftermath, I attended Black Lives Matter rallies, helped shovel embers from Lake Street, and participated in community discussions. I knew these were but small gestures. With colleagues at Destination Medical Center, we looked for ways to contribute more meaningfully to reducing inequities that have plagued our society for generations.
A friend and mentor who has worked to advance social justice throughout his entire career in economic and community development counseled me that we are all on a journey. He said of our efforts at DMC: we have done good work and (not but) we must do more.
Five Things to Know about Heart of the City Phase 1
The first phase of Destination Medical Center’s Heart of the City public realm project includes major infrastructure improvements and renovation of the east side of Peace Plaza and surrounding areas. The new design will create active, engaging experiences for residents, visitors and patients in the heart of downtown Rochester. These updates will provide enhanced safety measures, including curbless streets, and provide greater accessibility for people of all abilities. Here are five things to know about the project as it nears completion:
Rochester artists create murals for Two Discovery Square construction site
Four Rochester-based artists, Michelle Palmer, Maggie Panetta, and Beth & John Sievers recently created original art along the 400 block of 2nd Avenue SW (the future Discovery Walk) for the fencing adjacent to the construction site at Two Discovery Square. This was part of a collaboration between Destination Medical Center, Mortenson and Threshold Arts.
The goal of this program is to present art that draws in passersby, creates a connection to the community and generates excitement for the future of Discovery Square, while representing Two Discovery Square’s mission of Embracing the collision of healthcare, hospitality and business at the intersection of Discovery Square – energizing the city through collaboration.
Urban Evolution Episode 13: The New Office: Working from Anywhere
COVID-19 has forced technological evolution and adoption at an unanticipated rate. One resulting trend is working from anywhere. At an American Business Journal “Future of Cities” event earlier this year, urban studies expert Richard Florida noted that for the first time, people are asking themselves deep questions about how they want to live and work with the understanding that they have more choices today in how to organize their lives. In this episode, three professionals representing different industries share their experiences living the work from anywhere lifestyle: Erin Lonoff, Principal with New York-based HR&A advisors, Brandon Hendrickson, founder of the online learning platform Science is Weird, and Aaron Brossoit, CEO of marketing and communications firm Golden Shovel.
Mayo Clinic’s New Research Building Growing to 11 Floors
The long tradition of biomedical innovation that makes up Mayo Clinic’s DNA will continue with the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building on the Rochester, Minnesota, campus, set to open in the fourth quarter of 2023. Research is the engine that drives advances in medical care, and the new facility will enable the team-based scientists of Mayo to continue finding care solutions for patients.
Funded in part through a gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation as well as other generous benefactors, the energy-efficient structure will feature 11 floors and 176,000 square feet of flexible laboratory space. Philanthropy will play a key role in its completion. The building will be located at the intersection of 3rd Street SW and 4th Avenue SW with underground connectors to the Opus and Baldwin Buildings.