DMC: What’s been happening and what’s up next

When the Minnesota Legislature approved the Destination Medical Center (DMC) financing plan in May 2013, it was the first major milestone in the 20-year project to secure the status of Minnesota as a global medical destination now and in the future. It is a public-private partnership that includes the state of Minnesota, City of Rochester, Olmsted County and Mayo Clinic. DMC initiatives will enhance the experience for patients, visitors and community residents, making Rochester a great place to live, work, play and heal.

The DMC plan calls for $585 million in public investment from the state and local jurisdictions. The funds approved by the Minnesota Legislature will not be used for any Mayo Clinic projects, and Mayo Clinic doesn’t decide how the state funds will be spent. Mayo Clinic plans to invest $3.5 billion over 20 years to improve and enhance care and services on the Rochester campus. This investment will leverage an additional $2.1 billion in private investments to support the DMC vision.

If you’re wondering about what’s happened with DMC lately and what’s next, read on.DMC_teardrop_green_180px

What’s been happening since the legislation passed? 

Implementation of the DMC initiative is underway. As per the legislation, two groups required to plan and execute DMC have been created:

  1. DMC Corp. (DMCC)
    This group is responsible for providing oversight and ensuring that planning and implementation of the DMC initiative supports the legislative intent and public purpose defined in state statute. The DMCC Board will approve the development plan and make decisions about how best to invest the public funds to maximize private investment and achieve development goals. To learn more about DMCC, including board members, visit dmccorportation.org
  2. DMC Economic Development Agency (EDA)
    This is an independent private nonprofit agency that will provide a broad range of development services to the DMCC and coordinate with local jurisdictions to facilitate the DMC planning process. That process includes a broad-based effort to gather community input to help form the development plan. The EDA has conducted interviews for planners, analysts and economic consultants who will produce the development plan. Hiring decisions are expected to be announced inlate February or early March.

What’s next?  

DMC is planning a Community Input Process to seek broad input from the community that will factor into the 20-year development plan. DMC research identified eight core areas as the foundation of a vital downtown Rochester (in no particular order). They are:

  1. Arts and Culture/Civic/Entertainment
  2. Commercial Research and Technology
  3. Health and Wellness
  4. Hospitality/Conventions
  5. Learning Environment
  6. Livable City/Retail/Dining
  7. Sports, Recreation and Nature
  8. Transportation

Learn about DMC and the community input process by visiting and signing up on the www.dmc.mn website for DMC updates.