The news that Mayo Clinic’s board of directors has approved the $5 billion Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester initiative to further expand its Rochester campus is a historic moment for our
city, our state, and our region, as we witness the world’s premier destination for health and wellness grow and thrive. “This is a transformative investment in the future of health care,” said executive director Patrick Seeb. “It solidifies Rochester as America’s City for Health, a destination for health and innovation.”
Mayo Clinic’s continued commitment to Rochester is also a reflection of the vision and collaboration that Destination Medical Center has nurtured and advanced since its inception in 2013. DMC, born of a bipartisan effort in the Minnesota legislature to strengthen Rochester as America’s City for Health with Mayo Clinic at its heart, has been instrumental in creating an environment that helped Mayo Clinic confidently commit to substantial expansion of its core campus. This unprecedented investment by Mayo Clinic coupled with additional significant public and private investment in downtown Rochester, is accelerating the Destination Medical Center initiative originally envisioned.
Over the past 10 years, we have seen this in many ways, including:
- DMC’s ongoing stewardship of $585 million of public infrastructure funds, the largest in Minnesota history, to support improvements, public amenities, and placemaking projects in Rochester. The scope of improvements encompassed transportation, utilities, parking, parks, trails, public art, and more. These enhancements not only benefit Mayo Clinic, but the entire community and region.
- DMC has facilitated the development of Discovery Square, a 16-block innovation district that connects Mayo with entrepreneurs, researchers, and educators. It is also home to One and Two Discovery Square which have a combined 290,000 square feet of cutting-edge life science amenities with such tenants as Phillips, Rion, and Mayo Clinic Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory.
- DMC has supported the creation of signature public realm projects to enhance the experience and well-being of patients, visitors, and residents. The Heart of the City is a vibrant and welcoming public space that serves as the gateway to downtown Rochester and Mayo Clinic. Improvements to Soldiers Field Memorial Park will provide a relaxing experience for everyone, just a short walk from downtown. Connecting all of this is Discovery Walk, a 4-block linear parkway through Discovery Square that extends the collaborative environment within One and Two Discovery Square to the outdoor space.
DMC will continue to work with Mayo Clinic, the City of Rochester, and Olmsted County to make Rochester an increasingly attractive place to live, work and visit. Among other initiatives, we will be working together on the Link Bus Rapid Transit system and redevelopment of key riverfront areas along with a new Sixth Street bridge.
As these projects unfold, we will continue to approach them through lenses of equity and sustainability. Community co-design will be used in conjunction with Discovery Walk and other DMC initiatives to engage, hear from, and collaborate with our community. Work will continue with our partners in the City of Rochester to achieve sustainability and energy goals. We will leverage what we have learned in DMC’s first decade with respect to engaging businesses and other stakeholders impacted by construction to lessen inconvenience through Business Forward.
Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester initiative is exciting news for Rochester. At DMC, we are proud to have played a part in enabling Mayo Clinic
to make a substantial new commitment to our community. We look forward to working with Mayo Clinic, the City of Rochester, and Olmsted County to fulfill our shared vision of making Rochester a world-class city that is a destination for health and wellness, and a place where everyone can live, work, and thrive.