Mayo Clinic Massive Construction Plans Up For City Council Review

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing this evening on a document that outlines what is expected to be a multi-billion investment in downtown Rochester by the Mayo Clinic.

The revised Mayo Clinic 5-year plan for downtown Rochester incorporates a number of very large construction projects that have been the subject off preparation work pending the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees' approval of its Bold, Forward. Unbound. strategy to "transform healthcare globally and reimagined patient and staff experience in Rochester." If approved, the planned projects would dramatically transform areas of downtown Rochester west of the Gonda Building.

The documentation submitted to the city indicates that Mayo is planning for the addition of nearly 1.7 million square feet of space for medical care at the current Ozmun Building site and the current Damon Parking Ramp. That includes a unified patient entry area to the Mayo downtown campus that will likely result in closing portions of 3rd and 4th Avenues Southwest between the Gonda Building and the patient care facility proposed for the Ozmun site.

The five-year plan includes the demolition of the former Lourdes High School Building for use as an ancillary support facility. The Damon Parking Ramp and the Ozmun parking structure would also come down to make way for additional medical care space, but the plan also includes two new parking structures, one designated for Mayo Clinic patients and visitors and the other for Mayo Clinic employees. Overall, the five-year plan adds almost 190,000 square feet of space for parking.

Earlier statements from Mayo Clinic indicated the massive construction plan could be presented to the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees for final approval before the end of the year with construction beginning in 2024.