Rochester City Council to Consider Peace Plaza Paver Problem Fix

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester City Council is scheduled to receive a presentation on Monday concerning proposed changes to the Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester.

The city has fielded a number of complaints about the raised letter pavers that are predominant throughout the pedestrian plaza since their installation. Many of the criticisms concern the impact the raised letters have on people with mobility and vision limitations and issues involving the uneven settling of the pavers.

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The City Council last year approved hiring a consultant to look into the issue and return with recommendations. According to the meeting agenda, the recommendation calls for immediately expanding the areas of smooth paver pathways on the Peace Plaza at a cost of about $175,000. The report recommends that Destination Medical Center funding be used for the project.

The Destination Medical Center Corporation Board approved the funding request at its meeting today.

There are currently smooth pathways on the north and south sides, along with the east edge of the Peace Plaza adjacent to University Square that are about 10 to 12 feet wide. The consultant is recommending those pathways be expanded to 14 to 16 feet wide with the addition of two more smooth pathways on both sides of 1st Avenue Southwest.

The raised letter pavers were installed as part of a major reworking of the Peace Plaza that began in 2020 and was completed in 2022 as part of an $18 million Destination Medical Center plan to improve public spaces in the Heart of the City District.