Rochester Riverfront Small Area Plan
Review the Approved Plan
City of Rochester Presentation to City Council: May 16, 2022
Thank you for joinging us at the Ice Cream Social and Walking Tour!
Civic Center
There were walking tours of both sites, family-friendly fun like music, chalk art, and
snacks. The community shared thoughts on how to leverage Downtown’s unique assets, and forge a stronger relationship with the Zumbro River and your neighbors!
Get Involved!
The Riverfront Small Area Plan is a community-driven process to develop a market-supported vision for a central waterfront property. The site’s transformation will link together several civic, cultural and government assets to the heart of downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic. The plan will establish a people-centric place that leverages natural and cultural resources and supports multi-modal connectivity to adjacent areas including the Downtown.
Share Your Vision
Help us brainstorm ideas for activities and mini-events to activate project site and riverfront.
Join the Conversation
Join us for a five-part virtual series about enhancing downtown Rochester’s public realm and riverfront.
THIS EVENT WAS VIA ZOOM AND IN PERSON:
The Chateau
15 - 1st Street SW
Rochester, MN 55902
Previous: RIVERFRONT TALKS Conversation Series
Purpose: Rochester’s downtown riverfront is poised for transformation. Come share your thoughts and ideas about how to leverage downtown’s unique assets to enhance overall connectivity and forge a stronger relationship with the Zumbro River.
LAND USE + OPEN SPACE
There is increased demand for parks and open space, and the Zumbro Trail network is a remarkable amenity that could be better engaged. At the same time, open spaces that do not have active building edges and a robust calendar of events can languish. This session will...
EQUITY + ECONOMY
Downtown Rochester is witnessing a good deal of new development with an influx of multifamily housing, institutional expansion and increased investment in the public realm. New development should leverage what is already occurring and not syphon away activity from other locations. This session will look at the...
SUSTAINABILITY + ACCESS
The Zumbro River through downtown is in a concrete channel to facilitate water movement and protect downtown from floods. The channelized condition also means that access to the water is limited. In many downtown locations one cannot even see the water. This session explores strategies for addressing...
HISTORIC PRESERVATION + REDEVELOPMENT
The Study Area resides at the city’s origin point, and it is defined by historic structures that trace the evolution of downtown Rochester. Over time, building uses change but their form can endure. This session looks at the historical evolution of the site and how it has...
URBAN DESIGN + PROGRAMMING
In Person Location:
The Chateau
15 - 1st Street SW
Rochester, MN 55902
Session five brings forward themes explored in the previous four virtual sessions and formulates a series of community-based planning and design principles for the site’s evolution.
- What community-based themes have emerged in the...
Videos: Riverfront Talks Series
RIVERFRONT TALKS: URBAN DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING
Follow Our Progress
Identify Priorities
Continue identifying and prioritizing the local communities needs, goals, and aspirations.
Design a Menu of Options
Begin developing a variety of development scenarios and programming for public feedback.
Project Location
This city-owned site has the potential to be both a “front door” that faces the river, as well as a gateway into downtown. Located at the intersection of the Rochester Arts and Culture District and the Main Street Mixed-Use District as outlined in the Downtown Master Plan, it is also located within the Destination Medical Center (DMC) district, a public-private economic development initiative that funds selected public infrastructure within the district.
The city envisions the site as part of the historic cultural triangle that encompasses the Library, Mayo Civic Center, Government Center, and the historic shops at 3rd and Broadway. The future Bus Rapid Transit corridor, now in design, will run east along 2nd Street and west along 4th Street adjacent to the site.
It is anticipated that completed plans would outline:
Mix of land uses
Public realm concept design
Heritage preservation objectives
Street and block layouts
Residential densities
Guidance for urban design
Sustainable design elements
General building forms
Future infrastructure needs
The Riverfront Small Area Plan will be a transformative, one-of-a-kind project, which encompasses Rochester’s past as well as its future and is welcome to all. It will include vibrant public spaces, some development, and an integration of nature and the Zumbro River. As America’s City for Health, Rochester is a global medical destination. Therefore, the project will incorporate accessibility for all abilities and center human wellbeing in its design.
The consultant team, composed of Gamble Associates (lead, Urban Designers and Architects), NEOO Partners (Community Engagement and Economic Development), SWA Group (Landscape Architects), omloop (Branding and Wayfinding) is partnered with a co-design group composed of members from different communities around Rochester. Multiple public engagement events will be held for the duration of the project, beginning with this virtual series.