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Rochester Local

What Does DMC Mean for Me?!

What Does DMC Mean For Me? | Rochester MN Moms Blog

So you’ve seen the flashy design renderings and you’ve heard something about millions – or was it billions?! – of dollars being spent on the city’s future, but you’re still wondering, “What does Rochester’s Destination Medical Center have to do with me and my family?”

If you’d like to read more about the economic development specifics of the 20 year DMC plan, you can read through the official website, but where do you go if you want to find out what all of it means for the families of Rochester?  The truth is that there isn’t one place to find this information, but somewhere between all of those huge dollar amounts and lists of implementation phases, you can begin to see how things may impact you and your children.

The plan focuses on five districts within the “DMC Corridor,” which include a narrow area around St. Marys Hospital and the Kutzky Park neighborhood, the entire Mayo Clinic downtown campus, Soldiers Field park, and the riverfront behind the Mayo Civic Center, which extends north and follows the train tracks west along Civic Center Drive. The districts have been given names based on what the plans say should be included in the area: St. Marys Place aka The Great Room, Transit Terrace, Downtown Waterfront, Discovery Square and Heart of the City.

DMC can be narrowed down to what needs to be done in the city to support a future boom in travel to Rochester for medical needs. More Mayo patients requires more Mayo staff–from front desk people to surgeons, more hotel rooms, more places to eat, better transportation to and around the city, and finally, more entertainment options for those with less serious medical needs and patient travel companions. Each need branches off into more needs, which hinges on a very large population of diverse workers. Workforce growth means more people need to relocate to Rochester, but in order to attract those who will fill the additional jobs, the city needs to improve its livability.

What Does DMC Mean For Me? | Rochester MN Moms Blog

Anticipate significant changes to our transit system. The city will be making our streets safer and more pedestrian-friendly and there will be an enhancement of public transportation options to fit more people’s needs. Buses will run more often and in more places, more bicycle lanes will be created and sidewalks will widen for pedestrians allowing for more outdoor gathering spaces. You can expect the city to embrace the desires and needs of a younger population who will make up a large part of the needed additional workforce. The hope for these young people is that they’ll come here to work and stay here to raise their families. Rochester is already a fantastic place for parents and children, but you can expect growth in this area as well. You don’t have to look very hard to see things happening already. The Minnesota Children’s Museum of Rochester is looking to move into the old Senior Center castle, the Rochester Public Library is seeking funding to add more floors and there are now more festivals and celebrations than you can fit on your calendar in every season.

My husband and I moved to Rochester in early 2000. Back then you would have been hard-pressed to find much to do on a weekend, let alone a weekday evening. The population has grown significantly since we arrived, and with it we’ve seen an increase in interesting places to go and things to do. Of course, our position in life has changed from a newly married couple in our mid-twenties to parents of elementary-aged children in our late-thirties. When the DMC plan is complete in 20 years, we’ll be nearing 60. and our children will be adults. I look forward to growing old within Rochester – the Destination Medical Center we call home.

What Does DMC Mean For Me? | Rochester MN Moms Blog

All images used with permission © 2015 Destination Medical Center

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