Details of the Mayo Clinic's $6.5 Billion Master Plan for Rochester, Minnesota

An article by Chris Bentley provides the details of a $6.5 billion master plan by the Mayo Clinic for the city of Rochester, Minnesota, which has been home to the medical foundation since 1863 and currently provides 33,000 jobs.

"Mayo and private developers plan to pour $6.5 billion into the so-called Destination Medical Center plan over the next 20 years," according to Bentley. "The challenge will be in preserving Rochester’s small town charm while supercharging medical tourism and potentially doubling the population of Minnesota’s third largest city."

Bentley goes on to provide insight into the planning and design process that created the master plan as well as the key details about the plan, which includes six districts comprising 550 acres. "It calls for a revamped downtown waterfront along the Zumbro River; an ice-skating rink at the foot of Pelli Clarke Pelli’s Gonda Building; an urban office park for biotech companies dubbed “Discovery Square”; and potentially a new rail connection to the Twin Cities, 90 miles to Rochester’s north." The article includes renderings and plan views to illustrate the scale and ambition of the effort.

The Minnesota legislature has already approved $585 million to fund the public infrastructure that will support the projects included in the plan. The Mayo Clinic intends to spend $3.5 billion over the life of the project.