Latest news with #AnswerMan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why isn't Rochester's skyline a bit more impressive?
May 31—Dear Answer Man: Why can't Rochester encourage at least some developers to think tall? Verticality shows we have arrived, that we are a place to live and work. Well-designed and architecturally interesting towers can be important landmarks, giving Rochester its own unique skyline and character. Can Rochester get something that truly stands out among its dull downtown buildings? — Disappointed Dan. Dear Disappointed, It seems like you're asking for two things: height and pizzazz. Preferably in the same building. Think New York City's Empire State Building or the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, I assume. Well, don't expect something akin to the Burj Khalifa to be built on the old Post Bulletin site. That said, whatever replaces the old Post Bulletin building can only be an improvement. Overall, I think you're being a bit hard on the Med City. First, many of our larger buildings are somewhat utilitarian. The Gonda Building, for example, is a clinical building meant for patient care. That said, considering the purpose, I think it's quite lovely. Want more evidence of a quality skyline? The Plummer Building comes with bona fide 1920s Art Deco style. Broadway Plaza tops off at 29 stories tall. The space-age Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building is both energy efficient and stylistically forward. But for a bit more context, I reached out to Chris Osmundson, director at Onward Investors, to discuss why tall buildings are not a priority in Rochester. Osmundson said it all comes down to the differences between Type III and Type I construction. Type III — "lumber typically over a pre-cast concrete podium" — can only be built up to 75 feet, up to seven stories. Just one more story would require a different, and much more expensive, construction type. Type I — post-tension concrete — can be build taller, but at a 35% increase in costs per floor. Examples of Type I construction in Rochester would be The Berkman. And while that building got built at 11 stories, it also came with $10.5 million in tax-increment financing funding. Then there's the matter of rents. No one is probably going to pay the rents that would make such a tall building profitable — especially at today's construction prices — in Rochester. "The taller projects that are working to get done or have gotten done in Rochester are trophy assets trying to command rents that they can only get from a small percentage of the population, and also need significant subsidy," Osmundson said. So, dream all you like about a one-third scale model of the Taipei 101 tower (good luck building something so tall and heavy atop our karst geology) in downtown Rochester, but my guess is nothing in the next 10 years will top Broadway Plaza. And, considering how I feel about Rochester's current skyline, Answer Man is OK with that. Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@ .
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How do you know where not to drive in downtown Rochester?
May 18—Dear Answer Man: Last week, you wrote about some of the big MnDOT projects going on in Southeast Minnesota this year. But what about the road work being done by the city of Rochester? I was driving downtown last week, and it was like heading down the wrong way in a maze. There are more closed roads and detours than I can figure out. How do I stay ahead of this traffic mess? — Rochester Road Warrior. Dear Road Warrior, I feel your driving rage. Last week, I was trying to navigate downtown Rochester and came upon a closed road even the map app on my phone didn't know existed. In my head, I heard the word "Rerouting." C'est la vie. Answer Man's good friend with the city of Rochester, Communications & Engagement Coordinator Megan Moeller, said, "Downtown is undergoing a significant transformation that will benefit everyone who lives, works and visits our city. We're excited about what's ahead and truly appreciate the public's patience during this period of change." That's Megan shining the apple. Her next line is what we're all thinking: "We understand that navigating construction, especially during the busy warm-weather months, can be challenging." Preach the truth, Megan. But she's right. The city isn't tearing up roads for the fun of it. All this is to make for a more enjoyable experience for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles (including mass transit vehicles) down the, ahem, road. Currently, Answer Man counts eight-and-a-half blocks of completely closed roads in downtown Rochester. That includes a Second Avenue Southwest alleyway between West Center Street and Peace Plaza, two blocks of Second Street Southwest from Fourth Avenue to Sixth Avenue, two blocks-plus of Sixth Avenue Southwest from a bit south of Second Street to West Center Street, roughly two blocks of Peace Garden Drive Southwest from 10th Avenue to Marian Circle, Fifth Street Southwest from Fourth Avenue to Sixth Avenue, and nearly a block from Fourth Avenue Southwest from First Street to Second Street. That doesn't include the roughly dozen blocks of streets reduced to a single lane in each direction and intersections of "periodic closure." Challenging, indeed. You might think, "I bet this is all related to that Link Bus Rapid Transit project, right?" Well, not exactly. Much of this has to do with utility infrastructure for Mayo Clinic projects. The Link transit construction comes later this summer when the amount of roadblocks will make today's number of closed roads look quaint. Mayo Clinic and the city are seeking to collaborate so they don't tear up and repairs streets only to tear them up again for additional work. So, how will you get to your favorite downtown restaurant (shameless plug for downtown dining) or even to a Mayo Clinic appointment? Well, the city of Rochester and Mayo Clinic have created websites to help you see what is closed and what detours might exist. The city's website is , where the city offers printable maps and an online in-depth virtual map that can be viewed. Furthermore, Mayo Clinic offers the Rochester Construction Webpage that is designed to help patients navigate to their appointments and features the latest information on parking and drop-offs, suggested routes, road closures and construction across Mayo Clinic's Rochester downtown and Saint Marys campuses. If you're not a daily or even weekly commuter into and our of downtown, you might want to bookmark both of those websites and refer to them when your plans take you downtown. Now, take a deep breath and realize two things: One, like I said, it'll get worse before it gets better, but, two, it will get better, and access to and through downtown will become smoother for everyone. Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@ .
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'R' marks the spot (not to mention 'X' and 'G') for sidewalk repairs around Rochester
Apr. 12—Dear Answer Man: So, our area is scheduled for lots of sidewalk maintenance this year and all the sidewalks have markings on them as to what needs to be done. Earlier this week the street corners all got marked with a red "R" in a red triangle. Then a day or two later, the sidewalks got re-tagged with a black "R" and black triangle. My guess is that the "R" means "replace" but could you please confirm this. Also, while you investigate that, please ask the city why all the corners need replacing. — Sidewalk Sleuth. Dear Sleuth, This is an easy topic to step into as the Post Bulletin has covered this concretely in the past. So, the way it used to work is if the city saw a need to repair or replace the sidewalks in your neighborhood, they'd come in, kick up a lot of dust and charge the property owners along those specific sidewalks for the pleasure of having their sidewalks repaired. Then, in November 2022, the City Council passed the Sidewalk Improvement District plan to deal with the more than 600 miles of city sidewalks and 900-plus pedestrian ramps. The plan divides the city into 20 districts plus the Destination Medical Center zone. The plan is to do repairs in each district once every 20 years — which is about how long sidewalks last — and the more heavily traveled DMC zone once every five years. By creating this maintenance rotation, the city folds the cost of sidewalk repairs into its regular street maintenance budget, and avoids a big bill for individual property owners once every two decades. This year's repair district the one bounded by West Circle Drive on the east, U.S. Highway 14 on the north and Country Club Drive on the south. Next year's district will essentially be the Kutzky Park and Lowertown neighborhoods. The map above has each district labeled with a year, and districts are divided into five — six if you include DMC — regions of the city. According to Megan Moeller, spokeswoman for the city of Rochester and all-around friend to Answer Man, "Our inspectors marked all pedestrian ramps slated for replacement in our NW SID area with a pink "R" and triangle. The ones with black paint are alternates (if we have money at the end of our project, these are next in line for replacement)." So, basically, inspectors go into the designated Sidewalk Improvement District and figure out what needs to be fixed and what is good to go for another 20 years. While there is a specific area for 2025 — again, see the map above — "there will be minimal work throughout the remainder of the NW district (green)," Moeller said. "The pedestrian ramps marked in pink "R" are scheduled for replacement in addition to sidewalk replacement and repair marked by Xs and Gs." Moeller added. Even a rough sidewalk won't trip up Answer Man. Send questions to answerman@ .
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How much is Mayo Clinic paying in property taxes?
Feb. 4—Dear Answer Man: I am aware that the Mayo Clinic plays a significant role in the city of Rochester, from patient care and research to education and employer. I assume some of Mayo holdings qualify as nonprofit status, and hence are exempt from property taxes, just as churches and other nonprofits. Do you know what percentage of Mayo Clinic properties qualify as nonprofit status? — Property Tax Hawk. Dear Tax Hawk, Yeah, we're talking about a lot of money. And it's not as if Mayo Clinic pays zero property taxes in Olmsted County. In fact, Mayo pays millions upon millions of property taxes in Rochester and beyond. But it's safe to say some of the organization's major properties are tax-exempt, including Saint Marys, the Plummer Building and Methodist Hospital. So, before we get started, we're going to have a little primer on property taxes and what you're looking at here. Answer Man is going to give you not an apples-and-oranges comparison, but an apples-and-last-year's apples comparison. So, the most recent property value assessments were from 2024. The taxes paid on those assessments — or estimated market values — will be made in 2025. Obviously, those payments have not been made yet, because it's barely February, so I'll show the payments made in 2024 on the 2023 estimated values. While this is apples-and-last-year's-apples, the estimated values generally don't change much — if at all — from year to year. That said, with no further adieu, here's some the valuations and taxes paid on some of the more valuable and popular Mayo Clinic properties. * Mayo Clinic Hospital Saint Marys: Estimated value, $346,355,500. No property taxes. * Gonda Building: Estimated value, $192,562,100. 2024 taxes paid, $5,446,202. * Mayo Building: Estimated value, $119,685,500. 2024 taxes paid, $3,366,440. * Baldwin Building: Estimated value, $28,923,400. 2024 taxes paid, $844,816. * Plummer Building: Estimated value, $1,831,600. 1,831,600. No property taxes. The Mayo Clinic Hospital Methodist Campus is actually made up of two dozen individual taxable parcels. Rather than list them all, Answer Man did the math on them. The estimated value for 2024 (which will be payable in 2025) for all the parcels is $246,573,800, but the entire property — much like Saint Marys — is tax-exempt, so zero taxes were paid. Not all Mayo Clinic properties are downtown. The Mayo Family Clinic Northeast has an estimated value of $6,199,800, and in 2024 Mayo Clinic paid $179,760 in property taxes. There's the three-building group just west of U.S. Highway 52 at 41st Street Northwest: * Mayo Family Clinic Northwest (also home of the Mayo Clinic Northwest Blood Donor Center, Department Of Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation): Estimated value, $9,128,600. 2024 base taxes, $97,124. * Mayo Clinic Study of Aging: Estimated value, $11,429,300. 2024 base taxes, $298,112. * Supply Chain Solutions developed by Mayo Clinic: Estimated value, $10,877,000. 2024 base taxes, $293,242. Out along West Circle Drive are other Mayo facilities such as at 3050 Superior Drive NW (Mayo Clinic Laboratories and Mayo Superior Drive Support Center), which has an estimated value of $47,425,000 and paid 2024 taxes of $1,212,808. Another Mayo property is at 4001 41st St. NW (Mayo Support Center South) with an estimated value of $31,486,800. Mayo paid $919,840 in property taxes there. This doesn't even include such properties as the Mayo Clinic urgent care facilities in town, or Mayo Clinic hospitals and clinics in Cannon Falls, Red Wing, Kasson, Austin or Albert Lea. Now, within Olmsted County, Mayo Clinic — in its many entity names — owns 216 tax parcels. Of those, 168 are tax exempt either in part or in full. And some of those parcels — say the two dozen that make up the one entity we think of as Methodist Hospital — might be counted individually by the county, but are really, for all intents and purposes, one business entity, according to the fine folks at the Olmsted County Property, Records, and Licensing team. All that makes answering the percentage question somewhat problematic. Still, based on those numbers 78% of Mayo Clinic properties in Olmsted County have some level of tax-exempt status for paying property taxes. That probably sounds like a lot. But again, for many of these parcels, only part of the property is tax exempt. Futhermore, May Clinic is the No. 1 payer of property taxes in dollars in Olmsted County, so it's not like Mayo isn't doing its part to fund the schools, county services, and more. The important question here is this: Is Mayo Clinic paying the taxes it is legally responsible for paying? Well, I haven't read every tax document and article of incorporation, but Mayo has a team of lawyers who make sure the health care institution stays on the right side of the law, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes. So, what about those huge properties — Saint Marys and Methodist, mainly — where Mayo Clinic pays no property taxes? Well, those are hospitals. Hospitals — and this is true across the country — generally don't pay property taxes because, well, you want a hospital to be located in your community. Especially one that is a nonprofit organization. So, how much does Mayo Clinic pay in local property taxes? Well, just on the properties above, Mayo paid $11,969,866 in 2024. That's not spare change. Don't tax your brain. Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@ .
