Latest news with #RochesterCityCouncil
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Traveling downtown might never be the same after Mayo Clinic expansion
May 31—ROCHESTER — Driving in downtown Rochester recently can feel a little like going through a corn maze, as the area is dotted with temporary lane and street closures. While some lanes will reopen in the future, it's unlikely that traffic through parts of downtown will ever fully return to what some consider to be normal. "Travel patterns downtown will change drastically," Rochester Traffic Engineer Sam Budzyna said. The changes are the result of a pair of major projects in the city — Mayo Clinic's $5 billion expansion and the city's bus-rapid transit system. And it means some roads, like Third and Fourth avenues southwest, will look different permanently. Last year, the Rochester City Council approved the future closure of the one-way roads between West Center Street and Second Street Southwest to make way for Mayo Clinic's "Bold. Forward. Unbound. In Rochester." project. Mayo Clinic recently submitted an application to consolidate several lots stretching west of the Mayo and Gonda buildings. Mayo Clinic was required to conduct a traffic study and now must work with city staff to outline a plan for anticipated impacts for a 20-year period, Deputy Public Works Director and City Engineer Dillon Dombrovski said. Third and Fourth avenues won't be officially vacated until city-approved plans to address traffic changes are in place. So, where will that traffic go once those roads are closed? It's still a work in progress, but Sixth and Broadway avenues are expected to see major impacts. "Looking at mitigation, we look at the impacts to intersections and different corridors," Dombrovski said. "In this study, it's obviously identified that those trips are going to have to shift elsewhere, and Sixth Avenue (Southwest) is one of the corridors that's identified that see an increase in traffic." He said other north-south traffic could move to Broadway. Increased use of First Avenue will be discouraged, since its design targets pedestrian and bike use. Budzyna said the impacts aren't expected to shift all current Third and Fourth avenue traffic to other north-south corridors, since early study indicates much of the past use focused on the clinic campus as a destination. "A lot of that traffic does go straight to what's currently the west Gonda to drop off, so there's not a whole lot of through traffic with people just cutting through downtown all the way from north to south," he said. While the combined one-way avenues have two lanes in each direction, he said current studies show Sixth Avenue will be able to accommodate the added traffic without widening the roadway, though some improvements are expected. Mayo Clinic must fund the evaluation of potential changes for Sixth Avenue intersections at West Center Street, Second Street Northwest and Civic Center Drive for the city to decide if adjustments are needed, Dombrovski said. "The studies indicate we're going to need to do something differently," he said, adding that Mayo Clinic is expected to bear most of the cost related to making changes under a pending development agreement. City costs could come with improvements outside those required by the Mayo Clinic project. In a statement from Mayo Clinic, communications manager Kristy Jacobson wrote that expansion plans are being "thoughtfully integrated into the broader Rochester downtown area, contributing to a vibrant community where community members, staff, patients and visitors feel welcome. "Once Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester is complete, arrival and departure — serving vehicles, shuttles, valet and pedestrians — will welcome patients and visitors to Mayo Clinic with designs that help reduce vehicle congestion and pave the way for a pedestrian-centric campus that seamlessly connects public and private spaces." Budzyna said early plans show three drop-off points for the new complex: * A southern loop around Calvary Episcopal Church , 111 Third Ave. SW., which sits between the existing Third and Fourth avenues; * A similar northern loop with vehicles driving in on Fourth Avenue and out of Third Avenue; * And a planned "North Arrival Center" near the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 11 Fourth Ave. SW. Combined with the addition of the city's Link Bus Rapid Transit system along Second Street south of the new Mayo Clinic Buildings, Budzyna predicts changes in driving habits will come with the expansion and new parking amenities outside the downtown core. "The travel patterns are just going to change so much, opening up capacity for more patients and visitors rather than employees that just need to store their cars all day long," he said, adding that changes are expected to provide more options for accessing downtown. One impact remaining to be addressed revolves around the elimination of a bike corridor that the city established five years ago. "There's not going to be a bikeway on Third and Fourth (avenues) anymore like there is today, so we have a condition that requires Mayo to be responsible for re-establishing that bike network," Dombrovski said. Mayo Clinic is expected to establish an indoor pedestrian passage through its new building at Fourth Avenue, but Dombrovski said that won't serve the needs of bicyclists, who use the two one-way avenues to cross between downtown bike routes on West Center Street and Fourth Street Southwest. The city engineer said a mobility consultant is expected to be hired to engage bike users and determine the best north-south route through the downtown core, which would tie back to existing facilities on each side of the new construction. Since closing the streets will rely on approved plans to address all traffic impacts, Rochester Planning Supervisor Ed Caples said final filing of the street status is delayed until agreements are reached. "They have to work through it before they can record it," he said. Additionally, he said, the subdivision being reviewed will require the street vacations to be filed before building permits can be issued. Dombrovski said required reviews and planning for future traffic will take time, which is typical with large projects that impact public streets. "That's not any different than any other development project," he said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Rochester should relax its rules on parking minimums
May 24—Joni Mitchell sang that they "paved paradise and put up a parking lot." A little more of paradise will be spared from the steamroller, if the Rochester City Council greenlights a proposal to reduce minimum parking capacity requirements for new apartment buildings in the city. Reporter Randy Petersen described the situation in his in-depth report in last weekend's edition. He found that, in this case at least, developers, new urbanists, and, well, paradise-lovers have a common goal: not to build excess parking just for the sake of meeting some arbitrary standard. The old standard, prior to 2022 when the city implemented its Universal Development Code, called for a minimum of one parking spot per studio or one-bedroom apartment, 1.5 spaces per two-bedroom apartment, two spaces per three-bedroom apartment, and three spaces per four-bedroom apartment. But what if an apartment's developer doesn't expect that many of its tenants will have cars? Just consider the cost of car ownership. A pretty basic ride, a 2025 Toyota Corolla, costs about $24,000. With dealer financing, the monthly payment on a five-year loan comes to $564. Add to that the cost of insurance, registration and gas (to say nothing of the hidden cost of depreciation) — and further, add to that the cost to rent a parking space — and the price of convenient, individual transportation easily tops $1,000 per month. That's money that can be put to a lot of rideshares. So, it's easy to see how Nathan Hoover, one resident whom Randy interviewed, says he gets along fine without a car, even when life calls for a trip to the grocery store or a Target run. And Nathan is not alone. Rochester is becoming a bigger city, with all the attendant concerns about congestion. Other, larger cities have already come to grips with the fact that their regulations were impeding smarter development, and Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth already have done away with parking minimums, as Rochester soon might. Even a small city like Northfield has taken the step. You might ask: If there are no parking minimums, what's to stop unscrupulous developers from building apartment structures without any parking? Will my neighborhood's streets be clogged with parked cars from a nearby high-rise? The answer lies in the relationship between developers and the lenders who finance their projects. A lender won't extend credit to a project that, due to a lack of amenities, shapes up to be a failure. And the truth is, that even though many people might find it reasonable to live without owning a car, still more — the majority of people — still do. They will expect the convenience of available parking. That's a strong safeguard against dereliction. We favor the goal of having the city move to eliminate parking requirements, if not immediately, at least gradually. And that's not all. We also find merit in the city's efforts to extend the availability and reach of public transportation, and to improve the ever-growing network of public facilities including bike lanes and pedestrian routes, because as more people choose to forego car ownership, those services and facilities will be in greater demand. Does all of this mean that Rochester is setting itself up to become the paradise that Joni sang of? We wouldn't go that far, but it's hard to argue that it isn't a step in the right direction.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Delayed Citywalk apartment project seeks creation of TIF district
May 18—ROCHESTER — Tax-increment financing support for a proposed 13-story, 340-unit apartment complex on Second Street Southwest is being considered after years of development discussion. The Rochester City Council, acting as the city's economic development authority, will be asked Monday to approve the creation of a TIF district that could support the project dubbed Citywalk Apartments. Proposed for the southwest corner of the Sixth Avenue Southwest intersection with Second Street, the project has grown in size over the years , starting with a 131-unit proposal in 2021. A report prepared by Rochester Strategic Initiatives Director Josh Johnsen states the anticipated $149.9 million development project — now led by St. Louis Park-based Reuter Walton Development — is hoping to break ground by the end of the year, if TIF support is approved. Potential TIF support will require the City Council to create a specified TIF district on the site, after agreeing the existing buildings that would be replaced are structurally substandard. A public hearing, set to be held toward the end of the council's regular 6 p.m. meeting Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, is planned to take input on the proposed TIF plan. Johnsen states a potential TIF agreement is expected to include a call to maintain two adjacent apartment buildings — 225 Sixth Ave. SW and 620 Second St. SW — as "naturally occurring affordable housing." The plan would require the developers to enroll the properties in an Olmsted County program that requires maintaining specific rent levels in exchange for a reduced tax classification. "This will preserve 76 units of naturally occurring affordable housing for a period of 20 years, ensuring long-term affordability in an area experiencing increasing demand and rising housing costs," Johnsen wrote of the proposed agreement. "By preserving affordability in such close proximity, this project ensures that frontline healthcare workers and support staff can continue to live near their place of employment." Johnsen states that maintaining the existing housing will help provide housing for people of varying incomes within blocks of the planned Mayo Clinic' "Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester" expansion. "These units offer critical affordability within walking distance of downtown jobs, services, and transit, helping to reduce commuting burdens and support a vibrant, mixed-income urban core," he wrote to the council. The proposal comes months after Wayzata-based DM Cos, which led earlier development efforts, purchased a 10-unit boarding house at 219 Sixth Ave. SW for $1.4 million to clear the way for construction of the Citywalk project. DM Cos. is listed as the provider of property management and maintenance services for the Citywalk projects in materials sent to the City Council ahead of Monday's economic development authority meeting. The report sent to the council doesn't put a dollar amount on potential TIF support for the proposed Citywalk project, but it notes the amount will be included in a future development assistance agreement. The plan does point to the potential for 25 years of collecting TIF, which uses property taxes collected on increased values as a property is developed. While local entities would continue to collect property taxes, anything beyond the level collected when a TIF district is created becomes available to support development, if a financing gap is documented. Johnsen said the property's current assessed value of nearly $3.2 million is expected to increase to $86 million once the project is completed, with opening targeted by 2028. Meetings scheduled to be held during the week of May 19 include: Rochester —City Council, 6 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE. The meeting will livestream at and be available on Spectrum cable channel 180 or 188. The council will also meet as the city's economic development authority. —Public Utility Board, 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Rochester Public Utilities community room, 4000 East River Road NE. —Public Music Board, 4 p.m. Tuesday in room 320 of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE. —Library Board, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first-floor meeting room of the Rochester Public Library, 101 Second St. SE. Olmsted County —Physical Development Committee, 1 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the Government Center. —Health, Housing and Human Services Committee, 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 2 of the Government Center. —Administrative Committee, 4 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the city-county Government Center. —Board of County Commissioners, 6 p.m. Tuesday in the board chambers of the Government Center. —Sheriff's Civil Service Commission, 8 a.m. Wednesday with the location to be posted at —Soil and Water Conservation District Board, 8 a.m. Thursday in conference room 109 at 1188 50th St. SE Rochester Rochester Public Schools —School Board, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of the Edison Building, 615 Seventh St. SW. Destination Medical Center —DMC Corp. Board, 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive SE —DMC Corp. Board collaborative session with the Rochester City Council, Olmsted County Board of Commissioners and DMC Economic Development Agency board, 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the fourth-floor ballroom of Hilton Rochester Mayo Clinic, 10 E. Center St.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Parking balance: What's the right mix?
May 17—ROCHESTER — Dirk Erickson said the idea of building a 180-unit apartment complex with only 140 parking stalls never occurred to him before he began planning the Bryk at Broadway Apartments. "I was a little concerned about going 80% (parking) when we were doing this, because we had always rented townhomes before, so everyone had their own garage and driveways to park in," he said. Now planning a second downtown-adjacent project, Erickson, whose company is Stack Development, has no qualms about a ratio that provides fewer parking spaces than apartments. City-required parking minimums changed with the 2022 adoption of a new unified development code, but now Rochester City Council members are asking whether such minimums are needed at all. They plan to discuss it during a June 9 study session. With a proposed 109 parking spaces for 132 apartments near Silver Lake, Erickson said the reduced parking ratio has proven successful at Bryk, which lies roughly four blocks away, near the intersection of North Broadway and Civic Center Drive. "So far, almost basically fully occupied, we are doing just fine with that," he said of Bryk. While dipping below a one-to-one ratio for parking is becoming the norm near downtown, Rochester City Council members are asking whether a minimum for developers should be required at all, anywhere in the city. "Let's not make the city's rules prevent them from going down to zero and see where we end up," Ward 5 Councilmember Shaun Palmer said. "Do I think they will go down to zero? I doubt it, but I think they will have limited parking." The city's 2022 unified development code requires at least one off-street parking space for every two apartments in most areas of the city, but earlier standards were more complex. "The parking standards, as they relate to multi-family, were pretty intense," Rochester Planning Supervisor Ed Caples said of previous requirements. "In most zoning districts, the minimum parking requirement was one parking space for a studio or one bedroom, 1.5 parking spaces for a two-bedroom, two parking spaces for a three-bedroom, and I believe three parking spaces for a four-bedroom." The past standards allowed developers to ask to incorporate fewer spots into developments along transit lines and other amenities or businesses that could reduce the need for tenants to have personal vehicles. However, the process has been seen as time-consuming for developers and city staff, sometimes resulting in added costs or delays for a project. Christine Lindsey and her husband went through the public negotiation process with the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as the City Council, when they developed Cottage Grove at Saint Marys Townhomes with 15 rental units and no tenant parking. Located across 14th Avenue Southwest from Saint Marys Hospital, the complex required special permission to build without off-street tenant parking, reserving a few spaces for deliveries and visitors. It's a model that Lindsey, a Rochester native, said her family experienced in other countries. "My family's lived overseas for so long, we lived it every day, so I understood how it could work," she said. Within two years, the townhome rentals have included a mix of long- and short-term rentals, leasing to international professionals and patients, as well as younger professionals who wanted to avoid buying a car. "It's a choice," Lindsey said. "They could afford a car, but they decide they don't want one." As Rochester invests $175.5 million in federal and DMC funds for the Link rapid-transit system through downtown, Lindsey said she expects to see less reliance on cars by people living and working near the downtown core. Erickson says that's already happening, since people can go to work without needing a car, while a variety of delivery services and rideshare options exist to meet other needs. As the city continues to expand transit and provide safe biking and pedestrian options, he said tenants are less reliant on personal vehicles downtown. Among them is Nathan Hoover, one of the Bryk's first tenants. The 2017 Mayo High School graduate was introduced to the Bryk apartments while working on a marketing video for Realty Growth Inc., which was hired to lease commercial space in the building. "I've always wanted to live downtown," Hoover said. "It's been a goal of mine, instead of living in the suburbs." While his decision not to own a car or get a driver's license makes downtown living practical, he said market rents are beyond his reach. Bryk met his needs, allowing Hoover to have a lifestyle in which he gets coffee downtown before catching a bus to his northwest Rochester office. As RGI's marketing director, he said he finds himself moving throughout the city, but can make it work with public transit and relying on others for a ride when needed. When it comes to grocery shopping and some other personal tasks, it can be challenging, but relying on siblings and friends, as well as delivery options, means saving the costs of vehicle ownership is worth it. "It's a blessing and a curse, but I definitely have made it work for my lifestyle," he said. Going car-free is a choice for Hoover. But Kutzky Park Neighborhood resident Lindsey Rohe says that's not the case for everyone living without a car. "I used to wear my car like a glove," she said. "I loved having a vehicle." A 2013 disability left her paralyzed on half her body, ending her ability to drive. Having lived in two downtown apartment buildings, and now on the edge of downtown, she says her power wheelchair frequently gets her where she needs to go. Otherwise, she relies on public and private transit services. "It's not a choice, but it is a reality that I need to get a ride everywhere," she said, pointing out she's encouraged by some city efforts to increase accessibility, but also sees the need for more awareness for those who don't drive. "I can get to Walgreens, Hy-Vee, and other stores at Barlow Plaza on my own," she said of retail locations within blocks of her apartment building. "The intersection (at Civic Center Drive and 11th Avenue) is super problematic. I fear for my safety every time I cross it, but I go anyway." She said that as the city develops safer routes through and around the downtown area, she expects opportunities to open up for her and others without vehicles. Wyatt Ryan sees a similarly low reliance on cars at Nicholas Apartments, on West Center Street, where he lives. While he owns a car and rents a stall there, he rides his bike to work daily at Mayo Clinic, embracing the flexibility of living near downtown. "A lot of (medical) residents and med students do live here, and I know a lot of them don't have vehicles," he said. He said the current state of Rochester makes it difficult for him to consider giving up his car permanently, but he sees potential for the city to move in that direction. "I love the idea of not needing a vehicle, but I think depending on where those developments would be, it would be really hard," he said. Caples, from the Planning Department, says many cities are shifting expectations for apartment parking with such cases in mind. "It's an ever-evolving field and an ever-evolving understanding of what impacts are for requiring minimum or maximum parking requirements," he said. It means Rochester won't be alone if it drops parking minimums for future downtown apartment buildings. Strong Towns, a nonprofit advocacy organization addressing development patterns, reported that nearly 100 U.S. cities, including Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota, had removed parking requirements by 2021. More recently, Northfield dropped its required parking minimums with unanimous city council support. Northfield Community Development Director Jake Reilly said the effort was gradual, starting with dropping the required parking in the city's downtown historic district several years ago and taking it citywide last year. "We believe the private market knows its parking needs better than we do and therefore removing minimums means that the business owner can determine its need for constructing or including parking spaces in a project," he said. Caples said Community Development staff are still studying impacts of changes in other cities and potential consequences locally in preparation for the council discussion next month. There are some potential risks for the city, he said. "I would say, by and large, reducing to zero, off-street parking requirements and leaving it to the developer leaves open the possibility of spillover on the adjacent roadways and whatnot and the utilization of other parking areas," Caples said of potential negative consequences. Permit programs and seasonal parking requirements can reduce the amount of on-street parking in an area. However, developers and tenants acknowledge that some car owners spill into the streets when they don't want to pay for off-street parking or none is available. Palmer said the concern about added on-street parking is why he doesn't want to eliminate off-street parking requirements in neighborhoods outside the city core. However, he said, city efforts are reducing the potential conflict downtown by opening park-and-ride opportunities at the ends of the rapid-transit system and elsewhere. His fellow council member, Nick Miller, said he sees potential to eliminate parking minimums city-wide for multi-family complexes, but he is willing to start on more limited terms. He said flexibility in regulations, especially downtown, can advance the city's housing and affordability goals. Developers estimate that when costs are broken down, the construction of just one interior parking stall costs between $20,000 and $40,000. While outdoor parking lots are cheaper to build, land prices and availability downtown make them difficult to consider. Since 100 parking spaces can cost $2 million at the low end, the potential high-end rent of $200 per month per space means it would take more than eight years to recoup costs, without accounting for monthly expenses tied to heating the garages, providing security and routine maintenance. Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based developer Nate Stencil said such costs can jeopardize an apartment's affordability when too many spaces are required and left empty. For projects like the recently opened Silver Lake Crossing Apartments on Seventh Street Northwest, near Broadway Avenue, he said providing a parking space for 75% to 80% of the apartments meets tenants' needs without unnecessarily adding to development costs. "At the end of the day, we're the people putting a ton of money at risk to do those types of projects," he said. "If we're comfortable and feel as if the parking won't be an issue to the tenants or won't cause a big enough problem where the building isn't successful, I think it should be up to the developer owner to proceed with those projects within reason." Could a developer put forward a project with zero parking? That's unlikely, especially with the largest projects, said Chris Osmundson, a representative of Minnetonka-based Onward Investors, which is planning a 283-apartment complex on the south side of Civic Center Drive . "Most banking institutions, whether it's debt or equity — and this goes for the market-rate and the affordable housing world — they also need to know that the tenants will in fact rent here," Osmundson said. "They do need to have car parking, so a lot of times debt and equity won't let you build a project with no parking." Onward's project, which is seeking state support to keep rents low, is proposed with 185 spaces for those 283 apartments. That ratio, Osmundson said, hinges on the proximity to downtown and growing transit options. Council member Miller, who himself rarely drives, said it seems like a logical step with more people finding they don't need cars. "When we think about how much of our population is not driving, it gives us more flexibility," he said. Council member Andy Friederichs, who owns three apartment buildings within walking distance of downtown, said his tenants highlight that flexibility. "Very few of our tenants have cars," he said, pointing to buildings populated with medial researchers, students, nurses and physicians seeking to reduce costs. With that insight, he tends to support reducing or eliminating parking requirements for future apartment development. "I do believe it should be up to the discretion of the owner, how they would like to do that," he said. "They are the ones assuming the risk of having no parking." If at least four council members agree, potential changes to the parking requirements could be voted on later this year, with additional updates to the unified development code.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New $21.3 million Link contract approved for $175.5 million rapid-transit project
May 5—ROCHESTER — A new construction contract for street-level work along the planned Link Bus Rapid Transit route reduces the project's overall potential cost by $4.4 million, compared to an earlier proposed contract. The Rochester City Council approved a nearly $21.3 million contract on Monday with Rochester-based Elcor Construction for street, sidewalk and landscaping work related to the $175.5 million project. Work covered by the contract is along the planned 2.8-mile route through downtown Rochester, covering Second Street, between Avalon Cove Court Southwest and Third Avenue Southeast, as well as approximately four blocks south on Third Avenue. The contract comes two months after the council rejected an $83 million bid for work that also included the creation of a pedestrian tunnel under Second Street Southwest and connected transit center near Saint Marys Hospital and work on transit stations along the project. Steve Sampson Brown, Rochester's director of construction, reports dividing the project into two contracts led to a lower-than-expected bid for the work approved Monday. "The low bid received is approximately ($4.44 million) under our consultant's estimate," he wrote in a report to the council. The report also estimates the second half of the work from the earlier rejected contract will cost $57.3 million. The contract for that work remains to be seen by the council. Approximately $58 million the project's current $175.5 million budget already spent by March in securing 60-foot electric buses and preparing for construction, according to Sampson Brown. The project is being funded with $84.9 million in approved Federal Transportation Administration funds, with the majority of the remaining cost being covered through state and county Destination Medical Center transit funds. In March, the City Council approved a nearly $7.7 million contract with Elcor Construction for planned development of public spaces and amenities at the West Transit Village. The contract was approximately $1.4 million less than the estimated cost of the work, which includes the creation of a transit center plaza south of Cascade Lake. Work on the overall project is expected to start in mid- to late-June, according to project manager Josh DeFrang. In addition to the planned West Transit Village plaza, the Link project will include stations: * Near the 19th Avenue Southwest intersection of Second Street * Near Saint Marys Hospital * Near the Sixth Avenue Southwest intersection with Second Street * Near the Second Avenue Southwest intersection with Second Street * Near the Mayo Civic Center * Near the intersection of Third Avenue Southeast and Sixth Street. The West Transit Village and Sixth Street Southeast sites will serve as endpoints to the dedicated route, with other stations offering boardings in each direction every 5 minutes during peak periods and every 10 minutes during other times, including weekends. Peak periods are expected to be from 6 a.m. to 9 a .m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, with service operations anticipated from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends. The transit system is expected to be operational in the spring or summer of 2027.
