Downtown Rochester Task Force shares initial feedback by community stakeholders

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Following work sessions in March, the Downtown Rochester Task Force announced four major themes heard from the downtown community in response to the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on downtown Rochester.

The Downtown Rochester Task Force invited the community and downtown businesses to participate in one of four work sessions to share specific challenges they are experiencing related to downtown. Attendees shared concerns and ideas for moving forward during the facilitated discussions to inform the building of a community-based action plan.

The Task Force shared initial findings from the working sessions Tuesday. Feedback was grouped into four major themes:

Promotion, Activation, and Programming
Access to Downtown
Barriers to Doing Business
Growing Downtown

“The Task Force felt it was important to share the initial findings with the community before moving into the next phase of work. Each piece of information was analyzed and synthesized carefully. The themes identified will help our community prioritize the next steps in the process.”
Patrick Seeb, executive director of Destination Medical Center

Community members are asked to review the initial findings report and provide feedback via a short survey.

In April, working sessions will be organized around the four themes to identify immediate and short-term action recommendations. These working sessions will again be open to the public.

The Downtown Rochester Task Force is using an accelerated model in creating an action plan. The goal is to present an action plan by mid-May 2023.

The Downtown Rochester Task Force includes members from the City of Rochester, Destination Medical Center, Experience Rochester, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Area Economic Development Agency, Inc., and Rochester Downtown Alliance.

More information about the Downtown Rochester Task Force can be found here.