Rochester cheers progress at DMC annual meeting.

Byline: William Morris

Five years in, the Destination Medical Center program is delivering many of its goals in Rochester, Minnesota, its leaders say.

"I remember when we first started, everyone wanted to see cranes, and now you see cranes around the city," said Jeff Bolton, president of the DMC Economic Development Agency board and vice president at Mayo Clinic, at the organization's annual meeting Wednesday.

Since the Legislature created it in 2013, the Destination Medical Center Corp. has funneled millions of dollars in public investment to support a boom of private development on and around Mayo Clinic's campuses. There are 21 major projects approved or under construction, and the total investment in known projects expected through 2021 is more than $700 million, Bolton said.

"We're really having the market validate the DMC vision," he said, noting Mayo Clinic alone expects to invest more than $1 billion over the 20-year lifespan of the Destination Medical Center. "We are well on the path to getting the $5.5 billion in private investment that was part of the legislation."

Going forward, the work will include critical conversations about housing affordability, workforce development and, particularly in 2019, transportation, said R.T. Rybak, the Destination Medical Center Corp.'s board chair and former Minneapolis mayor.

"It's going to be really important as we grow that we don't choke this city with exhaust or bury it under parking ramps, so we're going to do a lot, especially over this next year, to look at movement and transportation," he said.

In addition to fostering private development, the Destination Medical Center seeks to revitalize public spaces and gateways throughout the city, said Lisa Clarke, executive director...