Rochester administrator briefs Olmsted County on downtown construction, transit and housing plans

Allison Zellems, City of Rochester administrator, gave the Olmsted County Board an update on major downtown and citywide projects, saying the city is working to coordinate private and public investment and to reduce permitting delays for developers.

Zellems described a period of large private and public investment downtown — including the Bold Forward Unbound project and ongoing Mayo Clinic construction — and outlined city steps to manage the effect of simultaneous projects. She highlighted the city’s updated unified development code and said it has reduced the number of times developers must return to the elected body for approvals.

"We update this website all the time, Downtown Rochester Construction Dot Org," Zellems told commissioners, referring to a public dashboard the city uses to publish two-week forecasts, printable maps and a virtual map of impacts. She said the city produces a one-page weekly update of road and pedestrian impacts and that the virtual map is adjusted as needed.

Zellems reviewed capital projects including the Sixth Street Riverfront improvements, Link Rapid Transit (operating roughly 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and every five minutes on peak segments), the McQuillan Splash Pad, and a regional sports and recreation complex under design. She said the city recorded a near-record year for building permits in 2024 and has added staff to speed plan review. "We have added 15 staff members... Our most recent addition was an additional wastewater engineer," she said.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about traffic signage, coordination with MnDOT and Mayo Clinic, homelessness and worker housing. Commissioner Thomas recommended using variable message signage at highway exits to inform drivers of closures and detours; Zellems said she would pass the feedback to her team. On homelessness, Zellems said the city engages through library, parks, public safety and neighborhood services but that the city does not directly provide shelter services; she characterized further action as an elected-official policy decision.

Zellems and commissioners also discussed workforce and housing implications for the construction period; she estimated, based on ongoing project staggers, that daily construction worker counts in downtown could be in the hundreds to low thousands depending on phasing and contractor sourcing.

Why it matters: the city’s construction program and large private investments affect traffic, neighborhood life and county services. Zellems asked for continued coordination with the county and other partners as projects progress.