DMC officials presented an update to the Destination Medical Center 20‑year development plan at the Nov. 24 Rochester City Council study session and asked council members for guidance on strategic priorities and measurable outcomes.

Patrick Seeb, DMC executive director, said the plan update centers on three themes—health innovation as an economic engine, health excellence as an attractor and health in the built environment—and reminded council that state law requires the DMC plan to be updated and reaffirmed every five years. Seeb said the plan is intended as a strategic framework to guide investments and governance rather than a list of preapproved projects.

Catherine Malmberg walked council members through the document and timeline, noting the draft is 178 pages and includes mapped data and plan alignment with other community initiatives. Staff emphasized the plan will return to council in January for additional discussion and then to the DMC board in February for further action.

Council members pushed on downtown impacts, housing and anti‑displacement strategies, and safety. Several members asked for deeper, measurable success metrics and appendices that provide the analytic detail behind high‑level goals. Council Member Miller and others asked how DMC programs and TIF usage support small businesses and neighborhood vitality; staff pointed to pilot efforts (pop‑up retail) and the downtown task force as ongoing responses to concerns about retail displacement and safety.

On housing, DMC staff noted an initial prototype for-sale workforce housing project in partnership with a private developer and First Homes that would use public investments (mid‑block pedestrian infrastructure and land-value support) to lower costs; staff also said there are state-level barriers to downtown for-sale condominium projects that require broader advocacy.

DMC staff said the update will be refined with the council’s feedback, including clearer definitions of metrics and deeper appendices on tax revenue, TIF timing and distributional impacts. Staff asked council to consider how the plan’s strategic priorities align with city goals and partners such as RDA, Experience Rochester and the Coalition for Rochester Area Housing.

Next steps: staff will return with additional analysis and appendix materials in January and follow the timeline toward DMC board consideration in February.