The 2020-2024 Five-Year Consolidated Plan is a guide for how to use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from 2020 to 2024. It identifies the city's housing and community development needs, priorities, goals, and strategies. The plan includes a needs assessment, market analysis, strategic plan, and annual action plan. Priorities were determined to guide the allocation process through 2020-2024.

The Active Transportation Plan, adopted in October 2022, focuses on walking and biking and suggests improvements for future investments. The plan is designed to guide investments in active transportation throughout Rochester. The plan updates the 2012 Rochester Area Bicycle Master Plan, taking into account changes in population, land use, and transportation options. The Active Transportation Plan aims to make the community safer and healthier by creating accessible connections between businesses, neighborhoods, schools, and other destinations.

The Circle Drive Traffic and Access Management Policy Guide aims to provide temporary guidance on how to improve traffic management and access along the Circle Drive Corridor until specific improvement plans are developed and adopted. The purpose of this guide is to help make decisions about traffic and access improvements that will maintain Circle Drive's function as a major regional traffic corridor with a high level of safety, capacity, and mobility. These principles and concepts should also help design lands next to the corridor in a way that supports Circle Drive's function.

By implementing these principles and concepts, we can preserve the significant public investment made in the Circle Drive corridor and reduce the need for costly remedial measures in the future. The main factors considered in managing traffic and access to maintain traffic flow, capacity, and safety are the design and spacing of street and private access intersections, medians and median crossovers, and traffic signals and signalized intersections.

The Planning 2 Succeed: City Comprehensive Plan 2040 (P2S 2040) is a plan for the future of Rochester. It was created with help from the community, a Comprehensive Task Force, Planning and Zoning Commission, and City Council. Adopted in April 2018, P2S 2040 will be the main guide for how the city grows and develops. Any other plans or infrastructure projects must follow P2S 2040.

View the Complete Streets Policy amendment.

The City DMC District Design Guidelines were made in 2016 to support Rochester's aim of becoming "America's City for Health." This means prioritizing human and community health, as well as economic and environmental health. These guidelines show how applying health-oriented principles to buildings, sites, streets, and districts can rapidly improve an area and make it attractive to people worldwide seeking a healthier lifestyle.

The DMC Development Plan unveiled a transportation vision and 10 Transit Principles to steer transportation planning. However, the plan is not a step-by-step guide for transit development. The Integrated Transit Studies were carried out to review and refine the concepts and assumptions presented in the DMC Plan. Gaining input from the community on transportation ideas and options will be crucial in achieving the shift from cars to transit, walking, and biking required to make the DMC vision a reality.

View the study summaries and technical reports.

The Downtown Waterfront S.E. Small Area Plan (DWSE SAP) is a study area covering over 60 acres. It was completed in 2021 and is located southeast of the downtown core, bordered by 4th St SE to the north, S Broadway to the west, 9th St SE to the south, and 3rd Ave SE to the east. Property owners, residents, and other stakeholders were included in the planning process, resulting in a plan to transform the area into a mixed-use neighborhood with its own identity, while still being connected to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Learn more about the project by visiting the project webpage.

In the fall of 2017, Olmsted County began developing a Graham Parks Master Plan to transform the park into a self-sustaining regional attraction. The plan aims to highlight the Graham arenas, a new multi-use arena and expo facility, and a festival park, while also considering ways to reuse and preserve the existing structures. To inform the plan, Conventions, Sports and Leisure International (CSL) conducted a feasibility study on how to improve facilities at the park. CSL's recommendations, along with input from stakeholders, park staff, and the County Board, were used to create the Graham Park Master Plan. This plan will provide guidance for the park's development for at least the next 10 years.

The Mayo Clinic Five Year Plan Update (2023) is a draft document that updates the 2021 version.  It fulfills requirements of the Chapter 54D and Chapter64N of the Rochester, Minnesota Code of Ordinances, related to the City of Rochester's special districts. 

The Olmsted County Comprehensive Housing Study predicts the housing demand from 2020 to 2030 and suggests the type of housing that could be constructed in Olmsted County to meet the needs of current and future residents in the next ten years. The study forecasts the demand for more than 18,000 new housing units until 2030.

• Olmsted County Comprehensive Housing Study
• Housing Study Highlights - Ownership Focus
• Housing Study Highlights - Rental Focus

In June 2022, the Rochester Design Guidelines were adopted to help property owners and the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) make decisions about how to treat designated historic properties in the City of Rochester. Designated properties are important to the community and need careful consideration when changes are made to them. Section 4-7 of City Code, the Heritage Preservation Ordinance (HP Ordinance), sets out the program for identifying, designating, and preserving historic properties in the City, which supports the City mission.

The Rochester Downtown Master Plan, made in 2010, shows what downtown can be. It guides the people who will shape the future of downtown. The plan helps coordinate and integrate development for downtown to reach its full potential. It's not a static blueprint and needs constant evaluation and adjustment. The City of Rochester, the Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota Rochester, the Rochester Downtown Alliance, and the Rochester Area Foundation made the plan together, understanding that the future of the community is connected to the health and well-being of our downtown

The Rochester Olmsted Council of Governments (ROCOG) approved an amendment to the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan, which includes a new City of Rochester/DMC Rapid Transit system serving downtown Rochester. The ROCOG Board took official action on May 27, 2020. 

The Rochester-Olmsted Council of Governments (ROCOG) 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan is the recognized Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) plan for the Rochester area. It identified the need for upgraded transit service along the 2nd Street SW corridor. ROCOG is creating the 2045 Long-Range Transportation Plan, which will incorporate the locally preferred alternative.

In 2016, the City of Rochester Parks and Recreation Department created a plan for the future of parks and recreational programming for the next 20 years. This year-long process resulted in a comprehensive system plan that outlines park improvements and development.

Learn about this plan on the Parks & Recreation System Plan Project webpage.

Rochester needs a remarkable riverfront to match its people and institutions. As the city grows, there is an increasing need for safe, equitable and excellent public spaces. The pandemic has emphasized the importance of healthy, well-programmed public spaces, outdoor connections, and access to trails. The Small Area Plan focuses on enhancing Rochester's downtown riverfront in compelling and economically viable ways, making it timely and essential.

View the Riverfront Small Area Plan.

The Land Use Plan was created in 2013 to help the Rochester Planning and Zoning Commission and the Rochester Common Council make decisions about land use and development. It provides a description of how growth should happen based on information, projections, studies, and land use options available at the time of the plan's adoption.

• Former Rochester Urban Service Area Land Use Plan 
• Former Rochester Urban Service Area Future Land Use Plan Map 

In 2009, the Second Street Corridor Framework Plan was created to guide growth in the area. The plan aims to increase commercial and housing options, encourage active and supportive uses, and improve walkability and connectivity by adding mixed-use blocks along Second Street. The plan also emphasizes preserving the character of the existing residential neighborhood along First Street SW.

An access and mobility study was conducted on neighborhoods in Rochester with limited access and mobility, especially those in low and moderate-income areas. The study aimed to identify these neighborhoods and create guidelines to improve transportation choices and infrastructure. Our goal was to reduce the negative impact of limited mobility on these communities and improve their access to essential services.

The University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR)Campus Master Plan, created by the University of Minnesota Rochester, has three goals:

1. A physical plan will locate the new UMR campus in the Education District, organizing buildings, open spaces, and important connections to be built by UMR and its partners.
2. The plan will propose a strategy for including partnerships within the Education District.
3. An implementation plan will outline a schedule with significant roles and next steps.

The Urban Village Overlay Zone Design Guidelines has two main purposes:

1. To help create the overlay zoning district and its associated laws.
2. To guide the Rochester Downtown Alliance (RDA) project review process.

When seeking RDA or City assistance for activities like grant requests, incentive developments, and land purchases, proposals and projects should follow these guidelines. Applicants should consider each guideline and show that they understand its purpose to the review authority. The objective is to ensure that the guidelines are followed in both their intent and spirit.