Feb. 9 -- ROCHESTER -- The results of a yearlong effort aimed at looking 25 years into Rochester's future will be reviewed on Monday.
Mayor Kim Norton, along with New York-based consultant Roger Mader, will present the results of the Rochester Vision 2050 launched last year.
"I pulled together an absolutely fabulous group of Rochester residents to be on the steering committee, to guide the process and help interpret the data," Norton said during her 2025 State of the City address .
In addition to the steering committee, a visioning group of more than 40 community leaders from various groups and industries helped gather data that fueled the effort.
"Thousands of people responded and many of them had more than one idea, so we have lots of information to go through," Norton said of the results, which point to housing and education as key issues cited by Rochester residents.
The work was funded with $20,000 from the mayor's 2024 budget and $30,000 from the Rochester City Council's contingency fund.
On Monday, the City Council will receive a report from Mader during its 3:30 p.m. study session in the council chambers of the city-county Government Center.
Mader is expected to share key insights from the process, which gathered information from May through November last year, before reviewing the community input. As a consultant who works with companies and other organizations to develop growth strategies, Mader is expected to present ideas identified as important long-term investment areas for Rochester.
He is also expected to share the analysis provided by local steering committee members, which helped identify priority areas and potential partners for addressing future decisions and priorities.
The results come as the City Council is in the process of reviewing its strategic priorities, which currently target affordable living, economic vibrancy and growth management, and quality services.
The council is slated to return to the priorities discussion in March, with the possibility of implementing any changes in April or May.
Following Monday's study session, the Rochester City Council also plans to hold a special meeting, which will be used to go into a closed session to consider the option and purchase price of properties near the intersection of Valleyhigh Road and 60th Avenue Northwest.
A nearly $2.7 million purchase agreement for 116 acres just outside the city's northwest border in Kalmar Township was extended to February last year as city staff reviewed potential sites for a planned Sports and Recreation complex, but a southeast site was deemed more cost-efficient and approved by the council on Feb. 3 .
No specific use for the site is included in the agenda for Monday's special meeting, but it states the council could consider action on the issue following the closed session.
Meetings scheduled to be held during the week of Feb. 10 include:
Rochester
-- City Council study session, 3:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE. The meeting will livestream at www.rochestermn.gov/meetings/council-meetings and be available on Spectrum cable channel 180 or 188.
-- City Council special meeting, following the study session Monday in council chambers of the Government Center.
-- Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Commission, 6:30 p.m. Monday in room 104 of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE.
-- Sustainability and Resiliency Commission, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in room 104 of City Hall.
-- Planning and Zoning Commission, 5 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the Government Center.
Olmsted County
-- Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 4 p.m. Thursday in board chambers of the Government Center.