7 things to know from Rochester City Council bus tour – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER — The fourth annual Rochester City Council bus tour highlighted current and pending city projects, ranging from street updates to new city facilities.

The 3.5-hour tour traveled roughly 12 miles back and forth from the city’s Public Works Transit Operations Center, 4300 East River Road NE to the southeast Rochester site of the planned regional sports and recreation complex near 45th Street Southeast.

It also included a stop at Silver Lake Park on the return trip.

City Administrator Alison Zelms said the mix of drive-by descriptions of projects and stops for more in-depth discussions provided a different style of engagement for council members as they prepare to make future decisions.

“I feel like it’s helpful to see on the ground the projects that are happening,” she said.

Among insights shared on Monday’s tour were:

Randy Petersen / Post Bulletin

1. Schematic designs for the sports and recreation complex moving forward. 

With the annexation process underway

for 158 acres, Rochester Recreation and Facilities Division Head Ben Boldt told council members a schematic design for grounds including eight ball fields, 12 pickleball courts, two soccer fields and a basketball court has been completed, with some potential tweaks to be made.

The design also includes park space, a trail connection and other amenities for daily community use.

Boldt said the design, which leaves space for future indoor facilities, was created with the help of a 12-member community group, which provided individual insights while also seeking public feedback regarding plans and options.

“I thought we had really good participation with a lot of feedback, from aspects of physical accessibility, bicycling. sports groups, age-friendly Olmsted County and business groups,” he said.

With additional design work moving forward, the construction on the first phase of the project is set to start later this year, with a May 2027 opening anticipated.

Randy Petersen / Post Bulletin

2. The Silver Lake Dam project has been modified. 

Dredging of Silver Lake, along with efforts to modify the existing dam,

could start this fall.

“It’s much easier to dredge during the winter months and it also minimizes any impact for recreational uses,” Rochester Deputy Public Works Director Aaron Luckstein said.

With 60% of the design complete, Luckstein said updated plans continue to target changing the style of the dam, but they offer the opportunity to keep more of the existing lake footprint.

The plans currently under state and federal review will shift the proposed rapids west, so they start closer to the Broadway Avenue bridge and continue under the roadway.

With $4 million to $5.2 million budgeted for dredging and $5.5 million available for the dam project, Luckstein said planned work includes preparation of a trail extension on the northside of the lake. Grant funding is being sought to complete the trail.

The council is slated to receive an update on the project during a July 28 study session.

3. Pedestrian improvements are expected along 37th Street Northwest this year. 

A sidewalk is expected to be added to the north side of 37th Street Northwest, stretching east from 18th Avenue.

“Included in this project are intersection improvements at 15th Avenue Northwest,” Public Works Director Tyler Niemeyer said of the project that initially sought grant funding in 2020.

“Fifteenth Avenue has been a significant source of complaints, especially for students crossing between the schools on each side of 37th,” he added. “The kids are kind of playing Frogger across the street, without some intersection improvements.”

The project, which is scheduled to be completed this fall, is expected to cost $800,000, with $613,000 coming from a federal grant.

Randy Petersen / Post Bulletin

4. Funding support options are being sought for a planned southwest Rochester affordable housing project. 

An up to $285,000 shortfall in a planned $22.7 million, 48-unit workforce housing project could lead to a request for tax-increment financing or other city financial support.

Community Development Director Irene Woodward said the project, dubbed

Restoration Glen,

is being constructed as a collaboration of Three Rivers Community Action and Bear Creek Development Center and already receiving state support and is expected to have a 4d property tax classification, which will keep rents affordable.

“Due to the 4d program, which reduces tax for affordable housing, it really doesn’t generate enough tax through TIF, so we are looking at other resources to be able to support that,” she said, noting TIF typically returns a portion of property taxes to help developers fill financial gaps on approved projects.

5. RPT Go is taking off in the final months. 

A pilot on-demand microtransit service

provided by Rochester Public Transit has expanded its coverage area following a lack of use within the initial southeast Rochester zone.

“Out of the gate, we didn’t see great ridership numbers,” Assistant City Administrator Ryan Yetzer said of the program that began in October 2024 with a $831,250 budget from state and federal grants.

The program’s range was

tweaked last year

and again in April, now offering 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. service in more of southern Rochester and reducing the fare to $2 per ride.

Within three weeks of the last expansion, more than 239 rides were provided, but the pilot program is set to end in July.

While additional funding isn’t expected to continue the program, Yetzer said the city will retain the vehicle, which could be used for para-transit services.

6. Southeast trail spur continues to be watched. 

Options for a 2.7-mile rail spur running from the mainline at Fourth Street Northwest to 20th Street Southeast continue to be pondered by city staff.

“One of the things the spur does is disconnect some of the better development sites from the riverfront,” said Steve Sampson Brown, Rochester’s director of construction.

He said the spur owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas Railway Co. sees 100 railcars a year to export canned goods from Seneca Foods and 80 railcars a year to deliver drywall to Tamarack Materials.

City and county officials have said in the past the rail company has voiced various levels of support for closing the spur if it’s no longer needed by businesses.

Randy Petersen / Post Bulletin

7 . A new parks and forestry facility is expected to open development opportunities. 

Ending the tour with discussion of the planned expansion at the Public Works Transit Operations Center, Deputy City Administrator Aaron Parrish said plans to

move Parks and Forestry operations

under the same roof as some Public Works functions will open sites closer to downtown for future development.

In addition to the current Parks and Forestry facility at 403 E. Center St., the project is expected to move services from the city’s Traffic Operation Building at 24 Civic Center Drive.

“There’s a lot of development that is going to spin off of this,” he said, pointing to the potential for redeveloping the two city sites, as well as additional land between the new northwest facility and Broadway Avenue.