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Background

During the spring of 2015, DMC was holding its final hearings. At about the same time Major Jim Frye from the Salvation Army had spoken with the Rochester Area Interfaith Leaders about his concerns related to DMC and how the Salvation Army’s community service buildings were not on the DMC map. Such services are critical services and many issues were raised regarding accessibility and the impact on social services by DMC.

These concerns were brought back to the Justice and Peace Ministry Team of Congregational Church UCC. After discussion, the team decided to appear before the final DMC meeting asking for a social impact statement, and they made plans for what would be the first In the Shadow of Growth Forums on June 17, 2015. Presenters were individuals from the community services area. With approximately 120 concerned community members in attendance, it was felt that a second forum would be held to gauge from those community members to see what direction the group would be from there.

So, a community group had started. In the meantime, several downtown church leaders had been meeting about the same issues. The group was called In the City for Good. The steering committee for the Forums met and chose to take on that name. There are eight Action groups working with the issues of Living Wages, Transportation, Affordable Housing, Sustainability, Social Services, Education, Social Justice and Historic Preservation.

 

October 2021 Activities

FORUM  WITH INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT DR. KENT PEKEL- October 21, 6:30 to 8:00:

In the City for Good will be presenting an online forum to give all in the community an opportuniy to hear from Rochester Public Schools Interim Superintendent Kent Pekel. Dr. Pekel will give an overview of his time so far in the district, along with more information on the strategic plan he will be proposing. Interested Rochester residents may submit questions ahead of time or during the meeting to be used in a Q&A time period after his primary presentation. The October 21 forum will be from 6:30 to 8.

 

Steering Committee- Tuesday, October 5, 4:00 p.m.

Topic: In the City for Good Steering Committee

Time: Oct 5, 2021 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

 Join Zoom Meeting

Contact [email protected] for Zoom info. 

 

Housing Team- Monday, October 11 7:00 p.m.

Our next In the City for Good Housing Team meeting will be on October 11 at 7 pm. We will be discussing the proposed Unified Development Code with Ryan Yetzer, Interim Deputy Director, Community Development for the City of Rochester leading the discussion along with others in the Community Development area. We will especially focus on what some of the proposed changes could mean related to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and the role of ADUs in addressing the concerns around the affordability of workforce and senior housing. This will be an online meeting, with the link to be sent out later this week.

 

Age-Friendly- Oct 12th and 26th 2:30 to 4:00

Meeting Information:

Age-Friendly Olmsted County Planning Group

Tues. Oct 12 and 26

2:30pm - 4pm

 

Contact [email protected] for Zoom info

 

Social Services/Social Justice- Watch for info of upcoming November meeting

Welcome

inthecityforgoodWelcome to In City for Good Website

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Purpose of the site
A sub-site of Community Beam, the City4Good website is being prototyped by openBEAM.net  to help the "In the City For Good initiative" to better collaborate.
Community Status/News

This panel displays the latest community news. For a standalone view please click this LINK.



Rochester-Olmsted County 4(d) Affordable Housing Incentive Program - Rental property owners

Nov 5, 2026: Applications open for Rochester-Olmsted County 4(d) Affordable Housing Incentive Program

Nov 3, 2025 Application Open:  Application Open The current Rochester-Olmsted County 4(d) Affordable Housing Incentive Program application is for the Tax Assessment Year 2025 - Tax Payable Year 2026, the tax savings for this application will not be realized until the Tax Payable Year 2026.

 

Last Updated November 05, 2026



Reimagining 6th Ave West - Project Update

Nov 2026 Press Release 6th Ave. Design Open House

Sep 9, 2026 City Council Update

Mar 2 2025 City Council: Memo, Video, Presentation

Sep 2025 Press Release: City of Rochester Launches “Reimagining Sixth Avenue W” to Reconnect Downtown Mobility Network

Last Updated October 29, 2026



October 2026 City Council Study Session

Downtown Employee Parking 

Prevailing Wages for City Projects

Last Updated October 28, 2026



Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Strategic Management & Policy Considerations

Oct 26 City Council Study Session

Last Updated October 26, 2026



Council Initiated Action - City Council Civility Pledge

Oct 19, 2026 City Council Meeting Pledge

LMC - Civility Pledge

Last Updated October 24, 2026



RPS 2030 Strategic Plan Finalization

RPS Board Meeting: Oct 20, 2026 Board Finalization

RPS Board Briefings: Oct 6, 2026; Sep 15, 2026

Last Updated October 21, 2026



Co-design Information

Oct 19, 2026 Community Co-Design Leadership Training

October 2, 2023 City Council Study Session; September Co-design Meeting (Co-Design Preparation Guide, Pilot Co-Design Dashboard) 

Last Updated October 19, 2026



Graham Park Exhibition Center

Oct 14, 2026: Lodging Tax 0.5% increase proposal

Apr 24, 2026: Oak View Group to run exhibition center.

Aug 2025: Groundbreaking Construction began Wednesday on a $48.7 million project at Graham Park, Rochester. The centerpiece is an 80,000-square-foot exhibition center with a performance arena seating 1,500 people.

Last Updated October 14, 2026



Housing Alliance Meeting Log

2025 Notable 

Maxfield Housing Report

Environmental Justice; 

 

Last Updated October 12, 2026



City for Good 2026 Candidates Forum Proceedings

RPS Board Candidate Forums: C4G Forum: Written responses to City for Good Questions:; League of Women Voters Video

C4G: City Council Candidates and Mayoral Candidate Video Recordings

Last Updated October 12, 2026



Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) Publications

2026, 2023, 2021, 2019 Olmsted County Housing Profiles By Minnesota Housing Partnership 

2026 MN State Profile

Last Updated October 09, 2026



2026 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) Data

healthwellnessyouth

Oct 6, 2026 School Board Meeting 

Gemini AI: Breakdown of how individual schools within Rochester Public Schools MCA test data; How did Southeast Minnesota schools do on the MCAs?

 

Last Updated October 07, 2026



RPS Balanced Budget Model

Oct 6, 2026 RPS Board Meeting: Levy

2026 Review and 2027 Enhancements: 

 Phase I of the Balanced Budget Model (BBM), launched across all learning sites and select special education programs, served as both a starting point and a critical learning stage.

AI Summary of PB ePaper Article

Last Updated October 07, 2026



Sports Complex 2026 Updates

Sep 29, 2026: Press Release - City and Altra Federal Credit Union partnership

Jul 13, 2026: City Council Study Session - Funding Options for Indoor Phase 2 

Apr 27, 2026 City Council Study Session Community Engagement Rochester Regional Sports Center, Stadium & Sports Fields

Last Updated September 29, 2026



DMC Strategic Development Proposal

Sep 2026: Strategic Priorities and Funding Framework

May 2026: Consider a recommendation to approve up to $3 million in DMC General State Infrastructure Aid (GSIA)

Last Updated September 27, 2026



Second Street LINK Transit Construction

Sep 24, 2026 DMCC Board Meeting

City, DMC PSA: Beginning September 22, traffic on 2nd Street SW will shift to maintain one lane in each direction between 18th Avenue SW and 23rd Avenue SW Affected areas

Last Updated September 26, 2026



America's City for Heath and Older Adults Needs

Sep 2026: DMCC Board Meeting

Jul 2026: AARP Tech and Aging

Mar 2026:Tech Enabled Aging In Place Talks Postings

Oct 2025 AI Summary of Dave Beal's PB Op Ed: "Include older adults in Rochester's Plans"

Last Updated September 24, 2026



CHATEAU THEATRE OPERATING ANALYSIS UPDATE

Sep 24, 2026 DMCC Board Meeting; Sep 9, 2026 City Council Action Chateau Strategy

Aug 10, 2026 City Council Study Session  Council to review planning-level capital investment needs identified through both the City’s facility assessment and the Legends Global operating analysis.

Last Updated September 24, 2026



Downtown and Public Realm Investment

Sep 24, 2026 DMCC Board Meeting 

City of Rochester Launches Minnesota’s First Operational Thermal Energy Network Through Downtown Building Energy Transition Initiative

Last Updated September 24, 2026



Home Innovation Lab - Aging in Place

Sep 2026: Tech-Enabled Housing Update at DMCC Board

May 2026: Home Innovation Lab Open House

Dec 2025 DMCC Board Meeting: The Home Innovation Lab will combine research, technology, and design to create and evaluate “tech-enabled age-in-place” living environments that improve health, comfort, and independence for older adults.

Apr 2025 DMC Real Estate Summit: Aging in place talk

Last Updated September 23, 2026