Plans for Destination Medical Center took a big step forward on Friday as Mayo Clinic announced it will work with Minneapolis-based M.A. Mortenson Company to develop the Discovery Square sub-district.

The company will be tasked with developing 2 million square feet of new research, commercial and product development space in downtown Rochester. Construction on what will be the first of many Discovery Square buildings is expected to begin in late 2017 and take about two years to complete.

“This is a small step for Mayo Clinic and a giant step for DMC in bringing Discovery Square to life,” said Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede. “While we all might get a little impatient waiting to see these projects reshape our landscape, big things take time as we work through the planning process.”

Plans for Discovery Square were first revealed in June at the BIO International Conference in San Francisco. Mayo plans to take up about half the space in the first building, which could be up to 100,000 square feet. The rest would be used by private researchers and developers working with Mayo.

“Discovery Square will invite doctors, researchers, and innovators to come together in a space where they can share ideas, develop new products, and advance patient care,” Lisa Clarke, executive director of the DMC Economic Development Agency, said in a new release.

Construction on Discovery Square will take place over the next 20 years — and will double Mayo's existing research footprint, which currently stands at 1.3 million square feet (as Mayo points out in the release, the entire downtown Rochester campus is more than 15 million square feet).

Lt. Governor Tina Smith, who serves as the board chair for the DMC Corporation, applauded the selection of Mortenson. The company has worked on a number of big statewide projects, including the Union Depot in St. Paul and the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, in which it served as the lead contractor.

“With [Mortenson’s] experience, they will be a fantastic partner with Mayo to spearhead the development of the six-block Discovery Square, the bioscience research, education and medical innovation campus that is the core of the DMC,” said Smith. “Discovery Square, which will include Mayo and other private businesses, is a key milestone for DMC.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the DMC Corporation board's approval of the team charged with designing the Heart of the City's public spaces. The Heart of the City and Discovery Square sub-districts, along with transportation, have been listed as DMC's top three priorities for the first five years.

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(Cover photo: DMC Development Plan)