Mayo Clinic Major Expansion Announcement Coming Tuesday

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Mayo Clinic appears ready to disclose more about its building plans for downtown Rochester.

Governor Tim Walz will be in Rochester tomorrow to attend an event with Mayo Clinic officials and community leaders to "announce an update on Mayo Clinic's major expansion project in Rochester. Mayo officials had previously said they would make a public announcement concerning the plans after winning approval from the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees.

Mayo has already released general information concerning what appears to be a 1.7 million-square-foot expansion on Mayo-owned property in downtown Rochester to the west of the Gonda Building, including the former Lourdes High School site. Those plans call for patient care facilities at the current Ozmun Building and Damon Parking Ramp sites that would include a new universal entryway for visitors to Mayo Clinic.

Mayo officials previously told the Governor and state lawmakers about plans to invest more than $4 billion in Rochester as part of a major expansion while the Rochester-based healthcare giant was pursuing a "carveout" from a proposed nurse staffing ratio mandate that failed to be included in any of the bills that were signed into law by Governor Walz.

Construction activity associated with the expansion in downtown Rochester is expected to begin next year.