Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use And Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rosemount council adopts Dakota East AUAR, stresses it does not grant development rights
Summary
The City Council voted 3-0 to adopt the Dakota East Area final Alternative Urban Area-Wide Review (AUAR). City staff emphasized the document is an environmental review and mitigation framework, not an entitlement to build; any land-use changes would require separate approvals.
The Rosemount City Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution authorizing the Dakota East Area final Alternative Urban Area-Wide Review, voting 3-0.
The AUAR (alternative urban area-wide review) establishes environmental review and mitigation strategies for multiple hypothetical development scenarios in the Dakota East study area but does not confer development rights or approvals for specific projects. "It does not," said Adam, City of Rosemount Community Development staff member, when asked whether adoption meant endorsement of the scenarios.
An AUAR is a planning tool that combines elements of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet and an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze potential impacts across a large area and identify mitigation strategies. City staff told the council the Dakota East AUAR evaluated three scenarios: (1) a mix of residential and commercial land uses consistent with the city’s current comprehensive plan; (2) a business campus/technology park geared toward potential data-center development; and (3) a mixed business campus or light-industrial build-out. Scenarios 2 and 3 would require an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan before any of those uses could be approved.
The AUAR process for Dakota East began with council direction in February, a required 30-day comment period in March and a subsequent 10-day final comment period after revisions. Dakota County and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency submitted comments during the public review; staff said those comments were addressed in the revised document and no objections were filed during the final review period.
Council discussion focused on the AUAR’s purpose and limits. Adam told council that the AUAR is a tool to help the city evaluate future proposals and to identify mitigation measures "if this were to happen or this were to be proposed." He reiterated that adoption does not grant land-use entitlements: any proposal that deviates from the city’s comprehensive plan would require separate zoning or plan amendments and further review.
Councilmember Weisensel moved to adopt the resolution, and Councilmember Reske seconded. The roll call showed Weisensel, Reske and Klimpel voting aye; the motion passed 3-0.
The AUAR must be updated every five years to account for development that has occurred within the study area and to reflect changes in state and federal environmental regulations. City staff and the consultant from Kimley Horn remain available to answer technical questions from the council or the public.
Because the AUAR does not change land-use entitlements, adoption sets a framework for environmental review and mitigation but does not trigger construction or approvals of the scenarios analyzed. Any developer seeking to pursue a scenario that would alter the comprehensive plan will need to return to the council for separate land-use hearings and approvals.
