Rosemount council orders AUAR study for Dakota East; consent agenda approved

The Rosemount City Council voted to adopt a resolution ordering preparation of an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for the Dakota East study area on the city’s far east side. Councilmember Freske moved the resolution; Councilmember Esler seconded. The motion carried on a roll call with all members present voting yes.

The AUAR begins a multi-step environmental review that will analyze several development scenarios and propose mitigation strategies. Steenberger, a city staff member presenting the item, described the AUAR as a hybrid environmental review process: “An AUAR stands for an alternative urban area wide review,” Steenberger said. He told the council the scoping document has been submitted and that comments received during the scoping period will be incorporated into the draft AUAR.

Why it matters: an AUAR evaluates impacts across a large planning area so future individual projects inside the study boundary typically do not require separate Environmental Assessment Worksheets or Environmental Impact…