UMore Development
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Overview of the UMore Park project
The University of Minnesota has long-term plans to develop the property it owns in Rosemount and Empire at the former site of a smokeless gunpowder plant, Gopher Ordinance Works. The facility was built and operated during World War II until the land was bought in 1947 and 1948 from the federal government by the university. Named "UMore Park", the site has been historically used for agricultural research, university projects, and tenant agricultural, industrial, and commercial activities. Future plans envision a "community of the future" that would incorporate advances in urban planning and energy conservation and that could be home to 20-30,000 people in the next 30 years. Visit the University's UMore Park website for information relating to the property and proposed community.
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UMore Study Area AUAR
The Alternative Urban Area Wide Review (AUAR) consists of a hypothetical development scenario, an inventory of environmental and cultural resources, an assessment of the cumulative impacts that the development scenario may have on these resources as well as public infrastructure services. It contains a set of mitigation measures intended to address the cumulative impacts resulting from a sequence of related development projects as opposed to an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which simply looks at a single project's impacts and does not attempt to outline mitigation initiatives. This review does not include any comments regarding building layout, uses, architecture, etc. The AUAR must be updated every five years.
The City of Rosemount has prepared an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for the UMore Study Area. The study area is approximately 4,900 acres and is located in portions of the City of Rosemount and the City of Empire, Dakota County. The AUAR reviews potential environmental impacts associated with three development scenarios, along with a no-build scenario. The scenarios include a variety of possible residential, commercial, and light industrial development that could occur within 5 to 50 or more years. Please share any feedback you may have on the UMore AUAR to Julia Hogan, Planner. In addition to the current update, the original AUAR and subsequent updates are provided below.
Final AUAR documents
Remedial Investigation of UMore Park East
A Remedial Investigation was conducted to collect information needed to identify and assess potential risks to human health and the environment associated with historical uses of the property. The UMore Park East site includes the industrial section of the former Gopher Ordinance Works (GOW), a smokeless gunpowder production facility owned, constructed and operated by the federal government during World War II. Since its acquisition by the University in 1947 and 1948, the site has been used for University agricultural and other research projects and tenant agricultural and commercial activities.
The Remedial Investigation report and other environmental reports regarding the site are available for public review between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Information Repository established by the University, which is located at the UMore Park Administration Building, 1605 160th Street W, Rosemount, MN 55068, and on the UMore Park website.
Public Health Assessment
The Minnesota Department of Public Health wrote a Public Health Assessment for the former Gopher Ordnance Works site, at the request of the MPCA. The report provides a review of the environmental data and relevant site history from a large number of documents and offers recommendations intended to protect public health. The report discusses soil and groundwater contamination, gaps in existing data, the potential for people to be exposed to contaminants, and potential impacts on drinking water resources due to planned future development.
Mining at UMore Park
Part of the University's plans for the UMore Park property is to mine approximately 1,600 acres of land located in both Rosemount and Empire. The mining will occur on the western portion of the property, mostly adjoining Biscayne Avenue. Both the mining and the development of the site will be subject to review by the City of Rosemount. Comments or questions should be directed to Adam Kienberger, Community Development Director, or Anthony Nemcek, Senior Planner.
Public Review of Proposals for Dakota Aggregates, LLC
The University went through a formal environmental review process called an Environmental Impact Statement or EIS. The City as well as other agencies and residents made comments about the draft EIS during the compilation and review process. There were modifications made to the draft document which are reflected in the final EIS responding to the City’s comments as well as others. In November 2010, the Board of Regents took action on the EIS, finding that the EIS as written was adequate. That same month, the Board of Regents approved a 40-year lease with Dakota Aggregates, LLC for phased gavel mining in UMore Park. Dakota Aggregates, LLC is a partnership between Cemstone Products Company and Ames Construction, Inc.
Document Library
Wind Energy Turbine project at UMore
Letter from the City 2010 commenting on draft Environmental Impact Statement for sand and gravel resources
**Historical documentation available upon request**
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Adam Kienberger
Community Development DirectorPhone: 651-322-2020
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Anthony Nemcek
Senior PlannerPhone: 651-322-2090
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Julia Hogan
PlannerPhone: 651-322-2052
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