A new concept master plan for UMore Park shows in detail what the 5,000-acre site in Rosemount and Empire Township could become in coming decades.

The plan was presented to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents Friday, Nov. 14, after months of gathering public input.

In December, the board will vote on a resolution to affirm the plan, as well as direct administration to begin work on legal documentation to create a single-owner LLC to operate the UMore (University of Minnesota Outreach, Research and Education) Park project and a legacy fund for any proceeds from the project.

The concept master plan will ensure that the vision of the University for the property is reflected in the eventual development over the next 25 to 30 years. It is flexible to allow for changes and unanticipated opportunities in future decades.

"This has an opportunity to really provide the example for how to live in the 21st century," said Charles Muscoplat, University of Minnesota vice president of statewide strategic resource development.

Beyond the physical aspects of the plan - the 5,000-acre site will have 20,000 to 30,000 residents living in about 12,000 housing units surrounded by commercial, recreational and eco-industrial space - there are features that set it apart.

"It's hard to see on the map that we're shooting to produce as much of our own energy as possible, trying to be water efficient and trying to be sustainable in many dimensions," said Muscoplat.

Everything from angling roofs for optimal solar energy collection to how to wire the property for maximal broadband use is considered in the plan, he said.

The master plan, created under the leadership of consultants Design Workshop Inc., shows the area split in six districts, or neighborhoods. Each will develop its own character. Highlights include the eco-industrial park district in the northeastern portion of the property. It would serve as a primary employment center for the new community and entire region. A light rail corridor running from the southeastern corner toward Minnesota Highway 3 would connect three mixed-use neighborhoods with various types of housing, business and retail centers, schools, parks and open spaces.

A district in the southwest corner of the property would include a commercial street with marina along the shore of a large man-made lake. A transition area between the UMore Park property and the Vermillion Highlands property to the south would include a new University research and outreach center to engage residents in learning activities.

A transit plan for the area also calls for two bus rapid transit stations with a series of lines to connect the UMore Park property with civic facilities, high schools, the Dakota County Technical College campus and other south metro cities.

Development would likely start along County Road 42 and make its way south. Muscoplat, however, notes progress will be slow.

"This is a decades long project," he said, adding that it could take longer than the 25 to 30 years projected due to the economy. "A lot of it will just have to happen when it's ready to happen."

Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste said long-range projects under a single-owner LLC, as proposed by the University, can have benefits.

"When you have a large development that's going to take many, many years or decades, you get a completely different outcome," said Droste. "You have many different opportunities you wouldn't get when you develop even a 300 to 400 acre site."

He traveled to Denver to view a handful of large-scale projects Nov. 16-18 with representatives from the University, Dakota County and Rosemount colleagues Councilmember Kim Shoe-Corrigan, City Administrator Dwight Johnson, Community Development Director Kim Lindquist and City Engineer Andrew Brotzler.

One in particular - Stapleton just outside downtown Denver - stood out. About 13 years ago, a development plan was approved by the city for the approximately 4,700-acre site including a former airfield with environmental issues. A few years into construction, it now has nearly 10,000 residents, six schools, 24 parks and more than 200 shops, restaurants and services.

"It's going to be a long time," said Droste. "Some day in the next few years you may see something as far as building, but it's still a long way off."

Currently, the University is working on an environmental impact statement to determine if it can mine sand and gravel from portions of its 5,000-acre property.

The concept master plan can viewed on the University's web site, http://www.umorepark.umn.edu/.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)

"This is a decades long project," he said, adding that it could take longer than the 25 to 30 years projected due to the economy. "A lot of it will just have to happen when it's ready to happen."

Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste said long-range projects under a single-owner LLC, as proposed by the University, can have benefits.

"When you have a large development that's going to take many, many years or decades, you get a completely different outcome," said Droste. "You have many different opportunities you wouldn't get when you develop even a 300 to 400 acre site."

He traveled to Denver to view a handful of large-scale projects Nov. 16-18 with representatives from the University, Dakota County and Rosemount colleagues Councilmember Kim Shoe-Corrigan, City Administrator Dwight Johnson, Community Development Director Kim Lindquist and City Engineer Andrew Brotzler.

One in particular - Stapleton just outside downtown Denver - stood out. About 13 years ago, a development plan was approved by the city for the approximately 4,700-acre site including a former airfield with environmental issues. A few years into construction, it now has nearly 10,000 residents, six schools, 24 parks and more than 200 shops, restaurants and services.

"It's going to be a long time," said Droste. "Some day in the next few years you may see something as far as building, but it's still a long way off."

Currently, the University is working on an environmental impact statement to determine if it can mine sand and gravel from portions of its 5,000-acre property.

The concept master plan can viewed on the University's web site, http://www.umorepark.umn.edu/.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)