HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.a. Economic Development Section of Comprehensive Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Port Authority Meeting Date: July 17, 2018
AGENDA ITEM: Draft Economic Development Section-
Comprehensive Plan
AGENDA SECTION:
Old Business
PREPARED BY: Kim Lindquist, Deputy Director AGENDA NO. 5.a.
ATTACHMENTS: Draft Section APPROVED BY: LJM
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion Item
ISSUE
The Port Authority has seen the Economic Development section of the Comprehensive Plan for the last
several months. There have been substantive changes made since last month, and staff is requesting a final
review.
It is anticipated that the draft, after revisions requested by the Port Authority, will be sent to the Planning
Commission in July or August. The Planning Commission is the committee charged with compiling and
reviewing the entire Comprehensive Plan document. They have worked primarily on the land use section
and are working toward draft completion in September 2018.
RECOMMENDATION
Discussion and provide staff direction.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT
Rosemount Employment Base and Resident Employment
Rosemount is uniquely situated in southeast the Twin Cities with primer access to highways,
ports and the regional airport. Hwy 52 a with the four lane, north to south running highway,
US Hwy 52 connectsing Rosemount with the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport and downtown
St. Paul; the four lane, east to west running, County Road 42 connectsing Rosemount to
Hastings and Burnsville and connecting to the major routes leading into downtown
Minneapolis; and the Mississippi River on Rosemount’s northeast boundary, including three
barge terminals. The location of Rosemount’s economic base is also uniquely situated
compared to its population base. The majority of Rosemount’s households are located in
the western third of the City, while Rosemount businesses, industry, and institutions are
spread through the community. Taking advantage of these economic development
opportunities during the next 20 years will be the purpose of the Economic Development
Element of the Comprehensive Plan.
Table 1 shows the ten businesses and institutions that employ the most workers within
Rosemount. Two of the top three employers are the educational institutions; of Apple
Valley – Eagan - Rosemount School District #196 and Dakota County Technical College. It
will be important for Rosemount to maintain cooperative relationships with these
institutions, not only because of their importance as employers within the City, but also to
ensure that their education programs prepare trained workers for current and future
Rosemount businesses. Table 1 also shows that seven of the remaining eight large
employers are manufacturing or industrial in nature. This illustrates the importance of
industrial business for employment within the community, but also should points to
opportunities for additional tax base expansion into other sectors such as retail, services, or
financial. caution the City that Rosemount is currently dependent on one sector of the
economy. Rosemount should encourage additional retail commercial and professional office
commercial in the community to provide balance to the economic landscape.
Table 1: Rosemount Top Ten Employers in 2018
Product or Service Employees
Flint Hills Resources Oil Refining 863
Independent School District #196 Education 767
Dakota County Technical College Education 373
Proto Labs Prototyping and Production 300
Wayne Transports Trucking 300
Spectro Alloys Aluminum Smelting 179
Endres Processing Recycled Food Products 90
City of Rosemount Municipal Government 80
Eldorado Packaging Multiwall Bags 75
Minnesota Energy Resources Natural Gas 55
Source: City of Rosemount
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Table 2 shows that 12,243 Rosemount residents were employed in 2015 while there were
only 7,822 jobs offered by the businesses within Rosemount, which results in over 4,400
people required to leave Rosemount to find employment. When looking at the various
industries in which residents are employed, the disparity between where residents work and
what employment opportunities are available in Rosemount is most prevalent in four
industries: Retail Trade; Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE); Professional, Scientific
Management and Administrative; and Educational, Health and Social Services.
Of the four industries listed above, all but Retail Trade offer average wages that match
Rosemount’s level of household income. For example, within the professional, scientific,
management and administration (professional) industry, there are 1,329 Rosemount residents
employed within this field while there are only 223 jobs available within the city, creating an
employment pool of 1,106 workers. Table 3 shows the average yearly wage for jobs within
Rosemount for a worker in a professional field ismakes $51,447, while the metro area
average yearly wage is $68,744. Professional businesses would typically be located within the
commercial, corporate campus or business park land use designations of the Comprehensive
Plan.
Commuting habits of Rosemount residents reaffirm thethat much of the employment for
Rosemount residents is located outside of the city borders. Approximately reflect this data
with 43% of residents commuteing to a place of employment located outside of Dakota
County. Additionally, 40% of all residents have commute times longer than 30 minutes.
Providing places of employment within the community for Rosemount workers will reduce
the overall cost of commuting and strengthen the local economy. Reduced commuting costs
can have a positive impact on the local economy by freeing up income that would normally
be spent getting to and from work for more discretionary purchases.
The City should recruit businesses in the financial, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) and
other professional industries to locate within Rosemount. There isare a significant amount
of Rosemount residents that are employed in these fields from which the new businesses
could draw their employees. There is more discussion about available labor as the national
and state economies continue to expand. The commute information, coupled with the
education attainment of Rosemount residents indicates that, all things being equal, there is
an available workforce in Rosemount. The establishment of these businesses would create
jobs that can support households and provide a market for other local businesses. In the
future, with additional residential growth, the availability of a community workforce will be
one of the City’s business attraction strategies.
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Table 2: Comparison of Employees to Employers within Rosemount in 2015
Rosemount
Residents
Employed by
each Industry
Number of Employees
in Rosemount
Businesses by Industry
Deficiency of Jobs
within Rosemount to
match Resident's Place
of Employment
Agriculture 33 0 -33
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and
Food Service 950 42 -908
Construction 358 1,214 856
Educational, Health and Social Services 2,742 1561 -1,181
Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate 1,300 120 -1,180
Information 350 16 334
Manufacturing 1,296 1,962 666
Other Services (Except Public
Administration) 575 154 -421
Professional, Scientific, Management
and Administrative 1,329 223 -1,106
Public Administration 540 318 222
Retail Trade 1,391 224 -1167
Transportation, Warehousing and
Utilities 909 1,133 224
Wholesale Trade 470 86 -384
Total 12,243 7,822 -4421
Rosemount
Residents
Employed by
each Industry
Number of Employees
in Rosemount
Businesses by Industry
Deficiency of Jobs
within Rosemount to
match Resident's Place
of Employment
Agriculture 33 0 -33
Construction 358 1,214 856
Manufacturing 1,296 1,962 666
Retail Trade 1,391 224 -1167
Wholesale Trade 470 86 -384
Transportation, Warehousing and
Utilities 909 1,133 224
Information 350 16 334
Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate 1,300 120 -1,180
Professional, Scientific, Management
and Administrative 1,329 223 -1,106
Educational, Health and Social Services 2,742 1561 -1,181
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and 950 42 -908
Formatted Table
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Food Service
Other Services (Except Public
Administration) 575 154 -421
Public Administration 540 318 222
Total 12,243 7,822 -4421
Source: Minnesota Department of Economic Development and US Census Bureau
Table 3: Rosemount Industries in 2012
Establishments Employees Total Wages
Average
Weekly Wage
Average
Yearly Wage
Accommodation and Food Services 29 466 $5,105,000 $210 $10,954
Administrative Support and Waste
Management & Remediation Services 23 207 $8,089,000 $751 $39,077
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing,
Hunting and Mining 4 32 $1,846,751 $1,127 $57,711
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 12 87 $866,000 $191 $9,954
Construction 59 811 $46,605,926 $1,105 $57,467
Health Care and Social Assistance 36 393 $7,502,000 $367 $19,089
Manufacturing 19 1440 $138,167,000 $1,845 $95,949
Other Services (Except Public
Administration) 27 221 $6,999,000 $609 $31,669
Professional, Scientific, and Technical
Services 55 94 $4,836,000 $989 $51,447
Public Administration 3 43 $2,279,736 $1,020 $53,017
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing 9 14 $386,000 $530 $27,571
Retail Trade 34 347 $8,250,000 $457 $23,775
Transportation, Warehousing and
Utilities 20 706 $44,792,000 $1,220 $63,445
Establishments Employees Total Wages
Average
Weekly Wage
Average
Yearly Wage
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing,
Hunting and Mining 4 32 $1,846,751 $1,127 $57,711
Construction 59 811 $46,605,926 $1,105 $57,467
Manufacturing 19 1440 $138,167,000 $1,845 $95,949
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing 9 14 $386,000 $530 $27,571
Retail Trade 34 347 $8,250,000 $457 $23,775
Transportation, Warehousing and
Utilities 20 706 $44,792,000 $1,220 $63,445
Health Care and Social Assistance 36 393 $7,502,000 $367 $19,089
Accommodation and Food Services 29 466 $5,105,000 $210 $10,954
Professional, Scientific, and Technical
Services 55 94 $4,836,000 $989 $51,447
Administrative Support and Waste
Management & Remediation Services 23 207 $8,089,000 $751 $39,077
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 12 87 $866,000 $191 $9,954
Other Services (Except Public
Administration) 27 221 $6,999,000 $609 $31,669
Public Administration 3 43 $2,279,736 $1,020 $53,017
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
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Rosemount Port Authority
In 1979, the City of Rosemount established the Rosemount Housing and Redevelopment
Authority (HRA) which conducted implemented a number of projects, most notably the
Rosemount Plaza block located southeast of the intersection of 145th Street West and South
Robert Trail. In 1991, the City converted the HRA into the Rosemount Port Authority for
the purpose of undertaking housing, economic development and redevelopment activities
within the City. The Port Authority has seven members consisting of the up to five
Ccouncilmembers including the Mayor, and at least two three City Councilmembers, and
three appointed residents.
The Port Authority sets the economic development policy for the City, acquires and
demolishes buildings on blighted and underutilized land for redevelopment, and recruits new
businesses to locate within Rosemount, among many other responsibilities. Many of the
programs described within the Economic Development Element, such as Downtown
Redevelopment and the establishment of the Rosemount Business Park, have been or are
being accomplished through the work of the Port Authority. The Port Authority is
responsible for implementing the Goals and Objectives of the Economic Development
Element, as well as continuing to monitor the economic health of the City while recruiting
new business and encouraging the growth of existing businesses. Since the last
Comprehensive Plan the Port Authority has taken a more active role in highlighting local
businesses through the City’s website, business appreciation events, and introduced a Home
and Business Expo.
Downtown Redevelopment
The City of Rosemount originally adopted a redevelopment plan for downtown Rosemount
in 2004 entitled the Development Framework for Downtown Rosemount. That plan has since been
was updated and approved in 2018, to reflect the changes that have taken place in the
Downtown since the plan’s original adoption. The Framework covers the properties in the
historic dDowntown, roughly described as the blocks on both sides of South Robert Trail
from 143rd Street West on the north to approximately 148th Street on the south. The
Framework addresses seven focus areas within downtown: Crossroads North; Crossroads
South; Core Block West; Core Block East; Legion Block; Genz-Ryan; and Fluegel’s. The
Framework Update considers expansion of the Downtown to increase the ability for
redevelopment on those blocks unaffected by previous public and private reinvestment. The
Update also acknowledges those blocks which have been redeveloped and the private
investment that has occurred on many of the Downtown parcels.
To help spur downtown redevelopment, in 2004 the City established the Downtown-
Brockway Redevelopment Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. The TIF district uses the
increased tax income (also known as tax increment) from the former Brockway Glass factory
redevelopment into the Harmony residential neighborhood to pay for the land acquisition,
land clearing, and infrastructure costs associated with downtown redevelopment. TIF funds
were used for infrastructure and parking space construction and were instrumental in the
redevelopment of Core Block East, land acquisition at the former Genz Ryan site, and
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acquisition of the Downtown park and ride transit station. The funds also assisted in
demolition of the Brockway Glass factory which permitted construction of a mixed
residential neighborhood, Harmony..
Since 2008, the City has received almost $1.4 million from the Metropolitan Council’s
Livable Community Demonstration Account (LCDA) grant for land acquisition costs and
infrastructure improvements for redevelopment projects such as The Rosemount Senior
Living and Cambrian Commons senior apartments. The goal of public inputs into
downtown redevelopment is to spur private sector investment in other Downtown
properties. in redevelopment of other properties. The Downtown has seen major
renovations of both the First State Bank of Rosemount and Fluegel’s, along with
reinvestment in several of the structures within the Downtown area over in the past ten
years.
The City has been active in the redevelopment of other blocks with particular attention on
the old St Joe’s church block. Acquisition was prompted by the need to dedicate land for a
County library. The remainder of the site was parceled off for private development of The
Rosemount Senior Living center along with the Steeple Center, a community space
dedicated to community seniors and the arts, but can be used by a variety of community
groups. The City also facilitated installation of the Downtown park and ride by providinged
a low cost lease to MVTA and partnering to obtain federal funding of the facility. Many of
the Downtown projects have been a collaborative effort both through financing and design
with other public and private partners. focus areas to improve the lifestyle and work setting
of downtown Rosemount. Following the renovation and conversion of St. Joe’s church into
a community gathering space called the Steeple Center, an addition was constructed between
The Rosemount Senior Living and the assembly hall. Additionally, the City applied federal
grant funds toward the construction of a park and ride transit station located near the Legion
site.
Finally, the City has established the Downtown Code Improvement Program that provides
grant funding for improvements to bring the existing downtown buildings into compliance
with the building code. The program is eligiblityeligibilitye is for to any business or property
owner whose building is listed within the Framework and is making exterior and façade
improvements to the building in accordance with the Downtown Rosemount Design Guidelines.
To encourage the reinvestment in the façade improvements, business and property owners
who pay with their own funds for the façade improvement can request public grant funds to
pay for code improvements to their building.
Business Recruitment, Assistance, and Retention
To support small businesses and promote entrepreneurship in Rosemount, Open to
Business is available to provide one-on-one business counseling to current and prospective
business owners at no cost. Consultants provide assistance with business plan development
and the identification of challenges and opportunities, among other things. Additionally,
business owners can learn about other resources such as training programs, governmental
services, and networking opportunities This program is a collaborative effort between the
Dakota County Community Development Agency and the City.Additionally, business
owners can learn about other resources such as training programs, governmental services,
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and networking opportunities. The City also partners with the Dakota County Regional
Chamber of Commerce to connect with businesses to understand the needs and concerns
business leaders in the community. The City’s website provides online resources for new
business owners and entrepreneurs. A “virtual incubator” directs residents to other agencies
that can assist with business financing, networking and other business advice.
The City works closely with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic
Development and Greater MSP to respond to requests for information by businesses that
are looking to relocate, particularly those businesses that are looking for greenfield sites on
which to construct new facilities. The City shares data regarding municipal services, site
details, transportation, as well as any other specific information requested. For example,
tThere is a Shovel Ready site within the Rosemount Business Park enrolled in the DEED
program. The City has also participated in collaborated with Xcel Energy’s site certification
program to compile information to have specific site information ready when City staff
fields a request for information. There are currently three sites within the community
highlighted in the Xcel program.
The City’s relationships with the educational institutions within Rosemount, such as Apple
Valley – Eagan - Rosemount School District #196 and Dakota County Technical College,
and the greater region, such as Inver Hills Community College and the University of
Minnesota, are important for business recruitment and the health of the local economy.
Another good resource is the Dakota/Scott Workforce Investment Board. Businesses that
are looking to locate within Rosemount have concerns that there is an existing base of well-
educated employees to recruit from, as well as local educational institutions that have
training programs to create new workers and provide continuing training and education for
existing employees. It is important for Rosemount to work with the local educational
institutions to ensure that their training programs will support the needs of existing
businesses within Rosemount and provided a well-educated employee pool for future
businesses to draw from.
Rosemount Business Park
The City hasd established the Rosemount Business Park which contains about 280 acres of
contiguous land, roughly bounded by County Road 42 to the north, a line one quarter of a
mile north of County Road 46 to the south, Biscayne Avenue to the east, and the Union
Pacific rail line and South Robert Trail to the west. The Rosemount Business Park was
initiated when the ith the City purchaseding the northern 80 acres of the business park land
and establisheding a TIF district to provide the initial infrastructure to the park. The original
80 acres have since been developed with seven new buildings currently housing businesses
such as Proto Labs, Sweet Harvest, and Geometrix. Approximately 35 acres located south
of Boulder Trail hasve been designated as Shovel Ready by the Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development. Sites that are certified as Shovel Ready have
already undergone the most time-consuming legal, technical, and regulatory aspects of the
development process. The Shovel Ready site within the business park has received
preliminary plat approval for future subdivision as well as a Phase I environmental review.
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There are two main landowners within the larger Business Park area; the Pahl Family and JJT
Financial. The City keeps in regular contact with both landowners and works with their
representatives in business attraction and marketing of sites. The City has worked with the
Department of Transportation to define the road alignment in the area, identifying the
location of the next intersection along Hwy 3. The plan is to have Business Parkway extend
to the south and intersect with Hwy 3, across from Canada Circle, providing necessary
access for businesses in the Park from either Hwy 3 or County Road 42.
Retail Commercial
The City currently has about 13000 acres of land developed with retail commercial uses.
The retail businesses are predominately located either in downtown Rosemount or in a
district west of South Robert Trail and south of County Road 42. The retail businesses are
predominately small service retail business, several restaurants, and two grocery stores. The
vVacant retail commercial space occurs through normal turnover in existing retail strip malls
although they vacancies for the last several years has hovered around 9%. This is in part due
to the size of the retail sector and the effect of one larger retail vacancy skewing the overall
rate. Often many of the retail centers do not have a vacancy when reviewed, generally on a
quarterly basis. in town is located in small portions of multiple tenant commercial strips as
well as the former Terry’s Hardware Downtown. The City has made a commitment to
attract additional retail and services to the community for the growing residential base. This
has led to contracting with retail attraction companies to aid in drawing new businesses to
the City. The City has also looked to bring a hotel to town and facilitated discussions with
several companies, developers, and land owners to bring the needed service to Rosemount.
Twice the City has financed a hotel market study to draw interest.
Commercial land available for new development is located east of Hwy 3, at the
intersection of County Road 42, and also at the 42/Akron Avenue intersection. These are
projected for development in the next decade as the community continues to grow. The
anticipated development within in the University of MN, UMore property will also provide a
catalyst for additional retail and service demand. It is anticipated that some of the 3,000 acres
designated for development will include retail and business opportunities. The City sees the
Akron Avenue commercial area as a key attraction for new residential growth both to the
north and south, and serving the established Dakota County Technical College. Additional
lands have been designated for commercial at the Hwy 52/County Road 42 and Hwy
55/County Road 42 intersections. These areas are projected to develop in the later years of
the existing Plan horizon. Care must be taken to maintain these parcels for future
commercial uses. Commercial development often follows residential, so there is a lag in its
development. The City should be patient with these outlying sites to ensure there are
valuable opportunities in the future. Current requests for these sites are sometimes
commercial entities with little retail or service value for community residents and often
involve significant amounts of outside storage and display of trucks and other vehicles.
These uses should be discouraged in the high visibility, high traffic sites in favor of more
traditional retail and service functions.
Vacant land that has been designated for future commercial development is located on the
north side of County Road 42 just east of South Robert Trail and also on the east and west
sides of Akron Avenue, north of County Road 42 near the newly developing residential
neighborhoods.
Formatted: Highlight
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At present, there are no general merchandise, home improvement, or other types of big box
stores in Rosemount. For this reason, most Rosemount residents are required to leave the
City to fulfill their daily or weekly shopping needs, typically to the communities to the west
and north, such as Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville. Recent efforts to solicit
big box businesses to Rosemount have been unsuccessful for a number of reasons, but
businesses most commonly cited the lack of direct controlled access to major roads and the
lack of residential households. Over 6,400 additional households are expected to be
constructed by 2040, which is an increase of 76% over the 8,400 households within
Rosemount today. The City continues to build relationships with local and regional
commercial brokers to highlight growth and development within the community. One of the
ways to encourage good quality commercial development is to make sure there is enough
land for commercial/service development and that zoning ordinances are clear about
development expectations. Existing zoning ordinances should be reviewed to address
emerging commercial uses. Presently there are more private recreational uses and medical
uses that are locating into traditional strip malls. Ordinances should be written to provide the
greatest flexibility to development owners so that they can maintain reasonable occupancy
without negatively affecting surrounding land uses.
Office Commercial
Rosemount has minimal office space, with the current office supply normally occupied with
either professional office, such as dentists or insurance agents, or associated with existing
manufacturing or industrial businesses.
As shown in Table 2, there are over 1,300 Rosemount residents who are working in the
finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) field, while Rosemount FIRE businesses employ
only 120 people. This deficiency of about 1,200 residents who need to leave Rosemount to
work in the FIRE field would indicate that there is a need for additional office space within
Rosemount. Table 2 also shows a deficiency of over 1,100 residents who need to leave
Rosemount to work in the professional, scientific, management, and administrative field.
Lastly, over 1,100 residents leave the community to work in educational, health, and social
services.
The Comprehensive Plan should designate commercial and corporate campus land to
support independent stand alonestandalone office buildings, but also ensure the ability to
provide office space needed in conjunction with manufacturing and industrial businesses as
well. Zoning ordinances should be reviewed to make sure they allow services within
commercial office areas to increase economic viability of developments.
Industrial
Rosemount has a long history of industrial development, from manufacturing facilities near
the downtown, such as Greif Paper and the former Brockway Glass factory, to heavier
industrial on the east near US Hwy 52, such as Flint Hills Refinery, Spectro Alloys, Endres
Processing, and CF Industries. More recently, industrial development has occurred in the
form of office/warehouse and manufacturing industrial within the Rosemount Business Park
and trucking terminals near the interchange with US Hwy 52 and County Road 42.
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While Rosemount is discouraging new heavy industrial or other industrial businesses that
require significant amounts of outdoor storage, Rosemount does encourage new
manufacturing, warehousing, and trade industrial businesses to locate within Rosemount.
These businesses bring jobs that can support an entire family while providing a significant
industrial property tax base. Table 2 shows that nearly 400 Rosemount residents in the
wholesale trade field need to leave Rosemount to work every day. By continuing to provide
sufficient business park and industrial/mixed use land within the Comprehensive Plan would
allow these businesses to locate within Rosemount. The City is partnering with individual
property owners, DEED and Xcel Energy to highlight available vacant industrial land. Both
the University of MN and the Pahl Family Farm have industrial acreage being marketed
through various channels. These sites are also featureds as shovel ready sites in the DEED
and Xcel programs.
UMore Park
The University of Minnesota owns about 5,000 contiguous acres of land, 3,000 acres of
which is located in southern Rosemount and 2,000 acres of which are located in northern
Empire Township. The University has used the land as a research farm named the
University of Minnesota Outreach, Research and Education (UMore) Park. The 2040 Plan
will be the first time land uses have been assigned to property within the UMore area. The
designations are in anticipation of mixed development occurring, generally along the County
Road 42 corridor. There is industrial land designated east of Dakota County Technical
College. These lands have been marketed in response to several RFP’s for large vacant tracts
of land. The AUAR indicated that this area could be a mix of industrial and commercial
uses, which would also be acceptable. Presently the City is designating the property industrial
given the level of interest for this use. When additional development occurs on the UMore
site, some of the land uses boundaries will become more defined.
A mix of residential development, with some ancillary services, is anticipated west of Dakota
County Technical College. Currently the University Board of Regents has approved a
purchase agreement with a master developer; the sale has not as yet occurred. Development
within the UMore area will change the character of the community and care must be taken
to ensure that its development complements existing Rosemount neighborhoods. Although
part of the University landholdings, the site is within Rosemount and should be planned to
be harmonious with the community and not a separate neighborhood unto itself. UMore’s
development will also assist in drawing additional retail/service uses as the population and
household densities continue to increase. Certainly adding additional households will bring
available workers to future businesses within Rosemount. Within this Comprehensive Plan,
most areas within UMore Park will continue to be designated as Agricultural Research, but
areas that will potentially develop over the next 20 years will be designated for land uses
according to the UMore Park Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR).
The University has taken the first steps toward the development of UMore Park by releasing
a Request for Proposals to residential developers as well as entering into an agreement with
The Opus Group to market a piece of land in the northwestern portion of UMore Park for
the development of a light industrial or manufacturing use. These steps follow a planning
process that took place to develop the UMore Park Strategic Plan and the AUAR.
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The plan proposes a community of 16,000 households mixed in with retail commercial,
employment centers, and institutional uses. The UMore Park Strategic Plan calls for
approximately 2,500,000 square feet of commercial and industrial (500,000 square feet of
retail, 1,000,000 square feet of office, and 1,000,000 square feet of industrial) development,
mostly located on the eastern third of UMore Park.
Fiscal Disparity
In the seven county Twin Cities metropolitan (metro) area, the tax base gained from new
commercial or industrial growth is shared by the entire metro area, not solely by the
community in which the economic development occurs. This commercial and industrial
(C/I) tax base sharing program is called fiscal disparity. Since 1971, forty percent (40%) of
the tax base of any new C/I development is taken from the local community and given to a
common metro area pool. This common pool is then redistributed to all the communities
based on their total tax base (commercial, industrial, residential, and agricultural).
Essentially, fiscal disparity takes tax base from communities that have seen significant
economic development since 1971 and gives it to communities where post-1971
commercial/industrial development is a small percentage of their total tax base. Various
justifications are given for this program, most notably to discourage individual communities
from competing for the same new businesses.
Fiscal disparity has historically taken C/I tax base from the first and second ring suburbs
along the I-494 and I-694 strip that have seen significant growth since 1971 (Bloomington,
Minnetonka, Eagan) and given it to the inner cities who had significant C/I tax base prior to
1971 (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) or to suburban communities that have lower levels of C/I
tax base compared to their total tax base (Cottage Grove, Apple Valley, Prior Lake).
Minneapolis has seen significant growth in C/I tax base leading to reversal of that trend.
Table 4, attached to this executive summary, shows that in 2016 Minneapolis lost $3.3
million while Saint Paul gained $29 million in tax base due to fiscal disparity. Table 4 also
shows that Minnetonka lost $9.7 million in tax base while Cottage Grove gained $2.9 million
in tax base. Rosemount is affected fairly neutrally by fiscal disparity, receiving only about
$37,000 in tax base in 2016.
Table 4: Fiscal Disparity of Select Cities Payable in 2016
Pre-1971 C/I
Tax Base
Post-1971 C/I
Tax Base
Total 2016
Tax Base
2014
Population
Fiscal
Disparity
Tax Base
Adjustment
Post-1971 C/I Tax
Base as a percentage
of Total 2016 Tax
Base
Prior Lake $278,935 $2,924,181 $30,471,969 24,911 $1,253,009 10%
Cottage Grove $537,275 $5,845,969 $30,784,863 35,250 $2,852,812 19%
Lakeville $1,215,214 $14,086,875 $65,746,835 59,361 $1,220,959 21%
Apple Valley $1,113,396 $10,882,278 $50,625,395 50,330 $1,994,871 21%
Rosemount $702,215 $6,634,755 $26,239,489 22,490 $36,956 25%
Saint Paul $25,299,251 $79,262,261 $239,695,221 299,641 $29,541,974 33%
Minneapolis $56,441,944 $181,464,021 $499,641,258 411,273 -$3,310,064 36%
Minnetonka $3,361,788 $38,370,443 $10,4503,721 51,144 -$9,744,736 37%
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Eagan $2,654,377 $34,786,939 $91,004,063 66,810 -$5,810,075 38%
Source: Metropolitan Council
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Economic Development Element Goals and Policies
1. Provide local shopping opportunities for residents to purchase their daily and
weekly needs within Rosemount.
a. Work with the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce to recruit
more retail commercial businesses to locate within Rosemount.
b. Provide retail commercial land adjacent to planned controlled accesses onto
major roads.
c. Provide retail commercial land near existing and planned households.
d. Continue to use the Downtown Code Improvement Plan, Twin Cities
Community Capital Fund, and similar programs to assist businesses to
improve existing retail commercial buildings.
e. Continue to actively market Rosemount to commercial brokers and retail
businesses through the Rosemount marketing strategy to expand the retail
opportunities within the City.
2. Expand Rosemount’s employment base to provide jobs that can support an
entire household.
a. Provide office commercial land to support businesses with the financial and
professional fields.
b. Provide additional light industrial land to support wholesale trade,
warehousing, and utility businesses.
c. Work cooperatively with the Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount
School District #196 and other educational institutions within Dakota
County to train workers with the skills needed for existing and future
Rosemount businesses.
d. Pursue outside funding sources to develop or redevelop land for commercial
and industrial uses, such as Metropolitan Council Livable Communities
Demonstration Account and Tax Base Revitalization Account, Dakota
County Community Development Agency, Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development, and other applicable grants.
e. Continue to actively market Rosemount to commercial brokers and
appropriate businesses through the Rosemount marketing strategy to recruit
businesses that provide wages to support an entire household.
3. Expand Rosemount’s employment base to provide employment opportunities
for all residents.
a. Provide land that would support a variety of commercial and industrial
businesses to ensure a sufficient mix of employment opportunities for all
skilled Rosemount residents.
b. Work cooperatively with the Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount
School District #196 and other educational institutions within Dakota
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County to train workers with the skills needed for existing and future
Rosemount businesses.
c. Pursue outside funding sources to develop or redevelop land for commercial
and industrial uses, such as Metropolitan Council Livable Communities
Demonstration Account and Tax Base Revitalization Account, Dakota
County Community Development Agency, Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development, and other applicable grants.
d. Continue to actively market Rosemount to commercial brokers and
appropriate businesses through the Rosemount marketing strategy to recruit
additional businesses.
4. Balance economic growth within the overall tax base of Rosemount.
a. Provide land available for a balance of commercial and industrial businesses,
including expanding the retail and office commercial sectors while continuing
to support industrial businesses.
b. Work cooperatively with the Dakota County Technical College, Independent
School District #196 and other educational institutions within Dakota
County to train workers with the skills needed for existing and future
Rosemount businesses.
c. Continue to provide for additional residential growth to serve as an
expanding employee pool for Rosemount business, a growing market to
attract additional retail establishments, and balanced tax base when
considering the regional Fiscal Disparity program.
5. Provide for economic development opportunities that create a vibrant
Downtown that maintains a home town feel.
a. Continue Port Authority involvement in redevelopment projects that
implements the Development Framework for Downtown Rosemount.
b. Pursue outside funding sources to redevelop downtown properties, such as
Metropolitan Council Livable Communities Demonstration Account and
Tax Base Revitalization Account, Dakota County Community Development
Agency, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic
Development, and other applicable grants.
c. Continue to use the Downtown Code Improvement Plan, Twin Cities
Community Capital Fund, and similar programs to assist businesses to
improve existing retail commercial buildings and implement the Development
Framework for Downtown Rosemount and Downtown Design Guidelines.