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Pioneer Press Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:59:27 -0600
Rosemount / City OKs Town Centre project

Without a peep from the public, Rosemount officials have approved final plans for redeveloping a downtown block that has been the epicenter of past controversy. No residents voiced concern as plans for the Town Centre project cruised through the planning commission in February and the City Council last month. But getting to the final step has hardly been easy for the city, which began acquiring land at the roughly 3-acre downtown site â€" known as Core Block East â€" more than 10 years ago. Most notably, in December, the city avoided using eminent domain after reaching an agreement with a local landowner for the final piece it wanted for the project. In the months leading up to a scheduled court hearing on the matter, residents and businesses circulated petitions and spoke out against the approach the city threatened to use to acquire the half-acre parcel. In the end, the city and landowner Kurt Hansen, a local veterinarian, agreed on a $525,000 selling price. If eminent domain proceedings had played out, it would have been the first time in more than 20 years the city had used the process to attain property. Instead, the agreement with Hansen allowed city officials to move ahead with plans and concentrate on design details such as the amount of brick on the facade, landscaping and the style of lights. Important, yes, but hardly contentious.

[[keywords: LandUse;Metro;]]