Market-rate rentals pitched for Rosemount.

Byline: Brian Johnson

Ron Clark Construction is in the early stages of planning for a project that would bring more housing diversity to Rosemount, a city known mostly for its single-family subdivisions and occasional senior project.

Preliminary plans show 110 to 120 units of market-rate apartments and 4,000 to 5,000 square feet of retail on a redevelopment site just off Highway 3 in downtown Rosemount, said Kim Lindquist, the city's community development director.

Representatives of Ron Clark Construction were scheduled to present their plans Tuesday night to Rosemount's Port Authority. The developer couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Pending approvals, the project could be in the ground in April, according to city documents.

Lindquist said the proposed housing could be a good addition for the community.

"We are interested in get some additional market rate apartments," Lindquist said. "We have typically been more of a single-family community, so we are trying to get some density and some different housing options."

In a staff report, city officials said the developer has reached agreements to purchase two properties for the project. That includes the Ken Rose Shopping Center at 14555 South Robert Trail and the Shenanigans Pub at 14605 South Robert Trail, Lindquist said.

The 55,000-square-foot Ken Rose property, also known as Rosemount Plaza, was built in 1962 and is part of a 2.65-acre site with more than 200 parking spaces, according to a sales brochure. The property was listed at $3 million.

Built in 1965, the 5,922-square-foot Shenanigans Pub property is a single-tenant building on a 0.42-acre property, according to the CoStar Group.

Lindquist said the properties are part of an area that has long been targeted by the city for redevelopment.

In November, the Port Authority is tentatively scheduled to have a tax increment financing "discussion" regarding the project, according to a staff report.

If and when the project gets the green light, the city may begin to apply for redevelopment grants through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the Metropolitan Council, and the Dakota County CDA, the report said.

Rosemount was established as a township in 1858. The downtown area saw a growth spurt in the 1860s and 1870s with the opening of a general store, hardware store, blacksmith...