Rosemount makes deal with landowner, but is it fair?

After threatening to condemn the last parcel of land needed for their downtown revitalization plans, Rosemount officials instead approved a deal to buy the half-acre property from veterinarian Kurt Hansen.

City leaders heralded the $525,000 purchase by the Rosemount Port Authority as the end of a long tug-of-war involving Hansen's property and the start of a process that will kick-start a new era in downtown Rosemount.

But some Rosemount citizens, who had protested the city's threat to take the property through eminent domain, fumed that officials had given Hansen no choice but to sell. Hansen, who had said at one point that he wanted to develop the property himself, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A three-story complex that includes 106 apartments, street-level storefronts and underground parking is planned for the three-acre site. With the land now assembled, the site can be prepared this winter for construction in the spring.

"This is a block that the city has probably been purchasing land for at least 20 years," Mayor Bill Droste, a Port Authority member, said after Monday's vote. "This is a very important block and it made sense to move forward with it."

It was also important, he said, that the city win the support of the community for what it was doing -- which is why officials much preferred to agree on a sale with Hansen rather than force it on him. The first hearing in an eminent domain court action on the property had been scheduled for Thursday.

In a statement, Port Authority Chairman Mike Baxter, who also sits on the City Council, said that the issue between the city and Hansen was always about the price, not politics. Droste noted that months ago, Hansen had said he was a willing seller.

"For them to say that eminent domain was not used is, frankly, more absurd than the use of it," she said. "The city used its power to undercut private property rights, and we intend to exact a political price."

The Institute for Justice, based in Arlington, Va., released a statement Tuesday accusing Rosemount officials of abusing eminent domain and exploiting the state's new law protecting citizens against it.

The complex will go up on the southeast corner of Hwy. 3, the city's main drag, and 146th Street. Droste said that Rosemount is short on rental apartments and that the units planned will fill a void. The commercial spaces on the street might be filled with specialty shops, restaurants, small businesses or professional offices, he said.

The $17 million project will be developed by Stonebridge Companies of Apple Valley, which is investing about $14 million. The project was rated second this year in the Liveable Communities program by the Metropolitan Council, which is expected today to approve a $1.5 million grant for it.