City of Rosemount, MN Highlights For 2009
February 11, 2010
As a resident of Rosemount, MN I was sent the latest Rosemount City Newsletter which highlights a number of achievements the city had during 2009 as well as identifying issues for the upcoming year.
Highlights From 2009
There were a number of accomplishments to talk about including the new Dakota County Public Library located on the former St. Joseph’s Church site just north of downtown and the completion of Waterford Commons. The Commons is a mixed use, residential & retail establishment and a very visible upgrade to the downtown development plan. It’s ironic that this great looking building replaces the ugly building that was the center of such controversy regarding the use of eminent domain.
The first business in Waterford Commons is about to open up on the Highway 3 side of the street level which will be a welcome sign.
Other topics discussed included:
- The City will use federal stimulus money to upgrade Highway 3. There will be disturbances to traffic this summer downtown, especially during a 4 week stretch when the main stop light is replaced by 4 way stop signs.
- The City continues to plan for the UMore Park development with the University of Minnesota. That huge plot of land to the south of County Road 42 between Highway 52 and Highway 3 could house as many as 30,000 future residents.
- Finally, what may be the biggest news, much of Rosemount’s residential areas have been designated a “Quiet Zone” which should reduce the need for trains to sound their horns. I live 1/2 mile away and it bothers me at night – I have to think this will help real estate values for those that are much closer.
Other Rosemount Resources
If you are looking for additional information about Rosemount I would recommend the following -
- Rosemount’s high-end development – Evermoor of Rosemount
- Rosemount’s own weekly newspaper – Rosemount Town Pages
- Rosemount City Offices – Rosemount Home Page
As a Rosemount resident I’d be happy to help you understand more about the city as well as help answer any questions about the real estate market in town. Contact Bill About Rosemount
13389 Danube Circle Rosemount – Open House Saturday 1-3
October 28, 2009
I’ll be conducting an open house at my listing on 13389 Danube Circle in Rosemount this Saturday October 31st from 1-3pm.
This property is located in the Westmeath portion of Rosemount’s premier development – Evermoor. This custom built property is currently listed at $585,000. Listing Details with Map
Some of the outstanding features include -
- Top of the line 20’x42’ swimming pool with unique waterfall diving board, full length entry steps and automatic pool cover
- Private backyard hideaway – lot is .9 acres and includes perennial garden, fire pit, 10’x10’ awning and 2 tier deck with hot tub
- Amazing kitchen with granite, maple cabinets, huge pantry and high-end appliances
- 5 bedrooms and almost 5,000 square feet
Rosemount’s Evermoor Development – Nearing Completion
September 22, 2009
In early 2000, the City of Rosemount gave final approval to start developing Evermoor – the former site of a 560 acre sheep farm that was to become home to 1,100 different units. These ranged across a number of different types from high-end custom homes to townhouses and condominiums.
Fast forward 9 years and the Evermoor development is nearing completion. The development is broken into 13 different sub-developments that span the need for different types of housing, as well as maintaining about 25% of the space for parks and open space. Here’s a breakdown of the different sub-developments and what you will find -
The Uplands -
The Uplands is the premier single-family executive home area within Evermoor. It consists of 43 homes along Danube Lane, north of Evermoor Parkway. These homes typically start at $550,000 and go up to $1 million.
Westmeath & Drumcliffe -
The Westmeath & Drumcliffe areas consist of single-family custom homes. They are located between Diamond Path and Shannon Parkway just north and south along Evermoor Parkway. These homes along with The Uplands homes are the only homes considered “custom” and will typically feature many higher end finishes and unique designs.
Clare Downs & Heath Haven -
These are more established single family homes built by DR Horton and Centex. Heath Haven is located east of Shannon Parkway and Clare Downs is east of Shannon and south of Connemara Drive. They are characterized as primarily 2 story homes with brick fronts – typically on nice sized lots.
Westport & Glendalough -
The only 2 areas still under development – Westport is being developed by DR Horton and is nearing completion. It is located just east of Shannon Pkwy and north of Connemara. Lennar is the developer of Glendalough which has a different feel including front porches, homes close to the street, sidewalks on each side and a neighborhood pool. There are quite a few lots left there to build.
Talcott Glen & Innisfree -
Talcott Glen & Innisfree are the westernmost developments along Diamond Path & Evermoor Parkway. Talcott Glen features attached townhomes while Innisfree features detached townhomes. Both include maintenance in the association fees and are located near Innisfree Park for walking trails.
Cross Croft & Waterford -
Townhomes on eastern side of Evermoor – Cross Croft features detached townhomes, while Waterford is attached homes. The Cross Croft area has a community center, swimming pool and tennis court.
Roundstone -
A more traditional, starter townhome with 4-8 units attached in a row. These are all multi-level homes – the outer units do have walkouts and nice private yards with trees behind them.
Bard’s Crossing -
Bard’s Crossing is located just south of Connemara Trail near Highway 3. It consists of 2 large condominium buildings with 3 levels of units and underground parking. The property was developed by Wensco.
I consider myself an Evermoor specialist, having lived here for 4+ years. I look forward to assisting buyers interested in this development or current residents looking to sell their Evermoor property.
Dakota County Taxes – County & Cities Holding Tight
September 11, 2009
The current economy and drop in property values is causing many local government entities to make some difficult budgeting decisions. As property values decline the amount of property taxes goes down as well unless county and city commissioners raise rates to make up for this shortfall. This is forcing some difficult decisions for many.
That said, Dakota County and many of the counties cities are making the decision not to raise rates for the 2010 budget year. Especially since the state government reduced county and city governmental aid to address its own budget issues. Luckily, Dakota County and most of its cities aren’t as dependant on state government aid as some are.
Dakota County is setting it’s taxing levy at the same amount as in 2009 and is addressing a budget gap through eliminating vacant positions. Dakota County Holds Levy Steady
The move sets the county up for a tight year financially, with the board trying to erase a projected $9 million budget gap by cutting spending
The cities of Burnsville and Rosemount also made the decision to go with no increases for the coming year. Burnsville Won’t Increase Taxes Rosemount has been reducing debt in recent years which helped it reduce taxes in 2010 and possibly 2011 – Rosemount Taxes to go Down
Mendota Heights did buck the trend and has approved a preliminary levy increase of 1.66 percent for the coming year – Mendota Heights Approves Steady Spending
Dakota County Technical College – Septemberfest 9/12/09
September 4, 2009
The Dakota County Technical College is featuring an all-day community event on Saturday September 12th at the DCTC Rosemount Campus on County Road 42.
The event is billed as “Fun and free for the whole family, the festival will feature a slew of exciting activities to attract residents from the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities.” Some of the activities include -
- Arts & Craft Booths
- Live Entertainment
- Farmer’s Market
- Medallion Hunt
- Food & Beverages
- Children’s Activities
- Petting Zoo
- Puppet Wagon
- 5k Run/Walk
- Classic Car Show
- Volleyball Tourney
- They will have an outdoor movie (“Babe”) going from 7-9pm.
- For a full list of activities and detailed event schedule head over the official site – DCTC Septemberfest Site
Farmers’ Market Locations in Dakota County
September 2, 2009
The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market operates 8 different satellite locations in Dakota County. The Farmers Market is enjoying a resurgence in popularity as consumers are searching for healthier eating alternatives and a chance to buy & support local growers.
The Market is operated by the St. Paul Growers’ Association, Inc. The association allows only fresh, locally grown produce to be sold–directly from the grower to the consumer. Also available are bakery goods, cheese, poultry, buffalo, venison, beef, pork, lamb, maple syrup, eggs, bagel sandwiches, honey, organic plants and produce, flowers, plants, shrubs and many other items (varies by location).
Here’s where you can find them:
| Inver Grove Heights Thursdays 8055 Barbara Ave June 25 – Oct 15, 09 3:30pm – 6:30pm |
Rosemount Tuesdays 13885 So Robert Trl June 23 – Sept 22, 09 2pm – 6pm |
Lakeville Wednesdays 208th & Holyoke June 17th – Oct. 28th, 09 12pm – 5pm |
South St. Paul Wednesdays 7th Avenue & Marie Ave Central Square Park June 24 – Sept 23, 09 3pm – 6:30pm |
| West St. Paul Fridays Signal Hills Mall June 19 – Oct. 30, 09 8am – 12pm |
Burnsville Thursdays Mary Mother of the Church 3333 Cliff Road May 7 – Oct 29, 2009 12pm – 5pm |
Burnsville Saturdays Diamondhead Senior Center June 20 – Oct 24, 09 7am- 12pm |
Apple Valley Saturdays 7100 W 147th Street June 20th – Oct 24th, 09 8am – 1pm |
There are also a Farmers’ Markets in Farmington (not part of St. Paul’s system):
Farmington Farmers Market – (July-October)
109 Spruce Street
Farmington, MN
Thursdays
3:00-7:00 PM
Lake Conference Changes Coming
August 29, 2009
The primary high school athletic conference serving Dakota County schools is about to go through some big changes for the 2010-2011 season. There are currently 12 teams in the Lake Conference but the Minnesota High School League is forcing the Lake to take 4 large high schools (Wayzata, Minnetonka, Hopkins & Edina) and integrate them into current Conference. While Chaska & Chanhassen were already leaving the Conference, forcing the Lake to have 14 teams and forcing the Dakota County schools to compete with the much larger west metro schools is probably going to get them to create their own conference and blow the whole thing up.
John Millea at the Star Tribune has been following this story closely – Four Teams Shift to Lake Conference
Lake Conference officials did not want all four Classic Lake schools placed in their league and there has been speculation that the Lake would splinter if that happened. After Tuesday’s decision, that became more of a possibility.
The most likely outcome will be that the 4 District 196 schools (Eagan, Rosemount, Eastview & Apple Valley), the 2 District 194 schools (Lakeville North & Lakeville South), District 191’s Burnsville High and possibly the 2 Bloomington schools will defect to create a new conference. This would basically have the effect of booting Eden Prairie out of the current configuration to go join the other 4 new schools. The schools have until October 1st to create a new conference so we’ll know something soon.
Many homeowners buy their homes with their children’s high school sports in mind so the changes happening in Minnesota’s premier high school athletic conference do matter.
District 196 – School District of Choice for Homebuyers
August 23, 2009
Minnesota School District #196 is the 4th largest district in Minnesota with over 150,000 residents and 27,000 students. The district covers Rosemount, Apple Valley, Eagan and parts of Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville and Burnsville. It has long been recognized as one of the premier school districts in Minnesota for student achievement along with excellent extra curricular programs. As a resident of #196 for the past 22 years I can personally attest to their quality.
As the district gears up for the 2009-10 school year they just published their Spotlight Newsletter for Fall 2009 (#196 Fall 2009 Spotlight) and as usual I turned to the Superintendent’s Message. This fall the district has a new Superintendent, Jane Berenz, so this was her first “Spotlight” message.
As a real estate agent I found it both interesting and insightful that she ended her 2nd to last paragraph this way -
I am confident we will remain a district of choice among people looking for a place to buy a home and raise a family
Let me know how I can help you find that perfect home in District #196!
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