ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) — Rochester's technology campus could be experiencing big changes in the future: A recently proposed project has developers looking to build a massive residential and retail complex on the site.
Traffic to the site has declined significantly since technology giant IBM moved most of its operations out of Rochester in 2013.
Eileen Woodward, Rochester's Community Development Director, explains that the city wants to know what developer Industrial Realty Group (IRG) will do with the land.
“What they're looking at in terms of development is the vacant and underutilized property surrounding the building,” Woodward said.
The property currently has two large buildings housing Rochester Technology Campus tenants, and Woodward said those buildings will remain, but IRG is looking to add more than 1,000 residential units and other commercial space.
“Building new homes makes a lot of sense, especially with the high demand for housing in the city and the need to build more housing in the city,” Woodward explained.
The IRG presented several different scenarios, including residential and commercial spaces.
The site is where the city is considering building a large sports complex, and developers are taking that into consideration.
“We're excited to see more development there and just waiting to see how it goes,” Woodward said.
While the city doesn't own the land, Woodward explains that the city is the governing body that oversees the development.
The Rochester City Council will have to approve the proposed plan, from which the IRG will then have to seek feedback from the state and the city.
“Once we get the feedback and answer the questions, council will be forced to accept that all the work is complete,” Mr Woodward said.
Woodward says there is no deadline for the massive proposal, which was published in a report examining the environmental impact of the site.
The City of Rochester says IRG still needs to submit a number of other planning applications before construction can begin.
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