ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Rochester’s Technology Campus could see some major changes down the road. A recent proposed project has a developer considering a huge housing and retail complex for the site.
The site has slowed down quite a bit since tech giant IBM moved most of its operations out of Rochester in 2013.
City of Rochester Community Development Director Irene Woodward explains the city is eager to see what the developer Industrial Realty Group (IRG) does with the land.
“What they’re also looking at in terms of the development is the other area they owned around that building that is vacant and underutilized,” Woodward said.
The property currently holds a couple larger buildings that house tenants of the Rochester Technology Campus. Woodward said those buildings will stay, but IRG is looking at adding more than 1,000 residential units and other commercial space.
“Housing makes a lot of sense, especially since there is high demand for housing within the city and a need for additional housing within the city,” Woodward explained.
IRG laid out a couple of different scenarios which all include housing and commercial space.
This is also a site the city is considering building a massive sports complex which the developer has factored in.
“We’re just excited to see, you know, some additional development happening out there and kind of waiting to see where it goes,” Woodward said.
The city doesn’t own the land; however, Woodward explains the city is the governing body monitoring the development.
Rochester City Council will need to approve the proposed plans. From there IRG will need to seek state and city feedback.
“Once they’ve gotten feedback and answer those questions, the council then has to kind of accept that all of that work has been done,” Woodward said.
Woodward says there is no timeline for the enormous proposal. The proposal was published in a report that studied the environmental impacts of the site.
The city of Rochester says IRG will need to submit many other planning applications before any ground can be broken.
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