Hampton Industrial - Alternative Urban Areawide Review
Project Overview
The City of Hampton is currently preparing an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) to understand the environmental implications of two proposed development scenarios within a study area that is in both the City of Hampton and Hampton Township. The first scenario would align with the future land use designations from the City of Hampton 2040 Comprehensive Plan (2019) and the Dakota County Collaborative Comprehensive Plan (2019). The City of Hampton 2040 Comprehensive Plan is set to act as a guide to community growth and development over the next two decades, and The Dakota County Collaborative 2040 Comprehensive Plan is intended to guide future land use development, redevelopment, and other planning and policy concerns for communities in the Rural Collaborative, which includes Hampton Township.
The second scenario would evaluate a technology park use within the study area. The AUAR process creates the opportunity to anticipate and manage impacts before projects are built and outlines any potential mitigation requirements to be followed for projects proposed within the AUAR land use scenarios.
The AUAR study area encompasses approximately 140 acres on 7 tax parcels located east of US Highway 52 (US 52) and north of Minnesota State Highway 50 (MN 50) in the City of Hampton and Hampton Township, Minnesota. The development scenarios to be evaluated in the AUAR are described in Table 1.
Table 1: AUAR Development Scenario 1
| Component | Scenario 1 | Scenario 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Technology Park (square feet) | - | 1,500,000 |
| Highway Commercial (square feet) | 150,000 | - |
| Industrial (square feet) | 400,000 | - |
| Agricultural (square feet) | 3,400,000 | - |
| Total (square feet) | 3,950,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Total (square feet) | 140 acres | 140 acres |
AUAR Study Area
Scenario 1
Scenario 2
AUAR Documents
Public Comment Period
The public is invited to comment on the Draft AUAR prior to development of a Final AUAR. The 30-day comment period will begin on December 24, 2024. Comments will be accepted through 4:00 PM on January 23, 2024, and should be addressed to:
RGU: City of Hampton
- Mayor John Knetter
-
5265 238th Street East, P.O. Box 128
Hampton, MN 55031 - [email protected]
Public Open House
Join us for a public meeting on January 7, 2025 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. to learn more about the Draft AUAR and provide your written comments in person.
The meeting will be held at Hampton City Hall (5265 238th St, Hampton, MN 55031)
What is an AUAR ?
An Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) is a planning tool that local governments can use to understand how one or several development scenarios will affect the environment of the community. The State of Minnesota requires environmental reviews on proposed developments of a certain size and scale. The City of Hampton is the responsible governmental unit (RGU) for the AUAR process.
An AUAR analyzes potential issues in these areas:
- Climate Adaption and Resilience
- Land Use
- Geology/Soils
- Water Resources
- Contamination/Hazardous Wastes
- Fish/Wildlife/Plant Communities
- Historic Properties
- Visual
- Air
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Noise
- Transportation
- Cumulative Potential Effects
Why are we doing a “Large AUAR” that includes a Scoping Document?
The 2009 rule amendments added a required step at the beginning of the AUAR process if the review will cover any specific projects which meet mandatory Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) requirements or comprise at least half the AUAR area. This step is found at part 4410.3610, subpart 5a. The comment process is initiated by a draft AUAR order and Scoping Document, which must be noticed for a 30-day public comment period. Commenters may suggest additional development scenarios, including alternatives for the large specific project(s) in question and may include site alternatives outside the proposed AUAR boundary; they must give reasons why a proposed alternative is potentially environmentally superior to those listed in the draft AUAR order.
Tentative Schedule for the AUAR
- Scoping Document 30-day Public Comment Period: September 24, 2024 – October 24, 2024
- City Council votes on adoption of the Scoping Document: November 12, 2024
- Development of Draft AUAR: October 2024 – December 2025
- Draft AUAR 30-day Public Comment Period: December 24, 2024 – January 23, 2025
- City Council votes on adoption of Final AUAR: April 8, 2025
Questions?
More information about the AUAR process can be found on the EQB webpage.
If you have questions during this planning phase or throughout the project, please email John Knetter, Mayor, at [email protected].