University of Minnesota students protest UMore Park land sale for new aerospace center in Rosemount

Some University of Minnesota students are protesting the U’s sale of UMore Park land in Rosemount to a local aerospace company that officials say is working with the Department of Defense.

At Friday’s Board of Regents meeting, U officials are poised to confirm the $8.1 million sale of 60 acres in UMore Park so North Wind, which has facilities in Plymouth and St. Paul, can build the Minnesota Aerospace Complex.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), which has been actively involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations around campus for years, allege that the land is being purchased with money from a Department of Defense contract and that North Wind may design and test missiles, which the company hasn’t confirmed or denied.

“Politically, we don’t agree with the university using its resources to further the development of missiles,” said Emil Chu, a 2024 U graduate.

On Thursday, four Regents’ homes were vandalized by people upset about the sale. Police are investigating the incidents and U officials condemned the “threatening behavior.”

A North Wind spokesperson said in a statement that it’s a “landmark project that builds on Minnesota’s long tradition of aerospace innovation,” but they declined to answer specific questions about their work.

“We look forward to the many benefits this project will bring to the region, including boosting economic development, creating jobs, and revitalizing a historic site,” the statement said.

UMore Park was comprised of 8,000 acres of land deeded to the U in 1947, but several large parcels have recently been sold to developers, leaving the U with 3,900 acres. At the end of WWII, Gopher Ordnance Works operated a smokeless gunpowder facility there; it has had several other uses since then. Some parts are known to be polluted and require environmental cleanup.

The U.S. Army and Navy both leased land from the U for a period after that; hazardous substances were disposed of during those times, a 2024 lawsuit alleged. The U used the land mostly for lab waste and agricultural research for half a century.

In a statement, Shashank Priya, the vice president for research and innovation, called the project an investment in Minnesota’s future workforce and prosperity.

“Our memorandum of understanding with North Wind and future work at the Minnesota Aerospace Complex builds on our growing research portfolio and positions the University — and Minnesota — as a leader in education and innovation, supporting economic and national security,“ he said.

SDS members, who will hold a press conference before the Board of Regents meeting on Friday, debuted this week a new website outlining their demands from the U, including ending involvement with the aerospace complex and “transparent remediation” of the land. The group calls the land “UWar Park.”

At a May Board of Regents meeting where the sale was approved, U officials said the sale furthers “multiple priorities” outlined in the Regents’ 2015 resolution related to UMore Park plans.

“It delivers strong financial return, supports market-based development and most notably fosters a mission-aligned research partnership,” said Gregg Goldman, the U’s executive vice president for finance and operations.

U officials requested and received a waiver from the Board of Regents to sell the land to North Wind directly, instead of through a public process, as required by the 2015 UMore Park resolution, Goldman said, calling it a “strong, strategic transaction.”

In February, Rosemount city officials approved rezoning and preliminary and final plats for the complex and are supportive of developing UMore Park, including bringing it back onto property tax rolls and ushering in “emerging industries” there, said Adam Kienberger, Rosemount’s community development director.

North Wind still needs to come to the city for site plan approvals, he said.

At a Rosemount planning commission meeting in January, North Wind President David Meier said his company was originally a U spin-off that’s operated a Plymouth testing facility since 1960.

He said the new facility will be an “independent aerospace testing complex supporting the Department of Defense and industry needs” and that North Wind’s partnership with the U would bring together both parties’ skill sets.

“We think this is needed for our nation,” Meier said. “We need more ground testing and modeling and simulation for future aerospace vehicle development.”

At that planning commission meeting, Leslie Krueger, the U’s assistant vice president for planning, space and real estate, noted that the area would require environmental cleanup. The U and North Wind will work together under Minnesota Pollution Control Agency supervision to remediate the site, she said.