Finance & Commerce reports…

St. Paul-based North Wind is teaming with the University of Minnesota on a plan to build an aerospace research center in Rosemount, a project that supporters say will bring one of the top facilities of its kind to an existing polluted site in the UMore Park area.

North Wind, which has an existing facility in Plymouth, would do aerospace research, development and testing at the new complex in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering, David Meier, North Wind’s president and CEO, told Rosemount’s Planning Commission on Tuesday night.

“We want this to be kind of the latest and greatest, the premier aerospace testing complex site,” Meier said. “We see this creating jobs, creating other businesses around us. It’s going to be a pipeline for the educational-industrial skill base.”

The Planning Commission recommended approval of a rezoning request and a preliminary and final plat for the project, which will go before the City Council in February. The city expects to see a submittal for site plan review sometime this spring, said Anthony Nemcek, Rosemount senior planner.

A preliminary site plan reveals multiple buildings with a combined 245,000-plus square feet of space, including an 80,500-square-foot Aero-Thermal Tunnel, a 60,000-square-foot U of M engineering facility, and a 46,500-square-foot Aerodynamic Tunnel Building. Also included are maintenance and storage facilities, a heating and cooling plant and more.

Meier said the U of M’s College of Science and Engineering will be responsible for the “modeling and simulation piece” at the complex, while North Wind will design, build and operate the test facilities.