Rosemount's Growing Senior Population Spurs Demand For New Senior Housing

Rosemount's population grew and one of the demographic groups that saw an increase was residents over the age of 65. According to the 2000 census, Rosemount had 784 residents age 65 or older. That number grew to 1,368 in 2009, according to the .

That increase is one of the reasons Rosemount is moving forward on plans to build a senior housing complex and senior center near the downtown area, said city administrator Dwight Johnson.

“As we looked at the growing senior population in Rosemount, we began to realize there is a need for more senior housing,” said Johnson. “There is only one similar complex in the city right now, and in the region there is an increasing need for the units.”

Johnson said the city is currently studying a plan that would place a combined senior housing complex and senior center just north of the Steeple Center, near the Robert Trail Library. “The city already owns the land and it would be close to transportation, shops and other amenities,” he said.

The senior housing proposal and senior center was one of the city goals outlined by Rosemount mayor Bill Droste in his State of the City speech last month. “Dakota County is estimating that the senior population will double in the next 20 years,” the mayor said after the speech. “This is a trend Rosemount will need to deal with in the coming years.”

Luanne Abrams is one of Rosemount's seniors and she said additional services for older residents are long overdue. She attended last week's to find out what plans that development might have for seniors. She said that in recent years, the city of Rosemount has not paid enough attention to its older citizens.

"We don't have a senior center in Rosemount," she complained. "We meet in a small room in the community center that doesn't even have a window. And we're not even guaranteed the room. If the National Guard or someone else needs it, then we get moved around and it's really upsetting."

Rosemount’s senior population is smaller as a percentage than in it is in Dakota County as a whole. While the total number of seniors is growing, the percentage of seniors as a part of Rosemount total population has increased from 5.4% in 2000 to 6.6% in 2009. According to the Minnesota Demographer’s Office, nine percent of Dakota County’s population was over 65 in 2010, and that compares to 12.6% rate nationally.

Abrams said that she and other seniors she knows have been frustrated with the city's progress on senior housing and a senior center. "They spent all sorts of money building walking trails and sports fields, and that's just fine," she said. "But we have people here who also need other things, and I don't think that is always recognized."

Johnson said Rosemount is moving forward with the planned development and hopes to issue a request for proposal (RFP) later this year. "We already have the names of a number of companies that are familiar with these types of projects," he said. "Hearing their feedback should give us an idea of the size and scope of the project that would work best for the property and the city."