165th Street AUAR
The City of Hugo is conducting an AUAR (Alternative Urban Areawide Review) along 165th Street between Elmcrest Avenue and properties east of Highway 61. There is significant development interest in the area, and sewer and water access is becoming available to several areas along 165th Street. An AUAR helps to understand how one or several development scenarios will impact the environment before the development occurs.
UPDATE – The draft Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for the 165th Street AUAR is available for public viewing. The public comment period will run from April 6 – May 14, 2026.
An informational meeting and open house was held on March, 14, 2026. The presentation from that meeting can be viewed at the link below.
Informational Meeting Presentation
Frequently Asked Questions
There are comment sheets to fill out and submit, or
you can contact Rachel Juba, Community Development Director at 651-762-6304
or rjuba@ci.hugo.mn.us to provide comments, questions, and/or set a
separate meeting to discuss.
What is an AUAR?
An Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) is a hybrid of the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) review processes. The AUAR process is designed to look at the impacts of anticipated development scenarios. It performs an environmental analysis in advance, before major development occurs in an area, and uses the information to guide local planning and zoning decisions. Future projects in the area will not require individual environmental review if they are consistent with the development scenarios discussed in the AUAR and the mitigation measures required by the AUAR Mitigation Plan are implemented.
AUAR Study Area
The AUAR study area encompasses 784 acres of property on the north and south sides of 165th Street, between Elmcrest Avenue and some properties east of Highway 61.
Land Use Scenarios
These maps show the three different scenarios that were studied with the AUAR. These maps show future land use of certain properties based on how they can realistically redevelop when sewer and water are available, but it does not dictate how the property is currently being used. Option 1 is the current land use plan in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and options 2 and 3 were alternative scenarios evaluated with this AUAR.
Next Steps
Once the City Council authorizes the draft AUAR for distribution, and the document is submitted to the Environmental Quality Board (EQB), the official 30-day public comment period will begin. The public comment period for the draft AUAR will be open from April 6 – May 14, 2026.
After the comment period is completed, a Revised AUAR including mitigation measures for potential environmental impacts will be prepared and distributed. Barring any objections, the City will adopt the Revised AUAR and mitigation plan and distribute the final document to the EQB.
Timeline
