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believed there were concerns for the current trajectory of costs versus revenue and the need to <br />maximize revenues due to rising project costs. He provided comment on the uniqueness of <br />Rice Creek Commons. He reported that the County had anticipated that the project would <br />break even. The County did not plan to make money on the project. The County was <br />interested in the site increasing its tax base while also providing jobs. He discussed the initial <br />investment that had been made by the County in order to have the site cleaned and prepared <br />for development. <br /> <br />Mr. Mehrkens reported that the County would have $67 million invested by the time the spine <br />road was completed. Land sales were anticipated to be approximately $65 million, in addition <br />to other real estate costs that were creating a slight disconnect in the project. He provided <br />further comment on future land sales, transit potential and site density. He discussed how the <br />City’s approved density would impact the County due to reduced land sales, jobs and housing <br />units. He provided further comment on how the County would bond for the project to cover <br />the project costs. <br /> <br />Chair Sand thanked Mr. Mehrkens for his presentation. <br /> <br />Discussion ensued regarding the County’s additional allocation of funds for the Rice Creek re- <br />meandering, land sale revenues and general expenses for TCAAP. <br /> <br />Mr. Mehrkens encouraged the JDA to consider making slight adjustments here or there to assist <br />the County in bringing better alignment to its numbers, both revenues and expenditures, for <br />the project. <br /> <br />Commissioner Grant questioned how many jobs the County was hoping to see on the TCAAP <br />site. Ms. Worthington explained the County had a range and had hoped to have 4,000 <br />residents and 4,000 jobs on the site. She provided further comment on how higher density <br />would drive retail and transit investments. <br /> <br />Preliminary Design Report Update – Beth Engum and Terry Maurer <br /> <br />Beth Engum discussed the Preliminary Design Report for Rice Creek Commons. She reported <br />the improvements at Highway 96 and I-35W would be completed by November of 2015. It was <br />noted these improvements were funded by the state legislature. She then provided comment <br />on the plans for County Road H, the roundabout at this intersection and potential landscape <br />designs for the spine road. The regional transit improvements and pedestrian connections <br />were also discussed. <br /> <br />Discussion ensued regarding the roundabout and the re-meandering of the creek. <br /> <br />Commissioner Grant asked if the County had considered applying for a grant for the creek re- <br />meandering project. Ms. Engum explained that the project was not the correct fit for the