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Proposed Location <br />RICE CREEK COMMONS <br /> 6 <br /> Access to Mass Transit <br />In 2016, Metro Transit opened the A-Line bus rapid transit line, a high-frequency bus line that connects <br />two Twin Cities light rail lines. It is anticipated that the A-Line service will be extended to serve Rice Creek <br />Commons and will connect the site to the regional transit network. <br />Extending the line to Rice Creek Commons would add approximately 10 stations to the line and provide transit <br />opportunities for thousands of residents, students and businesses. The extension would connect the nearby <br />University of Northwestern and Bethel University, as well as major employers, including Land O’Lakes and <br />Boston Scientific, to the broader public transportation system. <br />Building Requirements <br />Phase I Initial Square Footage <br />This site is shovel-ready and can accommodate Amazon’s Phase I building square footage needs immediately. <br />Total Square Footage <br />Because the site is 427 acres, the site has the capacity to support Amazon’s total future square footage needs <br />of more than 8 million square feet. <br />Time to Operations <br />Master Plan <br />The development team has worked together to develop a master plan that seamlessly <br />blends residential and commercial development to maximize the potential of the site. The <br />master plan draws on best practices in international urban and suburban development <br />to create a community for people of all ages to live, work, shop and play. This type of <br />development will ensure that Amazon is able to recruit and retain a quality employment <br />base. <br />The master plan is a series of three documents – the TCAAP Redevelopment Code, the <br />TCAAP Regulating Plan, and an amendment to the Arden Hills 2020 Comprehensive Plan. <br />Additionally, an Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) was approved by the City of <br />Arden Hills to allow additional density on the site. The site is zoned for office, mixed-use <br />commercial, and residential development. <br />The Development Team recognizes that the site’s master plan is flexible and may be <br />adapted to reflect market conditions and development opportunities, such as this. While <br />we have created an innovative vision for this site, we know that Amazon wants to build <br />the corporate campus of their dreams, not ours. We are committed to being flexible <br />to accommodate Amazon’s needs. Major advantages for the selection of Rice Creek <br />Commons for Amazon’s headquarters are that (1) the entire site is owned by Ramsey <br />County; (2) no parcel assemblage will be required; and (3) the entire site is shovel-ready and can accommodate <br />Amazon’s 100-acre needs immediately. <br />All of these completed actions (particularly the AUAR) expedite the site’s ability to respond to <br />Amazon’s RFP and development timing demands. <br />Watch a video about the current Rice Creek Commons master plan at ricecreekcommons.com <br />NOTE: We would be happy to create an Amazon-specific video in consultation with DEED and <br />GREATER MSP if we are selected as one of the sites for submission on October 19.