10-18-17 JDA Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Proposed Location RICE CREEK COMMONS 2 September 22, 2017 Shawntera Hardy Michael Langley Minnesota Department of Employment Greater MSP Partnership and Economic Development 400 Robert Street North, Suite 1600 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E100 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101 Ladies and Gentlemen: We are pleased to present Rice Creek Commons as a potential site for Amazon’s Second Headquarters (HQ2). With an educated labor force, existing infrastructure, vibrant culture, welcoming and diverse community, an excellent quality of life, affordability, diversity of housing, and a stable business environment, Minnesota and specifically Rice Creek Commons is the logical choice for Amazon’s HQ2. The Rice Creek Commons site is a well-located, premier 427-acre property with extraordinary potential to immediately execute a well-planned development from the ground up. Considerable time, energy and funding has already been invested in preparation for an opportunity such as this, and the timing is perfect. As a shovel-ready site, Rice Creek Commons is currently in a unique position (both locally and nationally) to have immediate and future capacity to meet all of the building and site needs identified in Amazon’s HQ2 RFP. In addition, the selection of Rice Creek Commons for Amazon’s HQ2 and long-term benefit of adding 50,000 jobs has greater potential significance for the northeastern MSA than anywhere else in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area. Furthermore, a public-private partnership between Ramsey County, the City of Arden Hills, the Joint Development Authority, and Alatus, which make up the development team, has been established to maximize the value of this investment and deliver a world-class destination that is dynamic, economically strong, well- designed, well-integrated, and appropriately dense and diverse for long term growth and stability. Amazon is a bold, forward-thinking organization, and its aspirations for HQ2 perfectly align with our shared vision for Rice Creek Commons: an endeavor to redefine suburban living for the 21st Century by embracing the best aspects of both suburban and urban design. As you review the enclosed submission, please note that we have responded to Amazon’s RFP primarily with respect to those requirements/preferences that can be addressed by Rice Creek Commons. We have deliberately not addressed matters pertaining to the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area generally, such as quality of life, culture/diversity and financial incentives, assuming that those matters will be addressed by you and us, working together, in the final submission to Amazon. The Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan region is well-positioned to compete on a national scale for this unparalleled development opportunity, and we welcome the opportunity to be a part of Minnesota’s larger submission to Amazon. Victoria Reinhardt Robert C. Lux David Grant Chair, Board of Commissioners President Mayor Ramsey County Alatus LLC City of Arden Hills