3-25-26 EDC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – MARCH 25, 2026 2 Commissioner Daniels said the restaurant, cafeteria and the coffee shop are always open to external guests. There are spaces that can be rented by the public, and catering is available for events on-site, with the rental of a space. 3. COMMENTS AND REPORTS A. Report from City Council Council Liaison Rousseau would like to acknowledge Youth Commissioner Isik has made nationals with HOSA. She asked him to share with the Commission what that is. Commissioner Isik said HOSA is a student led, nonprofit organization focused on career development and developing leadership skills in their members. It has approximately 50 chapters across Minnesota. There were over 1,000 student attendees at the recent state leadership conference. He and a partner competed in the public service announcement event and placed third. That qualified them for internationals. His project was a public service announcement on brain health and the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s dementia. He said he participates in HOSA to stay diversified in the career fields he is interested in. He is looking at business and health care as possible career paths. Commissioners congratulated Commissioner Isik and he agreed to share his project at the next EDC Meeting. Discussion ensued on using Instagram content for the EDC. Council Liaison Rousseau said there are two new Economic Development Authority (EDA) members. She connected Commissioner Brausen with an EDA member at the City of Dayton. They have been very aggressive and have strategic planning sessions for the EDA. Some of their goals are: strengthening the local tax base, conducting an internal audit of internal processes/timelines, actions around creating a main street/historic village, expanding market efforts to build awareness around the community and targeting business sectors to bring businesses into the city. B. Economic Development Commission Comments Vice Chair Poelzer said she visited Commissioner Isik’s father’s business and left a newsletter and a pen, welcoming him to Arden Hills. Senior Planner Fransen said there have been a handful of permit applications submitted for commercial, interior tenant spaces. She said Wingstop and another casual restaurant called Hippo Pockets will be expanding into Arden Hills in the same multitenant building that houses Caribou. Community Development Director Reilly said he met with the CEO of a business called Airtopia Adventure Parks. They are similar to SkyZone but they have a full restaurant and bar. They have a couple of different models, based on the size of the facility. They are looking to purchase the building that was originally constructed to be a grocery store. The rectangular building with high ceilings is perfect for their needs. The current owner is not interested in leasing the building and would rather sell it.