Crews finally break ground on Arden Hills' Rice Creek Commons
After more than a decade of ups and downs, construction on Rice Creek Commons in Arden Hills, Minnesota, is officially underway.
"Today marks a major milestone for not just Rice Creek Commons, but for the entire region," Ramsey County Commissioner Tara Jebens-Singh said. "Rice Creek Commons is one of the most significant development opportunities in Minnesota and arguably in the great Midwest."
The former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Ramsey County has sat vacant for years, and was once the largest contaminated site in Minnesota. Arden Hills city leaders say the 427-acre plot of land will be transform into a place where people can live, work and play — with sustainability at the center of it.
"The vision today is to not add to the climate problem," Arden Hills councilwoman Tena Monson said. "Build in a way that's sustainable, that uses our resources."
The groundbreaking Wednesday signified the start of construction crews on the very first development at Rice Creek Commons: the headquarters for electronics manufacturer Micro Control Company.
Ryan Companies, U.S. is investing $3.5 million into a low carbon and energy efficient design for the first phase of development. It's a move they say will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from operations by 65%.
As it was formerly an ammunition plant, the site took years of clean up and remediation before development could happen. The city and county hope to return it to the economic engine it once was, this time as a climate-forward community with homes, businesses and retail. In all, it's expected to have a future economic impact of $1 billion.
"We've got a lot that still needs to be done, but I'm really confident that we're going to be able to move forward," said former Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt. "Once you get the first thing in the ground, people start paying attention, and I think it's going to go really great from here on out."
To put the size of the site into perspective, it's bigger than the imprint of downtown St. Paul.
Next year, the county plans to start building a new county road that will connect Rice Creek Commons to Highway 96.
