Author: Rafael Ortega

Although it’s not right here in the city, I know many of you are still interested in the former TCAAP property in Arden Hills (now Rice Creek Commons) and how we are working to make it a productive place for people to live and work. One of our challenges is that we are a fully developed county in Ramsey County and the only way to expand the tax base is to clean up brownfields. In 2013, we purchased this property (the largest superfund site in the state) and cleaned it up. By redeveloping this parcel, we will expand our tax base and will be able to reduce every Ramsey County taxpayer’s burden. Like most big redevelopment projects, it takes time and we need to get cities, the county and developers to agree and we need the economic vision to fit today’s conditions. Here is the update.