Ramsey County commissioners on Tuesday approved the sale of a 40-acre parcel of Rice Creek Commons in Arden Hills to developer Ryan Cos. for $12.8 million.

Known as “Outlot A,” the parcel is zoned for commercial use and lies just north of the main 390-acre Rice Creek Commons development along Interstate 35W.

Ryan Cos., which estimates Outlot A will yield between 400,000 and 600,000 square feet of commercial space, plans to market it to prospective tenants as a potential corporate campus, a research and development center, or a mix of manufacturing and distribution facilities alongside retail and restaurant space, among other possibilities, according to a Ramsey County news release.

The deal includes a 15-month due diligence period. The next step will be lining up a company or a group of companies to occupy the site.

The Rice Creek Commons development. Outlot A can be seen in the upper left corner. (Courtesy of Ramsey County)

“Today’s vote advances our vision for creating economic prosperity and building an inclusive economy at Rice Creek Commons,” Ramsey County Commissioner Nicole Frethem said in the news release. “Ryan Companies presented a development scenario that will spark economic development and return these 40 acres to productive use, which is incredibly important to growing the tax base in our fully developed county. They also demonstrated a clear commitment to partnering with us on our energy goals to ensure the development is sustainable and climate forward.”

The rest of Rice Creek Commons

The remainder of Rice Creek Commons is being developed by Alatus, but the project has long been stalled by disagreements between the county and Arden Hills officials over how dense housing should be in the area.

Arden Hills previously agreed to 1,460 units, which the county rejected as too low.

But the two sides may be closer to an agreement. Earlier this month, the Arden Hills City Council approved a plan that allowed for more than 1,900 units at the site, according to a KSTP-TV report.

Formerly home to the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, the 427-acre Rice Creek Commons site was purchased by Ramsey County from the federal government in 2013.

For the site’s main 390-acre parcel, county and Arden Hills officials envision a sprawling mixed-use district that will “return the property to the economic engine it once was,” according to the news release.

Outlot A

Ramsey County issued a request for proposals for the commercially zoned Outlot A last April and received six responses.

Three of these were considered by the Joint Development Authority, which oversees the Rice Creek Commons project and comprises two Ramsey County commissioners, two Arden Hills City Council members and one Arden Hills resident.

The JDA selected the Ryan Cos. proposal, which centered on a trio of two-story office buildings and was expected to yield 800 to 1,200 permanent jobs.

One of the other proposals for the site considered by the JDA consisted of a big box retail store and a gas station, while the third focused on light industrial and manufacturing uses for the parcel.

Peter Fitzgerald, Ryan’s vice president of real estate development, said in the county’s news release that “Outlot A is destined to become one of the most attractive build-to-suit sites for regional and/or national headquarters.”

“It’s rare to have a 40-acre site in a metro area that checks all the boxes for employers,” he said. “The adjacency to outdoor amenities, accessibility and visibility from major freeways, and proximity to the densely populated Ramsey and Hennepin counties, makes Outlot A highly desirable and likely unmatched anywhere in Minnesota.”

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