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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-1171 (2) Ramirez, Jonathan From:Howland, Devin Sent:Friday, November 3, 2023 8:03 AM To:Agenda Item Comment Subject:Agenda Item Comment- B.1 REINDL PROPERTIES, INC (PURCHASE CONTRACT) Attachments:Downtown Employer Letter of Support- Mycelium Networks.pdf; Downtown Employer Letter of Support- Acre Trader.pdf; Letter of Support from Startup Junkie Consulting.pdf Good Morning, I’ve received three letters concerning item B.1 Reindl Properties, thank you for your assistance in adding these attachments to the agenda item. Thank you! Devin Howland, CEcD Director Economic Vitality 113 W. Mountain Street City of Fayetteville, AR 72701 T 479.575.8221 Website 1 October 31, 2023 RE: Resolution authorizing a real estate purchase contract with Reindl Properties, Inc. for the construction of a mixed-use building on the Ramble/Cultural Arts Corridor Civic Plaza Dear Mayor Jordan and City Council members, I am the Founder and CEO of AcreTrader, an agricultural real estate and data platform located in the heart of Fayetteville’s downtown square. I am writing to support the proposed hotel development by Reindl Properties, Inc. on the Ramble. I believe it represents an opportunity for the City to strategically develop to meet the changing needs of our residents. AcreTrader is a different type of financial tech company. Instead of investing in cryptocurrency or other digital assets, our team has focused on investing in something tangible and crucial to our communities: land. Combined with agricultural real estate’s history of strong returns and low volatility, the opportunity to remove the high cost of entry into the farmland investment market makes our mission a no-brainer for our team. We believe investing in land is essential for the well-being of individuals, families, and communities across the U.S. For this reason, I am keenly aware of the role city government plays in good land stewardship. I appreciate the level of collaboration and community responsiveness that was employed to develop Reindl’s latest iteration of the proposed hotel space, which offers both leisure and conference space. Public input and careful deliberation have shaped a plan for a hotel that will highlight Fayetteville’s unique cultural identity while creating a destination in our downtown area. As someone who made the choice to base AcreTrader and its employees in Fayetteville, I believe in the future of this city, particularly in the importance of managing growth with careful place-based development. Strategic investment in amenities is vital to the local tech industry's ability to retain young talent from the University of Arkansas as well as to recruit top talent from other regions to overcome Northwest Arkansas’s stubborn tech talent gap. We’ve relocated employees from all over—Chicago, Denver, New York—and my goal is to make these individuals and their families lifelong Fayetteville residents. To achieve this, it is imperative that the City actively pursue mixed-use projects that make Fayetteville a place where people see themselves thriving for decades to come. I thank you for your consideration of this letter of support. If I can provide any additional resources, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you, Carter Malloy Founder & CEO, AcreTrader Oct 31, 2023 City of Fayetteville 113 West Mountain Street Fayetteville, AR 72701 Purpose: Letter of Support for new downtown Reindl Properties, Inc. Hotel Project. Startup Junkie is a key economic development catalyst in the City of Fayetteville, and has proven to be an important leader in the advancement of the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the City. Through our work with local entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders, it has become clear that we must continue to maximize our efforts in supporting new businesses, as they are a vital economic catalyst for the City. This hotel is a new business, and objectively we can only see a net positive impact on this City if it is built. Beyond the increased vibrance and quality of life improvement that this hotel will bring to the City, it will create new jobs, generate new tax revenue, and provide much needed capacity for individuals traveling here to visit our beautiful City in addition to provide capacity for entrepreneurs and business owners bringing prospective talent here. By not supporting this new hotel development, we will be impeding economic development that benefits all, and the vibrant future for this city that we all strive for. Let this letter of support make it clear that we support new business creation in Fayetteville, and we support the new downtown Reindl Properties, Inc Hotel Project, as it is critical to continued economic development and continued quality of life improvement for Fayetteville. Regards, Startup Junkie Team