The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Office of Business Development has awarded shovel ready certification to developments in Becker, Pine City, and Stewartville.
Shovel ready certification means a city or developer has completed the planning, zoning, environmental studies, title work, public infrastructure and other pre-construction activities on a particular site. The certification makes a site more attractive to companies that want to move quickly with plans to start up, relocate, or expand their operations, say city and state officials.
“The Shovel Ready Program streamlines much of the work that businesses need to get done before beginning an expansion project,” DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben said in a news release. “With much of the advance work out of the way, businesses can focus on their plans for growth and job creation.”
The International Falls Economic Development Authority Commission is now seeking shovel ready certification for the multimodal district it owns east of the city.
OBD launched the program in 2009. Since then, 15 development sites in Minnesota have received shovel ready certification.
