How much does Huntsville want Trader Joe's? That particular question is getting a workout, as the developer of MidCity has gone to the trouble of penning a letter to the California retailer.

RCP Companies, which is overseeing the development of the project, addressed the letter to "Captain Dan Bane & The Trader Joe's Crew," trumpeting the advantages of coming to the Rocket City.

"Huntsville is on the rise with commercial growth," the letter states. "Jeff Bezos, Facebook, and Toyota-Mazda have all anchored in Huntsville, and we're anxiously awaiting for Trader Joe's to dock here too. All of Huntsville's treasures lie within spitting distance of MidCity Huntsville..."

The push comes after CEO Dan Bane announced Trader Joe's is targeting to open 30 to 35 stores a year in the 48 states.

"The only thing that holds us back is having the right number of captains and mates," Bane was quoted by Customer Think. "We won't open a store just because we can. We want to open a store that's run by the right kind of people doing the right kinds of things."

Trader Joe's only Alabama location is in Birmingham.

MidCity Huntsville is the $500 million multi-use district taking shape at the intersection of University Drive and Research Park Boulevard. It is the fourth largest commercial real estate development in the U.S., with Topgolf, Dave & Buster's, Rascal Flatt's and Wahlburger's among companies taking part.

RCP plugged the campaign through its Facebook page, asking those interested to flood Trader Joe's contact form with suggestions to come to Huntsville. This came because the company looks at community demand when picking new locations, according to RCP.

Nadia Niakossary, project coordinator for RCP, said its initial post reached more than 81,000 people, with 750 shares and 570 likes, the majority of it being organic.