Appropriate housing is a major economic issue in Wahpeton
Posted by Robert T. Chambers
on Jul 16, 2015
Periodically members hear from the Director of the Wahpeton Economic Development Commission Jane Priebe on the state of the city’s economy. The regular noon hour meeting at Prante’s recently was one such occasion. The basis of Ms. Priebe’s presentation was that the city lacked appropriate housing at a variety of levels. The major issue, work force housing, the club had heard about before from others. One only has to drive north on Highway 75 between six and seven in the morning to see the migration of workforce into Wahpeton from that direction. As there is a dearth of appropriate housing only fifty-two percent of the work force in Wahpeton industries within the city and an additional twenty-six percent within twenty-five miles. That leaves twenty-two percent of the work-force being forced (allowing that a few might be elective) to live away from the area and endure an over 50 mile per day commute due to the city’s past lack of land use/housing policy. When one drills down on these statistics it is discovered that there has been a 4 percent DECLINE in the percentage of people living within the city. Managers of major plants with twenty-four/seven operations have worried about this for years as a bad storm will interfere with shift changes. The need involves many genres of housing: regular apartments; upscale apartments; town houses; mid-level housing and upscale housing as well as an idea new to North Dakota: housing cooperatives (common in Minnesota and elsewhere). So what is the city doing to remedy this?
Jane Priebe, Director, Wahpeton Economic Development Commission
The simple answer is a number of things all based on good studies. Each of these projects is a different type of residence in an attempt to fulfill the variety of needs.
The initial and in some ways most difficult project is on thirty six plus acres immediately north of Wal-Mart. There was a prior attempt to develop this land however Wal-Mart’s agreement included a variety of “burdened land restrictions” on this land including some height restrictions and it was zoned as commercial. The city has been able to negotiate the restrictions with Wal-Mart and re-zone the area as residential allowing Property Resources Group (Fargo) PACES Lodging Corporation to both build apartments (78 units) and provide infra-structure for 10 lots in Phase I and an additional 59 lots in Phase II. The intent is that local contractors will purchase these lots to build homes on them.
The initial and in some ways most difficult project is on thirty six plus acres immediately north of Wal-Mart. There was a prior attempt to develop this land however Wal-Mart’s agreement included a variety of “burdened land restrictions” on this land including some height restrictions and it was zoned as commercial. The city has been able to negotiate the restrictions with Wal-Mart and re-zone the area as residential allowing Property Resources Group (Fargo) PACES Lodging Corporation to both build apartments (78 units) and provide infra-structure for 10 lots in Phase I and an additional 59 lots in Phase II. The intent is that local contractors will purchase these lots to build homes on them.
The second project is a piece of land described by Ms. Priebe as wedged between a trucking company and a mobile home park. Some development of this land occurred in 1999 but market conditions changed and nothing further was done. The current plan, “West Briarwood Cooperative Housing” is a completely different genre of housing and new to North Dakota but an attempt to fulfill the differing needs. Ackerman Land Surveying was able to replat the land so that eighteen lots could be provided plus area for the home owners association to have a shelter/storage building plus a play area and garden plots.
The third land use project is a parcel of land immediately north of city hall. Herb Gast’s Triple G Properties is developing “Village At Rivers Edge” a complex of upscale apartments with underground parking for tenants fifty years of age and older. All units (except four) will have a deck, stainless steel appliances and washer/dryer space. Most are two bedroom apartments and the three floors of apartments range in size from eight hundred and fifty square feet (one bedroom) to sixteen hundred square feet. There will be elevators, a large community room; fitness room, break out room, craft room, and the Village Pub (BYOB party room). There will be a spacious lobby with a fireplace and a canopied drive at the entrance. Clearly an up-scale apartment this development is already under construction as one can see from the by-pass or Fourth Street,
The fourth project is more of a building use project: the old city hall downtown on Fourth. The first idea of moving the City Police to the building would not work for a variety of reasons despite their desperate need to move out of their closet sized (twelve hundred square feet) space. That problem will be solved by having them take over the Willow Creek location on Third Avenue North providing them with seven thousand six hundred square feet including garage space. Willow Creek will relocate to Fifth Street North allowing the city police to move in about November 2016. Back to “Old City Hall” – This will be developed with a Public Private Partnership with “The Brew” a restaurant company proposing to provide a restaurant and housing components in the building.
Over the past years the infrastructure needed for companies to move into Wahpeton has been provided: NDSCS, the hospital, the airport with jet capacity, the new school upgrades and the four-lane boulevarded Highway 13. A huge impediment to growth has been a lack of appropriate housing. Kudos to the city council and the Economic Development Commission for developing a land use policy, as well as new to North Dakota ideas (cooperative housing), and P3 Model (Public Private Partnership) developments.
The third land use project is a parcel of land immediately north of city hall. Herb Gast’s Triple G Properties is developing “Village At Rivers Edge” a complex of upscale apartments with underground parking for tenants fifty years of age and older. All units (except four) will have a deck, stainless steel appliances and washer/dryer space. Most are two bedroom apartments and the three floors of apartments range in size from eight hundred and fifty square feet (one bedroom) to sixteen hundred square feet. There will be elevators, a large community room; fitness room, break out room, craft room, and the Village Pub (BYOB party room). There will be a spacious lobby with a fireplace and a canopied drive at the entrance. Clearly an up-scale apartment this development is already under construction as one can see from the by-pass or Fourth Street,
The fourth project is more of a building use project: the old city hall downtown on Fourth. The first idea of moving the City Police to the building would not work for a variety of reasons despite their desperate need to move out of their closet sized (twelve hundred square feet) space. That problem will be solved by having them take over the Willow Creek location on Third Avenue North providing them with seven thousand six hundred square feet including garage space. Willow Creek will relocate to Fifth Street North allowing the city police to move in about November 2016. Back to “Old City Hall” – This will be developed with a Public Private Partnership with “The Brew” a restaurant company proposing to provide a restaurant and housing components in the building.
Over the past years the infrastructure needed for companies to move into Wahpeton has been provided: NDSCS, the hospital, the airport with jet capacity, the new school upgrades and the four-lane boulevarded Highway 13. A huge impediment to growth has been a lack of appropriate housing. Kudos to the city council and the Economic Development Commission for developing a land use policy, as well as new to North Dakota ideas (cooperative housing), and P3 Model (Public Private Partnership) developments.