HARRISBURG, S.D. (AP) - A city outside of Sioux Falls seems to be headed toward a growth boom with major developers investing resources into recently annexed land near the town’s borders.
City officials estimate that Harrisburg, which sits less than 10 miles south of Sioux Falls, reached a population of 6,000 last year. They’re predicting the city’s population will double in the next decade, with the arrival of new families, businesses and amenities.
Developers laid claim to swaths of land last year, the Argus Leader reported. City officials annexed 280 acres of land into the city.
Dynamic Development is developing a 120-acre subdivision with residential, commercial and industrial lots. The developer’s owner, Mark Fiechtner, said enrollment in Harrisburg public schools quickly increased because of the district’s proximity to development in southern Sioux Falls.
“It looks like a tidal wave when I see the growth charts that the school district sends out,” Fiechtner said.
The city is not responding to the growth.
Van Buskirk Companies is working to increase the city’s inventory of single-family homes. Houses are already under construction nearby Dynamic Development’s subdivision, according to Ryan Jansa, Van Buskirk’s land development manager.
Jansa said a new grocery store in town changed the landscape for Harrisburg residents, who are used to driving to Sioux Falls to buy food or household items.
“You’re always going to run out of eggs or something, and people that used to live in Harrisburg had to go a long way to get that done,”Jansa said. “Now, you can walk out your door, ride your bike down there and, 10 minutes, you’re back.”
Mayor Julie Burke-Van Luvanee said the city needs more commercial development to bolster the sales tax base and fund infrastructure upgrades to handle more residents.
“We’re growing out, not necessarily up,” Burke-Van Luvanee said. “And infrastructure is not cheap.”
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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
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