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Blog Archives
Rural housing game plan: A winning housing strategy is also economic development, experts say
by Wendy Royston, with additional reporting by Heidi Marttila-Losure In the past 30 years, the Dakotas have worked hard to improve economic opportunity to the people who call these states “home.” But, according to experts, the state of the actual homes in the Dakotas has not received such focused attention. The organizational structure for economic development was put in place 30-some ... Read More »
Column: Housing: Whose responsibility is it?
Housing is a hot topic in most small towns. Everybody has opinions on the causes of the problems, and many people have good ideas for solutions. But when push comes to shove, it’s difficult to find people and organizations willing to step up to the plate to implement solutions. Everybody has a valid excuse People and organizations have many valid reasons ... Read More »
Some development organizations have taken on the job of housing
Faulkton Area Economic Development Corp. – Faulkton, S.D. The Faulkton Area Economic Development Corporation formed a partnership with the city after a survey through the Home Address program showed a need for homes. “The city and county have been supportive of our efforts and have allocated money in their annual budgets for the FAEDC to help in many areas including ... Read More »
The natural flow of housing
Think of the housing in your community as fitting in one of these four “tubs.” Without intervention, housing will naturally slide from one category to another. (As each of us who has a house knows.) Read More »
“People have this mental model about housing that …
“People have this mental model about housing that … losing money on a project doesn’t make sense when, in fact, it does, when it is an investment in workforce housing stock in the community. It’s an economic development investment, just like putting in a development park or a new sewer and water line to the new housing development. … It’s ... Read More »
Making way for the new
Opportunity in old homes
Revitalizing an older housing market takes innovation, time and someone to see the possibilities lying dormant beneath neglect or age. And money. Some might say that last part’s the kicker. Kim Ehlers of White Lake, S.D., is a former real estate agent who is looking for investment properties, and her husband, John, is a retired carpenter. If they could impart ... Read More »
Centerville finds a housing solution in old homes
by Wendy Royston with additional reporting by Rebecca Froehlich Sometimes, the key to advancing housing in a community starts with what you already have. “The neatest houses in Centerville are some of the older ones that have been rehabbed,” said Bill Hansen, former executive director of the Centerville Development Corp. “These houses that … have some historical significance that we ... Read More »
Janklow’s houses
by Doug Card & Wendy Royston The late S.D. Gov. Bill Janklow left a complicated legacy—even before the car crash that resulted in a fatality and forced him from public office, about eight years before his death in 2012. His effect on rural housing, however, was significant—and continues today. He “perceived that much economic development—which, in simple form, is called ... Read More »