News Flash

Sioux Center is poised for residential growth with a range of residential lots and options available.

Sioux Center is poised for residential growth with a range of residential lots and options available for those wishing to live here, build here, and own a home here.

This summer, there will be more than 100 lots available in various locations in Sioux Center:

• The new Meadow Creek addition, just north of Bridgeview Pond, has 34 lots coming available later this month in eastern Sioux Center.
• Highland Hills has 11 lots available in eastern Sioux Center. A second addition is planned there. 
• Country View North has 8 lots available in northern Sioux Center.
• The Windsong addition has 8 lots available in southern Sioux Center.
• South Ridge Estates has 44 lots available in southern Sioux Center.

More information on these is available at www.siouxcenter.org/housing. 

In addition to these lots, Vision Builders is looking to add single-family homes along the planned 16^th St. Circle NE, plus an additional development in northeast Sioux Center with both multi-family and single-family options

With 2025 construction season underway, Sioux Center has already seen 12 single-family construction permits this year, and in addition, 32 apartment units are under construction and another 32 more are planned, plus the cottages at Dordt University. 

The City continues to work with developers as they plan additional multi-family and single-family options throughout the community.

“Housing is one of the Sioux Center City Council’s strategic initiatives. We know Sioux Center needs to have an inventory of available housing options to meet the ongoing demand for people who want to have their home here,” said Mayor Dale Vander Berg.

A new pond with a pedestrian trail is being proposed as part of ongoing plans to increase residential options.

A new retention pond with a pedestrian trail is being proposed in northeastern Sioux Center, as part of ongoing plans to increase residential options and to add a new amenity.

Master planning for the area south of 20^th St. NE and east of 13^th Ave. NE identified this area for future residential growth but also recognized the future need for a retention pond to serve that area.

This week, the City Council approved creating a development agreement with a local developer, Vision Builders, to provide the land for and help build that pond, which would be similar to the new Bridgeview Pond, and the stage for additional housing. 

“Housing is one of our initiatives from our strategic plan, and we know our inventory of available housing is low,” said Mayor Dale Vander Berg. “As a City we want to partner with developers to bring more housing opportunities to Sioux Center. This is a great example of putting that into action.”

The proposed pond would provide stormwater detention and retention for about 145 acres. Engineers identified that about 22% of that stormwater would come from land owned by Vision Builders, and the City would ask them to pay that portion of pond construction. The pond will be able to be used both for detention and as a public amenity. Also as part of the agreement, Vision Builders would provide about 7.6 acres of land for future development to the City. The City, in turn, will trade about 4 acres of land along 11^th Ave. NE to Vision Builders, who will participate in some of the development costs of that street plus provide an additional $100,000 toward future amenities and enhancements to the public area.

Also as part of this plan, Vision Builders is proposing the development of multi-family and owner-occupied single-family options in this area at a range of prices.

“The things we really like about this are that we are able to partner with a local developer – the City doesn’t want to be a developer – and that Vision will develop additional housing with various price points, which includes multi-family housing options as well,” Vander Berg said. “As a council, we will continue to keep partnerships with various developers as an integral part of our planning as we look to the future.”

The City Council just approved an infrastructure project in northeastern Sioux Center to open an area for future residential development.

The City Council just approved an infrastructure project in northeastern Sioux Center to open an area called Harvest Heights for future residential development. 

The project will include adding about 1/3 mile of water main to make a loop serving this area, building and paving 18^th St. NE from 11^th Ave. NE to 7^th Ave. NE and connecting it to the existing north end of 7^th Ave. NE, installing storm sewer and installing sanitary sewer. The Harvest Heights area is between 16^th Circle NE, a cul de sac currently in development, and 20^th St. NE.

Facilitating opportunities for a variety of residential development is a key priority the council identified in strategic planning, City Manager Scott Wynja noted.

“We are always looking to create opportunities for a variety of housing. We partnered with Sioux Center Land Development to put in 11^th Ave. NE to open up an additional area and already have a developer planning a multifamily development there,” he said. “We see a need for additional spots for duplexes, triplexes, multifamily or apartment buildings. By opening 18^th Street, we feel that offers the opportunity for many more spaces for housing options.”

The council approved the low bid for the Harvest Heights work this week. Installation of water lines will begin soon. Paving 18^th St. NE will likely begin in 2026.

Previously, the City partnered with Sioux Center Land Development to install 11^th Ave. NE from about 14^th St. NE to 20^th St. NE, with lot sales helping cover the cost of installing that road. Since that opened in 2024, the City Council approved the sale of about 2.5 acres there to CenterView, a local developer planning to build two 32-unit apartment buildings with potential for additional buildings as well.

The past 12 months saw milestone residential and commercial growth.

The past 12 months have been full of the sight and sounds of building construction in Sioux Center, and it was a banner year for residential and commercial growth.

Residential construction spiked in 2024 for both single-family dwellings and multi-family residential. Sioux Center saw 29 new single-family homes started, which nearly doubled the numbers from each of the previous 3 years. This is the highest number of single-family home permits since 2018. The total single-family residential valuation added in 2024 was about $12 million. 

For multi-family growth, 45 units were built or started in Sioux Center in 2024, which is up from 27 the previous year and the highest in at least a decade. This includes townhomes, like those built in southeast Sioux Center in the Ridge Creek area, condos like the 16-unit tower under construction at Woodbridge, and apartments. Total valuation added for multi-family residential in 2024 was more than $9 million, up from about $5.9 million the previous year.

Sioux Center also saw commercial construction across a variety of sectors in 2024, ranging from education to entertainment to service business. With 13 new construction permits for the year, the total valuation represented was $63.8 million, nearly double the previous year’s valuation.

“It was exciting to see the amount of residential and commercial growth in the community over the past year. As a city, guided by our City Council’s strategic initiatives, we continue to help facilitate a variety of options with developers that help meet the needs of our growing community,“ said City Manager Scott Wynja. 

Multi-family housing planned along the newly-added 11th Ave. NE.

The City Council approved the sale of about 2.5 acres of land in northeastern Sioux Center to a local developer planning to build two 32-unit apartment buildings along the new 11th Ave NE.

The proposed site is along 11^th Ave. NE, roughly around 18^th St. NE, north of the existing Country View North residential areas. The purchaser, CenterView, LLC, anticipates breaking ground in the spring of 2025 on the first of 2 two-story apartment buildings, and the following spring for the second building.

“Multi-family housing is a natural fit for this location,” said Community Development Director Lucas Heiberger. “In our planning for future development, we envisioned multi-family housing here, so it aligns well with our long-term goals.”

Tyler Spans, of Axis Real Estate, shared about plans for the CenterView apartments, including that the two-story buildings will offer a mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments.

“Two years ago we did the Franken Manor project here in town. That gave us a little taste for the need for housing here in this community,” Spans said. “We want to have more apartments here.”

In the future, CenterView may consider purchasing additional land near this to add two more buildings, Spans said.

CenterView received a state Workforce Housing Tax Credit to add the proposed 64 units, and the City of Sioux Center supported their application for that credit. The City Council also approved a development agreement which includes a 10-year property tax abatement, excluding school taxes.

Mayor Dale Vander Berg said having sites like this ready when developers are interested in adding residential development was a key priority the council identified in strategic planning.

“We were deliberate on that and put 11^th Ave. N in, and now it feels like we do have a place where developers can go,” Vander Berg said. “As we work to promote a variety of housing options, this was one of those pieces that we needed to solve. It feels like we’re moving in the right direction.”

The city council approved the sale of land to facilitate added housing options.

Added housing is the focus of a land sale by the City in northern Sioux Center. This week, the city council approved the sale of 5.65 acres north of 15^th St. NE to Vision Builders to add single family homes.

Vision Builders’ plan would be to plat this land as a cul de sac, then build and sell 16 homes in it. Ben Kurtzleben, of Vision Builders, said they would like to begin foundation work on some of the homes this fall. Initially, they would start with eight lots, then add another eight.

Before the council approved the sale, Mayor Dale Van De Berg reviewed the council’s 2024 strategic planning priorities, noting the number one initiative was to facilitate housing opportunities.

“The city council has expressed a strong desire for more and, in particular, affordable housing,” added Community Development Director Lucas Heiberger. “Vision Builders has continued coming up with creative ideas for good options at various price points.”

In addition to this new cul de sac, Vision Builders is considering plans to add two more residential developments in northeast Sioux Center to fit two additional price ranges, Kurtzleben shared with the council. The company is considering developing one area with placed homes on concrete slabs with the goal of being able to offer homes under $200,000. In addition, they may look to create two-acre lots along 13^th St NE for higher-end residential options.

“We have kind of realigned our sights a decade ago as a company to try to solve problems in the housing market and try to do attainable housing at some sort of level,” Kurtzleben said. “Our goal with this three-pronged approach is to hit a number of areas the market isn’t doing right now.”

The council unanimously approved the sale of land to Vision Builders.

The Sioux County Regional Airport was honored with an FAA award.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Central Region Airports Division selected the Sioux County Regional Airport to receive an award for the development and success of the airport.

“We know that the efforts put forth by the Airport Board and the local communities was a significant challenge and did not happen without the support of all involved,” said Rodney Joel, acting director of the FAA Central Region Airports Division. “This has been a successful collaboration of municipal, state, county, and federal entities to construct this very successful facility.”

The award was presented this past week at the 4-States Airport Conference in Kansas City.

The Sioux County Regional Airport opened in 2018, a joint project of the City of Sioux Center, the City of Orange City, and Sioux County, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Iowa Department of Transportation along with private fundraising.

“We were honored and humbled to receive the recognition and award from the Federal Aviation Administration,” City Manager Scott Wynja said. “This project and now expansion are a true testament of the collaboration between Sioux Center, Orange City and Sioux County, as well as our partnerships and relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Iowa Department of Transportation Office of Aviation.”

The Sioux County Regional Airport features a 5,500-foot runway that can accommodate larger business jets, a parallel taxiway, a terminal, multiple hangars, fueling systems, safety approach lighting, weather observation station, and additional airport features.

“The airport was designed to replace smaller airports with a more capable regional facility,” Joel shared. “The Sioux County Regional Airport is thriving. All 35 of the initial hangar spaces filled immediately. The airport has since completed two apron and hangar additions and now houses up to 55 aircraft.”

The FAA’s Central Regional Airports Division oversees airport planning, environment, development, certification, and safety in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

The City Council indicated support for options that could add to local housing.

Additional housing in Sioux Center was the focus the Sioux Center City Council conversation this week.

The council approved official support for a developer’s application for state tax credits to help add a multi-family area in northeastern Sioux Center. Community Development Director Lucas Heiberger shared that the developer, Axis Capital, is considering creating a 32-unit multi-family development. 

“We’ve identified an area in Country View North as the spot for this. It’s a place we’ve planned for future multi-family housing,” Heiberger said of the proposed project. “There’s good access with the 11^th Ave. NE connecting to 20^th St. NE now.”

The council’s resolution of support will be part of Axis Capital’s application considered by the state for the Workforce Housing Tax Credit. More than 5 residential projects in Sioux Center have previously received this incentive, which offers a state tax credit for a percentage of the investment.

Also this week, the council indicated interest in extending a local tax incentive program for multi-family developments to keep it consistent after a state legislation change. In 2019, the council created a local Urban Revitalization Plan for multi-family housing. This plan offers a five-year sliding tax abatement for developers building or redeveloping multi-family housing with three or more units, reducing the property tax burden on them in those 5 years. Recently, the state ruled this tax abatement could no longer include the property taxes paid to the school district. Previously it included property taxes paid to the school district, city, county, and community college. 

“The school’s portion is around 50%, so we as staff are suggesting moving our plan from a five-year to a 10-year tax abatement to keep it at a similar amount of dollars,” Heiberger said.

“In our strategic planning, we have talked about housing being a top priority for us,” said City Manager Scott Wynja, adding that the council needs to take action at a future meeting to make the change official. “To stay basically at the same dollar amount at the end of the day by going to the 10 year makes sense.”

For a developer to receive this tax abatement, it must go through a council approval process. Councilmember Jennifer Vermeer noted that developers have used this incentive multiple times to add multi-family housing in Sioux Center.

“We’ve seen a good increase since 2019 in those multi-unit developments,” she said. "This policy has been really good for our community, making a significant impact on housing availability and providing much-needed options for our residents."

Photo: The City is paving 11th Ave. NE to connect to 20th St. NE to increase access for an area in northeastern Sioux Center planned for future residential development.

The Sioux Center City Council gave green lights to new growth, including a new retail meat shop, a local veterinary business expanding, a golf-themed entertainment venue, and a site for a Goodwill store.

A new retail meat shop highlighting premium local meat, a local veterinary business expanding to better serve the region, a golf-themed entertainment venue, and a site for a Goodwill store – these projects planned for Sioux Center all received green lights from the City Council recently.

Earlier this spring, the Council approved two property sales, one to Central Veterinary Clinic and another to Sioux Center Investments, planned to be the site for a Goodwill store. The council also approved three development agreements: with Central Veterinary Clinic, RJ’s Indoor Golf + Bar, and Farmers Cooeprative Society for a retail meat shop. These development agreements recognize each investment and highlight creation of jobs in Sioux Center, offering a five-year sliding scale partial property tax rebate.

“It’s exciting to see these investments in the community – a variety of projects that will all add to what Sioux Center has to offer,” said Assistant City Manager Dennis Dokter. “Some of these projects have been in the works for some time, and it’s going to be great to see them coming to fruition.”

Central Veterinary Clinic

The council approved the sale of .75 acres to Central Veterinary Clinic, of Sioux Center in the Brookview Addition in northern Sioux Center. This land is adjacent to the veterinary office’s existing property, and they shared plans to build a new 20,000-square-foot facility. The building will allow Central Veterinary to keep their 12 vets and their large and small animal service under one roof, and give them room to add a few vets as well. 

“With the magnitude of the project that they’re building, the total investment they’re putting into it, the number of vets they currently employ, that they’re offering regional emergency services - we felt it was worthy of a development agreement,” Dokter said.

Retail Meat Shop

Farmers Cooperative Society previously purchased land from the City in the Brooview Addition and shared plans to build a specialty retail meat store. The council approved a development agreement for this project, which will make significant improvements to the area, including paving a shared access, and potentially create 12 jobs.

 At an earlier meeting, Farmer’s Cooperative Society CEO John McDaniels shared that the premium meat shop will not only provide customers an opportunity to purchase high-quality meat, but it will also help highlight what agriculture and the Farmers Cooperative system do in a good light.

“The idea is really to build on the Coop process, from field to fork,” he said “These cattle and hogs are going to be raised by our members; they’re going to be fed by us. Identity-preserved product. High quality product. Purebred animals.”

RJ’s Indoor Golf + Bar

The council approved a development agreement with RJ’s Indoor Golf + Bar, the planned new entertainment venue in the South Ridge Commercial Park. The agreement highlights the planned improvements to the land, south of Terrace View Event Center, the potential creation of 3 full-time jobs and multiple part-time jobs, and the operations of the venue, which plans to offer indoor putting greens, mini golf, golf simulators, a kitchen and bar.

“We considered the investment, the unique amenity this will add to the community, as well as an additional restaurant, and the employment it will add,” Dokter said of the five-year development agreement.

RJ Mini Golf & Bar anticipates a fall 2024 opening. 

Sioux Center Investments

The council approved selling about 1.4 acres to Sioux Center Investments to build a retail store, with the goal of that being for a Goodwill Store to open there. The land is in the new Westview Addition along the newly-paved 2^nd Ave. SW, north of Snap Fitness in southern Sioux Center.

This land is being purchased by an investment group from the Minneapolis, Minn., area, which has put up several Goodwill Stores around the Midwest, Dokter explained.

“They identified this spot in Sioux Center and thought Sioux Center would be a good location for a Goodwill store,” Dokter said. “We opened the Westview Addition to create opportunities for retail businesses like this that will add to what Sioux Center has to offer.”