SOUTH SIOUX CITY — At a recent ribbon-cutting, Mayor Rod Koch told a crowd of more than 50 people he thinks Flatwater Crossing is going to put South Sioux City on the map.
“We were just so excited that Ho-Chunk was interested because when they say something they mean it,” Koch said.
Flatwater Crossing is a $75 million residential project under development along the banks of the Missouri River.
Ho-Chunk, the economic development corporation for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, broke ground on the project last summer after more than three years of preparation and planning.
About $10 million worth of infrastructure construction has been completed. This includes building roads, planting trees, placing underground utilities and divvying up lots.
Ho-Chunk Chief Investment Officer Dennis Johnson noted while they have made progress on Flatwater Crossing, this won't be an overnight project.
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“We view this as kind of a probably 15 to 20-year commitment,” Johnson said. “Phase one... is about 85 building lots, which is a couple of apartment pads, a couple of commercial/mixed-use sites and about 81 single family homes as well.”
Construction has started on three speculative homes, including one large family home and two cottage-style houses.
All three residential structures are being built by BluStone Homes, a Ho-Chunk subsidiary, and expected to be completed by mid-summer.
Flatwater Crossing is being developed as a walkable urban neighborhood. It will feature a network of greenways, natural landscaping, plazas and trails that ultimately will connect to South Sioux City’s existing trail system.
Koch said the most effective thing a city can do to attract younger people is build an extensive trail system.
“This community is going to have it,” he said.
Ultimately, the 200-acre development will include 600 apartments, 400 single-family homes, and commercial and retail space.
Other features will include a 67,000-square-foot village center, a bird sanctuary and a large public green space adjacent to the river.
Lots at Flatwater Crossing are officially on the market and range from $32,000 to $165,000, depending on location and size.
Johnson noted this investment, as well as other recent Ho-Chunk residential projects in Dakota Dunes and downtown Sioux City, are aimed at helping ease the region's housing shortage and spurring growth.
“We really feel like Sioux City and Siouxland as a whole are really on the move,” he said. “We’ve had a huge housing shortage that I think has stagnated our potential growth. We’ve said it for a few years, we believe in Sioux City and we are putting our money where our mouth is.”
