extra!
| UpNorthAutos.com | |
| Find A Car! - | here |
| TheMinnesotaStore | |
| Online Shopping - | here |
| LakesArea.net | |
| Community Info - | here |
| News - | here |
| Advertising - | here |
| Circulation - | here |
| Contact List - | here |
| Talking FAQs - | here |
|
local/area news archives | auto | big banana | business | church | classifieds | coolschoolu | education | family | farm | food | fyi | golf | government | health & wellness | living | news | neighbors | north country | obits | opinion | people | racing | sports | state news | tech | tempo | up north | weather | what's doing? ap news top news | us news | world | business | sports | health | technology | entertainment | politics |
Web posted
They are carving land.
Thomes and Corrow, who call themselves J and M Developers, developed Sunrise Addition, a single family residential development that is anticipated to have three phases on 100 acres. The development abuts the city limits to the north and is located west of Highway 371, just north of the Morrison County Road 76 exit.
The development, which is mainly fields now, is the third largest residential development in Little Falls, city officials said. The two largest developments have been in the city for decades.
Thomes, who owns JT Storage, and Corrow, who recently retired from the Army, joined forces four years ago. Corrow said there was a housing study done in Little Falls that showed the city would need more than 200 homes in the next five years. The two men thought it would be fun to design a housing development in their free time.
"We are like the do-it-yourself developers," said Corrow. "We are learning as we are going along. Some lessons are harder than others."
"You need lots of patience," said Thomes.
Thomes and Corrow started out small. Their first development, River Oaks Addition, consisted of 11 lots. Their current development's first phase is six times the size. Phase One consists of 72 lots on 40 acres and about 27 lots are sold so far. No homes have been built yet in Sunrise Addition, except four spec homes are being built.
Housing in the development will vary in market value with different lot sizes, ranging from 16,000 to 24,000 square feet. The cost of the lots ranges from $26,000 to $33,000. Thomes and Corrow said market value of the homes may range from $130,000 to $200,000.
"This will be a good variety," said Thomes. "It will be up to the people on what they want to build. The homes in this development will not be the same."
Getting the preliminary and final plat of the development took much longer than Thomes and Corrow anticipated. After purchasing the land a 1 1/2 years ago, they had to get the property annexed into the city to get sewer and water onto the property.
They then had to go through the planning and zoning process to get the plat approved, which included many public hearings and many delays. Neighbors in a residential development abutting Sunrise Addition to the west were concerned.
"Many did not know what was going out there," said Corrow. "Now everyone is excited about it. It is important for us to have a good relationship with the neighbors."
One of the major changes the developers had to make that caused a delay was lowering the square footage of the lots by 2,000 square feet. The developers made the change and then had to wait until the next scheduled meeting to have the development approved.
It eventually was approved by the Little Falls City Council as a planned unit development for country homes, a new classification for Sunrise Addition. The developers said they received a lot of support from the city throughout the process.
Once the Highway 371 project is complete the developers plan to design Phase Two, which may consist of 19 acres for residential lots. Phase Three is projected to be 41 acres to be used for park and recreational use. Thomes said this phase would be taken over by the city and it would consist of a playground, walking trails and softball diamonds.
Thomes said one of the purposes of the residential development is to increase equity and the tax base in the city. Corrow said it is also designed to attract younger families with children to build enrollment for the school district, which is in financial difficulty and losing enrollment.
"The school is the hub of the city," said Corrow. "It is important for the community to get behind it and if our project helps great."
Thomes said, "People need to understand what kind of impact the school cuts have on the community. It will impact their property value. What we have done is the right thing for our community and our schools."
|
E-mail this story to a friend! More home and housing!
| Voice your opinion on this story | Voice your opinion of our web site |
| E-mail our editors | How to contact us |
506 James Street, P.O. Box 974, Brainerd, Minnesota, U.S.A. 56401
The Brainerd Daily Dispatch, Central Minnesota's Daily Newspaper. Continuing The Weekly Dispatch founded in 1881. Published daily except six legal holidays in Brainerd, Minnesota by The BraInerd Daily Dispatch, a division of Morris Communications, Corp. The official newspaper of Crow Wing County. Offices located at 506 James Street, Brainerd, MN 56401. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
