MITCHELL — A trio of housing developments were approved Monday by the city’s Planning Commission, marking progress toward meeting the demand for Mitchell’s short supply of housing.
Among the three housing developments that were approved, two of them are situated along the south side of Mitchell and the other is slated for the northwest portion of the city near Lake Mitchell. Each of the projects that are being led by local contractors planning variety of new homes, including twin homes, single-family houses and villas.
Jensen Design Build’s development will feature a mixture of villa-style homes and twin homes. In total, the project will bring 46 housing units to a piece of land next to Menards, according to the master plan.
Jeremy Jensen, owner of his namesake business, said he’s seeking to build a community center in the heart of the development to offer a space for residents to gather.
“My goal is to put a coffee bar and lounge area in the community center building that would be in the middle of the development,” Jensen said following Monday’s meeting.
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An L-shaped street will also be installed toward the center of the development with homes wrapping around it.
On the northwest side of Mitchell, Caleb Koerner, a local builder and owner of Pro Contracting, is closer to launching a 13-lot housing development along Sharpstone Drive after the Planning Commission approved the plats for the project.
The development near Lakeview Golf Course will bring 13 homes to a plot of land along the corner of North Ohlman Street and Sharpstone Drive, next to a row of townhomes near the golf course.
“Our goal is to build 13 single-family homes. We think they would be good homes for someone who is maybe looking to downsize and be easier to take care of,” Koerner said during an August 2022 meeting when he rezoned the land for the project.
Koerner said the majority of the homes within the proposed subdivision would be roughly 1,000 square feet. Designs of the proposed subdivision show the lots will range in size from 7,000 square feet to roughly 10,000 square feet.
Plans also call for building a street in the center of the subdivision that would connect to North Ohlman Street and Sharpstone Drive. Koerner said he would be funding the addition of the street and infrastructure.
According to City Planner Mark Jenniges, the new street proposed for the center of the development would be privately owned and maintained by the development's Homeowners Association, or HOA. That means the future residents who reside in the subdivision would be responsible for maintaining the street.
Along Interstate 90 near Dakota Wesleyan University’s campus, Mueller Lumber has plans to develop a piece of land in between South Wisconsin and South Miller streets. The master plan shows the new section of the project that was platted on Monday will bring around 20 homes to the area.
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Although Mueller Lumber’s master plan was previously approved, the project design has since changed a bit. According to Jenniges, a road that was previously planned to be built within the development has been nixed and other roads have shifted.
“Avenues shifted a little bit, and smaller lots are on the north side of that now,” Jenniges said.
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