SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Five years ago, we told you how a Sioux Falls developer wanted to turn 50 acres on the north side of Brandon into something special.
It’s now beginning to take shape, but there’s a lot more to come.
In November of 2019, this wide open space in northeast Brandon was lightly covered in snow, but thanks to a developer with a vision, it set the stage for a blizzard of activity.
“Oh I’m sure there’ll be $50 million dollars worth of stuff on this development before it’s all said and done,” developer Darrel Viereck said.
Jimmy Johns was one of the first businesses to open in what’s officially been named the Brandon 90 Plaza.
“I was always interested in Brandon, I had a friend from the town come and approach me about the development here and showed me this project called the I-90 project and it was just a slam dunk; I called Jimmy Johns that day and said this is what’s going on in Brandon, it’ll be perfect and here we are,” owner Houston Hartwig said.
He opened in August. It’s his 5th Jimmy Johns location and he knows what it takes to be successful — for him, it’s about location.
“It’s a mixture of I-90, it’s a mixture of the town, it’s a mixture of other tennants that are going to be around us or other projects going on; it’s just perfect fit,” Hartwig said.
There will also be a Culver’s and a convenience store with a car wash on the west end of the development, along with a tire store on the north side next to this business.
But the developer says it’s just the beginning with more to come.
“We got a lot of phone calls going on just got a phone call today on a hotel deal, the guy wants me to go find some bankers in Sioux Falls which I’m going to do after I go leave here,” Viereck said.
For years this land sat in a flood plain. But the developer worked with FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to change the water levels.
“We brought this end of the development of 15 feet and that was all sand bottom lake over there and the game fish and parks is going to stock it full of fish,” Viereck said.
They are also working with the city of Brandon to develop a bike and walking path around the fishing pond.
The city has been keeping a close eye on this land, hoping someone with a vision could come in and get it developed.
“It’s a prime spot right next to a major interstate and it sat vacant for years, because it was a lot of flood plains, so the developers worked hard to bring it out of the flood plain; worked with FEMA and the Corps of Engineers to develop it and make it marketable property,” city adminstrator Bryan Read said.
To make it even more accessible, the state is redoing the I-90 interchange– and that’s extra exciting to the business owners who set up shop here.
“I’m going to see traffic, I see the volume of traffic coming into this area and this development,” Hartwig said.
Now that development is beginning to take shape, they’re counting on others to follow. For the city, that means an increase in sales tax and property tax revenue.
“The city is very excited about this project, we have been for awhile looking forward to it to start filing up,” Read said.
Which is now underway.
“I think this is going to fill up in 3 or 4 years I don’t think it’ll take 5 there’s just too much stuff in Brandon that doesn’t have a place to go,” Viereck said.
The developer says he’s working with other businesses to locate in Brandon 90 Plaza, but wouldn’t go into detail.
