Volume 14- Issue 6- June
The Road Map
Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
Sturgis Addressing Housing Shortage & Future Land Use
JD Nash
Via the City of Sturgis: In January of 2014, the City and Sturgis Economic Develop‐ ment Corp (SEDC) hired a team of planners, architects and engineers from KLJ, an engineering company located in Rapid City, to provide a comprehensive Land Use Plan for several areas of undevel‐ oped city owned parcels, as well as, an area of land sur‐ rounding the Sturgis Brown High School. With limited space available for development and growth, the City has set a goal of de‐ veloping several of these proper es in the coming years. In accordance with guidelines set forth in the City's Comprehensive Plan,
several needs had already been iden ‐ fied. The need for sin‐ gle and mul ‐ ple family housing, the need for rec‐ rea onal are‐ as with ade‐ quate park‐ ing, the need for a mul ‐use facility and more space for commercial expansion were all iden fied. By iden fying the highest and best use for each property, a Comprehensive Land Use Plan will assist the City with planning for these needs and will provide an orderly and effec ve road map for future development.
Initial Findings
JD Nash, a land planner with KLJ Engineering was assigned to the project in February, 2014. His first step was to gather data on each proper‐ ty; this included iden fying areas effected by the flood‐ plain, areas where historic items and/or ar facts may be present, connec vity via
roadways and trails, current u lity infrastructure, soils and drainage pa erns. In addi on, Mr. Nash met with City staff, Council mem‐ bers and various commi ee groups to discuss specific needs of the community such as recrea on areas, afforda‐ ble workforce housing to meet the demand of new and exis ng businesses and areas suitable for future commer‐ cial development. Within the past year, more than 100 new jobs were cre‐ ated in Sturgis and employ‐ ees report not being able to find adequate housing to fit their needs. A re‐ cent Housing Study found that Sturgis has less than .7% vacancy rate for rental units. A healthy vacancy rate is 8% in most communi‐ es. Most rental agencies in Sturgis have no available units and have a wai ng list. Ul mately, the intent is to address these challenges. For details on the land‐use and housing studies, visit the city’s website at Sturgis‐SD.Gov.