Developers have big plans for growing Watford
Posted 5/23/12 (Wed)
By Lauren Billing
Farmer Staff Writer
The American dream has always been rooted in the ability to own a home. But with very few homes available in and around Watford City, many have not been able to buy homes here, and therefore, are not establishing roots in North Dakota.
However, the rapid growth of residential developments to come this summer and fall and the next few years will drastically change that, allowing Watford City to fulfill the American dream of home ownership for more people.
There are currently nine different development plans in the immediate vicinity of Watford City. In total, they encompass well over 800 acres.
The largest development plans are residential subdivisions that include commercial lots, things like shops, restaurants and office space, to serve the immediate neighborhoods.
Fox Hills Village is being developed by Bakken Housing Partners. The subdivision will sit on the south side of Highway 23, just across from the Fox Hills Golf & Country Club.
Mark Bragg is leading the Bakken Housing Partners on the Fox Hills project, which is a master plan community.
The entire community will have 1,104 individual dwelling units, spanning 320 acres. It will include apartments, town homes, single-family homes, offices, retail, a hotel and open space, along with a community center that will also have day care and the possibility of a bowling alley.
Phase One of the project will cover 40 acres at the very northwest of the development and includes 470 apartment units, two office buildings, which will be available to rent, and 100 town homes available for purchase. Bragg expects that parts of Phase One will be completed this fall.
Bragg and Bakken Housing Partners are very committed to seeing that the Watford City community is getting exactly what it needs with Fox Hills Village. That means that the first 50 town home units will first be available to civil servants, which includes professionals like police officers, teachers or healthcare providers.
They are also allowing local business owners or locals trying to start businesses to have first option for any of the retail or commercial space they build within the subdivision.
“We really want to create a quality community that people can afford to live in,” says Bragg.
Construction on Phase One of Fox Hills Village is set to begin in June, with building to begin as early as July. A process that, according to Bragg, has never gone faster.
“The process normally begins with planning what to do with the land, then getting permits and then going under contract which can take months or years,” explains Bragg. “But we’ve gotten it all done in three months. I’ve never seen this process move so fast.”
Pheasant Hills is another large residential subdivision, covering more than 230 acres. It will be located northwest of Watford City off Highway 85. Steve Bryan, president of MRC Development, has been working on the project for six months and is close to final authorization. He plans to begin work as soon as possible.
“We have been hearing about the boom in the Bakken and the need for housing,” says Bryan. “We would like to be part of providing that for the area.”
Pheasant Hills will include multi-family units, single-family units and commercial lots.
Bryan and MRC plan to build and sell 500 multi-family units, with the possibility of some single-family units as well. There will also be approximately 300 lots that MRC will not build on, but will have available for sale to builders or individuals who would like to build within the development.
Pheasant Hills will have covenants and certain restrictions to maintain quality living for all of its residents.
“We are looking forward to developing in Watford City,” says Bryan. “The city has been very helpful and we have enjoyed working here so far.”
Cherry Ridge will be located southwest of Watford City off of 14th Avenue Southwest. Dan Fitzpatrick, president of Wild West Investments, is looking to build every type of housing unit within Cherry Ridge.
The subdivision will include apartments, single and multi-family houses, as well as commercial and retail lots.
Fitzpatrick and Wild West Investments plan to begin work in June, pending final approval from planning and zoning and the city council. Phase One of their project will include nine 10-unit row houses and seven 24-unit apartment buildings.
Fitzpatrick also plans to develop some single-family home lots, twin lots and four-plex lots for other builders to purchase and build on. In all there will be nearly 300 lots available to other builders or individuals for a total of 1,100 dwelling units in the entire subdivision.
“We came to the Bakken looking for somewhere to do some building,” says Fitzpatrick. “We picked Watford City because of the people. It took us less than half a day to realize that this was where we wanted to work.”
Watford City city officials are excited to see the incredible amount of building about to commence in the area, but also are keeping in mind what they want those developments to look like.
“The city is continuing its efforts to plan the transportation corridors, commercial zones and all types of residential zones to keep in step with the development activity,” says Brent Sanford, Watford City mayor. “The city council is also constantly working with other community groups to keep community infrastructure needs in mind such as daycare and affordable housing for essential personnel.”
Curt Moen, Watford City city planner, is currently addressing the city’s need for an updated comprehensive plan that will include all the new developments.
“The task of keeping up with all the growth seems daunting at times,” says Moen. “But the developers we are working with are all great and make my job a lot easier.”
Developments like Fox Hills Village, Pheasant Hills and Cherry Ridge, along with six others, will open the door for many of those working in the area to bring their families to Watford City and establish roots in the community.
The accompanying amenities, like hotels, restaurants and shopping, community centers, day cares and parks and trails, will add variety for residents, new and old. Enriching the community and providing much needed residential housing and services, will allow Watford City to again be a warm, inviting and permanent place to live.
Anyone interested in more information on Fox Hills can call Bakken Housing Partners at 1-888-958-3447. For Pheasant Hills and MRC Development visit www.mrcdevelopment.com.
Source: watfordcitynd.com
Sussex draft budget has no tax increase - Delaware Wave
REHOBOTH BEACH -- The 197,145 residents of Sussex County should not expect a tax increase, as the first draft of the county's fiscal year 2013 budget was introduced to council Tuesday, May 22.
This was just one of many tidbits that Sussex County administrator Todd Lawson shared with members of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, as he spoke about the financial shape of the county.
And despite the revenue from the Realty Transfer Tax going down about 6.65 percent from fiscal year 2012 and about two-thirds of the 2005 figure, Lawson said the county is in good shape.
"We will have a balanced budget and there will be no tax increases this year," he said. "I made sure I didn't do that on my first watch. We haven't raised taxes in Sussex for over 20 years, so I didn't want to do it in my first five months."
The FY2013 budget, which is at approximately $139 million, will be introduced this week to the Sussex County Council. Lawson said it's broken down to $51 million for operating costs, $34 million for water and sewer costs and $55 for long term capital improvements.
"It's a pretty robust operation," he said, adding that there are 500 employees spread across the county.
Lawson said it is important to pay attention to what he called the three p's: be prepared, be ready to promote what is in the county and protect what the county already has, namely the agriculture and tourism industries.
"It seems pretty simple, but when you put it into an active mode, it's very important," he said. "We have a robust local economy and hopefully we'll see that bounce back even further, but we need to be prepared when other businesses are looking to move in or when businesses that are currently here are looking to expand."
One project taking place is extending the runway at the Georgetown Airport by 1,000 feet, a project that Lawson said is the single biggest infrastructure project in the history of the county.
Not only will the extension allow for bigger planes, which could attract additional businesses -- the county is in talks with FedEx and Lawson said the company is interested in establishing a Georgetown hub if the infrastructure is there -- but it will also re-route Truck Route 9 to create a true bypass around Georgetown, an area that Lawson said can be "a pretty bad bottleneck." for those traveling to and from the beach via Route 404.
Lawson said the project will stimulate $48 million of total output over the range of the project and create 304 jobs. The tentative schedule has the first 500 feet of the extension done this summer.
Chamber President and CEO Carol Everhart said he thought Lawson was clear and concise, informing members about the status of the county and what needs to be done in the future.
"Everything depends on our economic development," she said. "Whether it's tourism, agro-tourism or some other kind of business, that has to be foremost in the mind of anyone who is running a county budget."
On Twitter @JonBleiweis
Source: www.delmarvanow.com
Sussex Police plans to scrap compulsory retirement policy - The Independent
Chelsea Flower Show 2012: The winners
Of course, gold is the top honour, but that shouldn't detract from the other medals. If someone wins...
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Sussex business chief's shock exit stuns bosses (From The Argus) - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex business chief's shock exit stuns bosses
4:30pm Tuesday 22nd May 2012 in News By Bill Gardner
Business leaders have reacted with shock after Sussex’s chamber of commerce announced the departure of its chief executive.
Sussex Enterprise last night announced that after an “extensive review of all operations”, boss Mark Froud would be “moving on to new challenges”.
Trevor Freeman, chairman of Brighton’s Federation of Small Businesses, said he was “very surprised” by the news.
He said: “I personally thought that Mark did a really good job. He was excellent at what he did.
“We had noticed that he had stopped coming down to the local economic partnership meetings so we were wondering what was going on.
“But you always knew where you were with Mark and it’s certainly a shame that he’s gone.”
Mr Froud led Sussex Enterprise for almost ten years after first joining in 1996 as director of economic research.
In 2001 he became director of policy responsible for planning and media relations before becoming chief executive in 2002.
When the coalition government scrapped regional development agencies, Sussex Enterprise lost a contract to deliver advisory services and a large chunk of its income.
Mr Froud caused controversy in February when he said residents and businesses in East Sussex had “lower aspirations” than those in West Sussex.
Peter Jones, chairman of East Sussex County Council, said he had disagreed with Mr Froud on many occasions but was sad to see him go. He said: “When he said what he said about East Sussex we had a face-to-face conversation and sorted it out. That’s the way it was with Mark. He has put a lot of effort into his work so I’m surprised that he has gone.
“But I would say that in Sussex we are seeing a resurgence of local chambers of commerce so I think Sussex Enterprise now has to find a real role for itself.”
A Sussex Enterprise spokeswoman said: “Sussex Enterprise has over the last few months undertaken an extensive review of all operations and concluded that major changes are needed to re-emphasise and expand our core membership services.
“In today’s difficult trading conditions companies of all sizes need the opportunities to come together regularly and share information, learn from each other and find new ways to improve their businesses.
“Mark Froud who led the organisation for many years will be moving on to new challenges and we all wish him well.”
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
Scunthorpe Utd: Mirfin is staying at Watford, Iron are told by Hornets boss - This is Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe United's hopes of signing defender David Mirfin appear to over – for now at least.
Iron manager Alan Knill says he is continuing to pursue other defensive targets after being told Championship side Watford plan to keep hold of the 26-year-old centre-back, who spent the second half of last season at Glanford Park.
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David Mirfin made 19 appearances, and never missed a game, after joining the Iron on loan from Watford at the end of January.
It is an early blow in the transfer market for United, given the form of the Yorkshireman undoubtedly improved Scunthorpe defensively and helped them climb away from the League One relegation zone.
"I was with (Watford boss) Sean Dyche on Saturday and he indicated Dave Mirfin is going to stay there," said Knill.
"He's their player so we have to go along with that, but we've looked at other alternatives and are continuing to do so."
After recruiting goalkeeper James Severn on a one-year deal last week, Knill says nothing else is imminent on the transfer front.
But he continues to speak to prospective signings and will even take time out when he goes on his summer break to attempt to broker a deal.
"We'd all like things to be done now," the Iron boss continued.
"I'd love to make an offer and the player accept it, but it isn't going to be like that.
"We've spoken to players that probably have five or six other clubs that they are talking to so it's quite difficult.
"I met two on Sunday and I'm meeting one when I go to New York on holiday. But that's the easy bit – discussing terms is the tough part.
"Nothing is really imminent at the moment, but it never is at this time.
"Everybody wants more than what you've got and usually I'm not talking to the player when it comes to money.
"I'm dealing with somebody else (agents), whose interest isn't solely about money, but it's a big part. The more money they make for the player, the more money they make.
"I wouldn't say it's proving difficult at the moment, because we haven't really made any money offers. But I know that it will do.
"I'd like to get business done early – I'd like it done now – but it just isn't going to be that way."
Source: www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk
Clubs join Meredith hunt - SkySports
Source: www1.skysports.com
Blues announce Watford friendly (From Bucks Free Press) - Bucks Free Press
Blues announce Watford friendly
11:26am Wednesday 23rd May 2012 in Wanderers By Andy Carswell
CHAMPIONSHIP club Watford will pay Wycombe Wanderers a visit in the latest pre-season friendly to be announced by the Chairboys.
The Hertfordshire club come to Adams Park on Tuesday July 31, with the match kicking off at 7.30pm.
Blues players Marvin McCoy and Joel Grant both started their careers at the Vicarage Road club, who could include former Wanderers loanee Matty Whichelow in their squad.
It’s the fifth friendly to be confirmed by Wanderers, who also announced this week they will face Staines Town for the second successive pre-season campaign.
Last year they won 5-0 against the Conference South side in their first friendly, which saw teenage starlet Jordon Ibe announce himself to the world with a wonderstrike.
Blues go to Wheatsheaf Park on Saturday July 21 and also face away friendlies at Farnborough on July 14 and Forest Green Rovers on Wednesday July 18.
League One club Brentford will also face Wanderers in pre-season, arriving at Adams Park on Tuesday August 7.
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Source: www.bucksfreepress.co.uk
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