Formed on August 1, 1983, the Brandon Development Foundation, Inc. (BDF) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation that was formed for the purpose of promoting, stimulating, expanding, and developing the economic, commercial, industrial, and agricultural growth and development of the City of Brandon, South Dakota. During its lifetime, BDF has been primarily involved in developing industrial parks and recruiting industrial businesses to the community. Unfortunately, raising land costs and the limited amount of suitable land available on the market has resulted in the organization being without a project once the final lots in the Rovang Industrial Park are sold. We have spent the past year exploring possible local projects to continue our broad mission of supporting the growth and development of the City of Brandon.
We are pleased to announce that BDF, in collaboration with IMEG, has been pursuing the concept of developing a wetland bank on the east side of Brandon. A wetland bank is a protected natural area where wetlands are created, restored, and/or enhanced and preserved in perpetuity in order to offset the environmental impacts from development or construction elsewhere in the watershed. Basically, BDF will invest its resources into creating the wetland bank, the wetland bank will generate "credits", and local development projects will purchase those "credits" to offset the loss of certain aquatic resources caused by their project. Ultimately, our plan is to re-invest whatever funds are generated by the wetland bank into an on-site nature area with scenic trails, which will eventually be turned over to the City of Brandon and maintained as a public park. Excess funds may also be used on future projects that serve the mission of the organization.
The proposed wetland bank would consist of up to approximately 62 acres of previously disturbed agricultural land located in Section 36, Township 102 North, Range 48 West, in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The site would span a one-mile corridor between 261st Street and Aspen Boulevard within the Lower Big Sioux River Watershed. Currently, this land is mostly owned by the City of Brandon, but a portion is also owned by Bosch Farms LLC. Conversations with both landowners are ongoing. Neither have made any commitments. We're simply having a discussion at this point.
The purpose of this public informational meeting is to help us determine whether the public is interested in BDF pursuing this project. At the meeting, you'll be able to view concept plans, speak with IMEG's planning and environmental team, and ask any questions you may have. Your feedback and perspective as a resident of the City of Brandon is important to us, and we hope you will attend.
Why Does It Matter To You as a Neighbor and Resident of Brandon?
1. Environmental Benefits: Wetland banks improve water quality, reduce flooding, and provide natural habitat for wildlife. You'll likely notice more birds, pollinators, and native plants in the area as the project develops.
2. Permanent Conservation: Wetland banks are preserved in perpetuity through conservation easements. This means that a developer just can't show up someday with a big bag of cash, buy the land, bulldoze the wetland, and put up more buildings. It is required to remain as a natural area forever.
3. Professional Stewardship: The site will be carefully managed and maintained by qualified environmental professionals and managed by BDF during the establishment period. Once the wetland bank and on-site park are established, our plan is that they will be owned by the City of Brandon and maintained as a public park.
4. Community Connection: Not only will the project provide a trail from Aspen Boulevard to the Chestnut Ridge Development and Burkman Valley Elementary School, but it will eventually serve as a public park offering community education, recreation, and a stronger connection to our natural environment.
5. Economic Development: Many development projects impact wetlands and other aquatic resources to some degree. As a result, developers are constantly looking to purchase "credits" from various wetland banks. Having a local wetland bank gives us an advantage as we would have that resource to market to developers and be able to selectively attract development opportunities that meet our long term community and economic development goals.
Thank you for your time and interest. We look forward to engaging with you as we determine whether to move forward with this community development project.
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