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<br />SUCCESS STORIES
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<br />professional business park, strip mall, 18,hole professionally designed golf course, and a 2,000,square,foot
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<br />clubhouse, Plans called for approximately 50 "estate" lots, ranging in price from $65,000 to $85,000 each,
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<br />along the Missouri River. Areas were also set aside for denser, zero-lot-line residences as well.
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<br />This was to be the largest single development from Minneapolis to Denver to Kansas City. The
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<br />economic considerations were overwhelming, not only for Union County, but the entire tIi-state area
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<br />of South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. The developers were aggressively pursuing their own exit off
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<br />Interstate 29 at mile marker one, in South Dakota. They announced that Arnold Palmer was to design
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<br />their golf course and was to get professional tournaments sponsored here. They were working on
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<br />legislation to address their development's needs and legal requirements.
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<br />Naturally, much of this land was flood'prone and a re,study was immediately started, Changes had
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<br />occurred since the last flood study and it was felt that due to these changes, a new floodplain may be
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<br />realized and also we would have new and current base flood elevation data to work with, as this area
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<br />was never engineered for the determination of base flood elevation. The study revealed that there were
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<br />numerous lots still in the floodplain, after the re-study, and certain construction practices would have
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<br />to be adhered to, as outlined by the floodplain ordinance. Union County was zoned and building
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<br />permits were required. Union County is also a participant of the National Flood Insurance Program, The
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<br />determined developers were not about to let this deter them from realizing their goals, They decided
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<br />to work with Union County and the NFIP regulations to effect the best possible result. From that point
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<br />on, it was win/win for both of us. Together, they worked with Union County, the state of South Dakota
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<br />and all other federal agencies to make this the newest and most state of the art community it envisioned.
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<br />Union County was able to interpret the regulations and apply these principles and practices into a sound
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<br />overall floodplain management program, and, now working hand in hand with the developers, were
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<br />able to effect a community today known as Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.
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<br />Dakota Dunes today has a growing population of approximately 750 residents and does, in fact,
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<br />have its own Interstate exit at mile marker one, an 18 hole Ii Arnold Palmer" designed golf course with
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<br />an annual pro-am tournament, a 2,OOO-square-foot clubhouse and a growing business park. It currently
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<br />has approximately 200 homes ranging in value from $140,000 to $4 million. There are also numerous
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<br />townhomes and apartment buildings, all located to complement each other. There is a medical facility
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<br />specializing in same-day surgery, numerous buildings offering office space for lease, and Iowa Beef
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<br />Processors, the nation's largest beef processor, recently announced plans to locate their corporate offices
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<br />here. Construction is constant. The developers and architects and I were able to integrate good flood-
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<br />plain management techniques into the overall construction to the benefit of both Union County and
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<br />Dakota Dunes' Community Improvement District.
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<br />Union County has since had two storms in which high water levels were of great concern, one of
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<br />which where the adjacent counties in South Dakota were Presidentially declared flood disaster areas.
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<br />At neither time were any structures in Dakota Dunes in danger of being flooded.
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<br />5 u c c r s s S tor i e s 9
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