“Making the Sausage” — WDC Announces 53-Acre Expansion and Pivot Toward “Missing Middle” Housing
- Steve Jurrens
- 19 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Economic development is rarely a process of instant gratification. For Chris Clifton and the Watertown Development Corporation (WDC), it is a marathon of infrastructure, planning, and high-stakes real estate development that he describes with a simple metaphor: “making the sausage”.
“Nobody knows how the sausage is made,” Clifton remarked during a Friday morning interview. “All you do is you go to the store, and you buy the kielbasa... Well, that’s what we do. We’re involved in making the sausage. You really don’t want to know about how we get there—the ingredients and all—but that’s what we do”.
A Major New Expansion: Calvin Phase 2
The most significant “ingredient” currently being added to the mix is a newly approved development project. The WDC Executive Committee recently voted to move forward with the development of 53 acres south of the Calvin Trade Center, known as the Kingsline property.
The project, which Clifton estimates will involve an investment north of $4 million—including a $2 million commitment to infrastructure—will take several months of environmental and soil studies before closing in 2027. Once complete, Clifton believes the site could house five to six new companies, further cementing Watertown’s status as a regional “Hub City”.
The Value of “Speed to Market”
The core mission of the WDC is to provide “shovel-ready” sites, a necessity for modern businesses that cannot afford to wait years for annexation, zoning, and utility extensions. Clifton highlighted South 40’s recent success at Pheasant Ridge as the gold standard for this approach.
“From the first call... to the time we closed on that piece of real estate... was 63 days,” Clifton said. “And 21 days after that... they were in construction. A year ago, that company didn’t even exist”. By taking the risk of developing land ahead of demand, the WDC allows companies to bypass the “two-year” wait typical of undeveloped “bean fields”.
A Vision for 2040: Housing and Daycare
While industrial growth remains a priority, Clifton noted that the WDC is making a “significant pivot” toward addressing community obstacles such as daycare shortages and the lack of affordable housing.
· Missing Middle Housing: With local home prices averaging over $325,000, the WDC is studying ways to pool resources and build smaller, high-quality units (1,100–1,200 sq. ft.) priced under $275,000.
· Daycare Crisis: Watertown remains roughly 400 to 500 slots short of affordable daycare. Clifton emphasized that if parents are spending $1,000–$2,000 a month on childcare, “the math doesn’t work” for them to enter the workforce, even with rising wages.
A Public-Private Powerhouse
The WDC operates as a lean public-private partnership, managing a $35 million to $40 million real estate portfolio with a staff of just four people. Half of every dollar spent comes from approximately 45 to 50 private investors who contribute without expecting a traditional financial return, but rather an investment in Watertown’s future.
“We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants that came before us that had the vision to be able to take the risk to do what we’re doing,” Clifton concluded.
