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Economic development chapter presented; staff urges targeted marketing to capture retail leakage
Summary
City economic director presented Chapter 3 of the comprehensive plan, noting rapid recent growth, young median age, regional partnerships and a $28 million retail leakage; commissioners asked for clearer data sourcing and layouts and staff emphasized the chapter is a living document.
Sean Overrinder, Box Elder's economic and community development director, summarized the proposed Chapter 3 economic development chapter and fielded questions from commissioners. He said the city has “the youngest population in the region, with a median age of about 27 years,” has seen roughly 21.5–22 percent growth from 2022–2024 and a further 4.5 percent from 2024–25, and that the city is working with regional partners including Elevate, Rushmore Regional Alliance and the Black Hills Council of Governments to recruit appropriate retail and service businesses.
Overrinder told the commission the city has identified a roughly $28 million retail leakage — spending that residents currently take outside the community — and that staff are pursuing targeted recruitment of junior anchors and specialty retailers that fit the local market mix. "The Box Elder is, is a city on the rise," he said, describing active outreach to site selectors and a marketing database staff use to match prospects to available sites.
Commissioners asked about the makeup of BETA (the Box Elder Development Authority) and Overrinder said initial board members will include local business leaders and agency partners, with a broader set of members able to join. Members also raised concerns about a state‑sourced economic snapshot graphic whose layout and source citation were hard to read; Overrinder said some figures came from state GOED and asked staff to improve sourcing and formatting. He emphasized the comprehensive plan is a "living document" and that staff will update data annually rather than freeze the plan to a single dataset.
Commissioners pressed for clarity about how a prospective business would find city resources; Overrinder pointed to the city's website and a staff entrepreneur specialist who works directly with applicants. He said specific implementation actions and an implementation chapter will identify contact points, incentives and process steps.
