Mayor Corbin Tessman looks over the map of the new Highland Addition
The City of Henderson has been a whirlwind of new construction activity over the past few years, with the completion of the Heartland School expansion & renovation, the completion of Henderson Health Care’s three-phase project, and the building of a new rural health clinic.
Exciting to say the least! The City of Henderson is now putting the finishing touches on its $2.9 million Highland Addition, which includes 31 residential lots and a designated area for multi-family dwellings.
Mayor Corbin Tessman sees the new addition as just one way the Henderson City Council “is looking to be relevant for the next 50-100 years from now. We’re just not worrying about the here and now but looking to the future, making sure we are a thriving community.”
Three lots in the new Highland addition have been officially sold, according to the Henderson City Council minutes, to Ardean & Shirley Goertzen, Wade & Jaydon Janzen, and Brent & Becky Buller.
This past week, work began on the basement for the Goertzen home on Highland Road. There are still a few items on the punch list for the subdivision, said City Clerk Connie Brown, including installing streetlights and street signage.
The first basement for the Goertzen home was dug last week, with the walls being poured this week in the Highland Addition – HeartlandBeat photo
“We are very excited about the completion of this project,” said Mayor Corbin Tessman, who is entering his fourth year as Mayor and 11th year on the City Council. “This kind of project didn’t happen overnight, but it started years ago after participating in a few housing studies that showed the need for more lots.”
The first step was to negotiate and purchase the land from Orie Friesen several years ago. “Orie Friesen was very gracious to work with us and was willing to sell this piece of dryland farm ground to the City. It’s been a long process, but definitely worth it,” said Tessman.
The City used TIF financing for the project, and when they issued the bids, nine companies responded, with VanKirk of Sutton securing the project with the lowest bid. “Even though it was an expensive project, we were glad the project price came in lower than we expected due to the competition,” said Tessman.
At the recent Henderson Chamber of Commerce meeting, City Clerk Connie Brown reported that they were looking at moving the existing batting cage to another location to improve the parking lot adjacent to the city’s ball fields. She also mentioned that a dog park area might be developed west of Prairie View Drive.
One factor that increased the project’s cost was the inclusion of a loop off of Parkview Drive from Front Street, which provided an additional access point and reduced traffic on Parkview Drive. The City worked with Johnnie Steingard to procure the land for this portion of the project.
“The loop was more of a street investment, especially since it’s a lot of street to put in without any housing, but there may be lots along that stretch available in the future,” said Tessman.
Another success for the City has been its use of Nebraska’s Rural Workforce Housing funds. In 2023, they used SENAHC funds to build a spec house on North Main Street, which they sold to a family.
“The council will be deciding when and where to build another spec house. We learned quite a bit on our first build,” said Tessman. Right now, there is no money available through the revolving loan, but the City has placed its name on the waitlist so it will be next in line when funds become available, said Tessman.
The City is reserving one lot in the Highland Addition and owns two lots north of the Galaway Creek Golf Course on Fairway Lane, where they might choose to build, stated Tessman.
Another new project is the Star Subdivision off the spur on the Northside of Henderson. It will feature seven lots zoned for commercial use. This project began when Hiebner Body Shop requested annexation into the City to provide reliable water and sewer service. “We felt it was a project where we could break even over 10-15 years,” said Tessman. Tessman owns the property and has an existing building on it, but he has granted the City an easement for the project.
Work has already begun on the utility infrastructure for the Star Subdivision north of Henderson – HeartlandBeat photos
It’s all about economic development with these types of projects for Henderson. New builds often prompt another existing home to come on the market, increasing tax revenues for the City. With more lots available for businesses, that means more sales tax as well.
“Our forefathers did a lot of good things that we are enjoying today, like the Parkview Lake and subdivision and the golf course, and that’s the example we need to follow and ask ourselves, ‘What’s our contribution going to be?’ Are we just going to enjoy what we have or are we going to add to it and continue to make it a place where people love to raise their families?” said Tessman.
It appears the City of Henderson is well-positioned for growth and improvement and is learning to leverage available tools and grants. More information is available on the City website regarding available lots, pricing, and covenants.
