Iowa rural area next to the Nebraska borders to see huge housing development, not a “peace and quiet” place for local residents anymore

“We’ve seen as many as 6 or 8 gigantic bucks out our window. That’s been a tremendous blessing and really awesome. So…I want to keep that view,” he said.

However, his viewpoint might shift in the future. Two developments are proposed for sites in rural Pottawattamie County off of Pioneer Trail.

Between the two neighborhoods, 176 lots will be available for the construction of new residences. The objective is to attract more individuals.

“We see that there’s going to be growth in the county. We did kind of stagnate in our last census, we grew just a small percentage, but that is because we are lacking in our ability for new people to come to our area,” Pottawattamie County Director of Planning & Development Matt Wyant said.

Pottawattamie County Supervisor Justin Schultz states that the county has been collaborating with Southwest Iowa Regional Water to expand the water connection from the city to the county’s rural areas.

“You get this country setting, you’re not living in the city but you get city-type water and it just makes it a valuable-type home for folks,” Schultz said.

Schultz concedes that the initiative has encountered obstacles.

“The costs to do this water line five years ago was somewhere around a million dollars, and now that cost is upwards of 3.5 million by the time this is all said and done,” Schultz said.

As the county pursues development east into rural regions, he predicts that some neighbors will be dissatisfied.

Still, DeVetter stays positive. “There will be lots of neighbors and lots of positive things that come out of it,” he said.

These new neighbors might begin construction as early as 2024. According to the county’s housing study, 230 additional dwelling units will be required by 2040.