Bergen, Winsted Townships continue to have steady growth; other townships vary By Julie Yurek Being close to the Twin Cities has allowed Bergen and Winsted Townships to experience steady new construction growth in 2002, according to Hal Kirchoff of the McLeod County Assessor's Office. "It's been fairly stable," he said. Bergen Township had eight new home construction permits and Winsted had nine, Kirchoff said. The average price for construction costs in Bergen Township was $206,000 and Winsted Township had $118,300. The difference in the two townships come from four double wide trailers erected in Winsted Township, which brought down the average, Kirchoff said. Also, one home was not included in Bergen's average because the residence was not complete as of Jan. 2, 2003, he said. The average sale price of a home in a residential area in McLeod County in 2002 was $124,000, Kirchoff said. Bergen Township had a slightly higher average sale price than the county average at $125,000. However, that number only reflects one sale, which is all Bergen Township had in 2002, he said. Winsted Township's medium sale price was $162,500, Kirchoff said. Five homes were sold in that township last year, he said. The sales could be either previously lived in or new construction, he added. Both Winsted and Bergen townships' average selling price was higher than the City of Hutchinson, which was $120,000. The average sale price of a home in Acoma Township, which is located northwest of the City of Hutchinson, was $217,900 last year, Kirchoff said. "There are more higher value homes in that area, which brings the average up," he said. However, the county is split in a way, having different influences affecting each half, Kirchoff said. "The east side of the county where Bergen and Winsted Township are located draws people from the metro area," he said. "People are paying more for houses on the east side than the west because of the metro influence." "The west side of the county is influenced more by Hutchinson city," he said. About 124 sales occurred in McLeod County in 2002, he said. Approximately a total of 70 to 80 homes were built in townships last year, Kirchoff said. About that many were built in Hutchinson's city limits alone last year, for a total of 150 to 175 built in all the cities in the county combined, he said. Wright County area Victor, Woodland, Middleville, and Marysville all experienced varying degrees of new construction growth in 2002. Marysville and Woodland had a decrease in permits, while Victor increased, said Barry Rhienberger of Wright County planning and zoning. Permits in Marysville Township decreased from 16 in 2001 to nine in 2002, and Woodland Township saw permits decrease from nine to two, Rhienberger said. For Victor Township, 2002 brought an increase in permits. Seven permits were issued compare with three in 2001. Numbers of permits are based on the year it was issued, not what year the house was finished, he said. The planning and zoning office did not have numbers for Middleville Township because it handles its own planning and zoning, Rhienberger said. The Wright County Assessor's Office did have a number of permits for Middleville, which was 11 for 2002 and the average cost of a new construction in the township was about $150,000. The average cost of a new house in Victor was between $125,000 and $130,000, according to the assessor's office. An average construction cost for Woodland and Marysville townships were unavailable.	Back to: >Guides Menu >herald-journal.com Herald Journal Publishing PO Box 129 Winsted, MN 55395 Local/Metro (320) 485-2535 hj@hjpub.com www.herald-journal.com
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