A new public record reveals Amazon paid $7.02 million for land it purchased recently in Sioux Falls.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation announced the sale Oct. 15, but neither the foundation nor Amazon disclosed the price. The figure is included in a record filed after the sale with the Minnehaha County Register of Deeds.
Amazon bought 80 acres within 820-acre Foundation Park, just northwest of the I-90 and I-29 junction in northwest Sioux Falls. The development foundation established the industrial park five years ago with a reported $20 million in transactions, including funding from a $3 million state grant and an $8.5 million state loan.
More recently, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration awarded a $1.9 million grant to the foundation for infrastructure in the park. And the city of Sioux Falls recently approved the creation of a tax increment financing (TIF) district. The TIF will temporarily divert newly generated property taxes in the park to help pay off infrastructure improvements.
Including the Amazon sale, about 180 acres have been sold in Foundation Park, according to the development foundation. Businesses in the park include Win Chill LLC, Nordica Warehouses, Dakota Carriers and New Century Partners.
Amazon has not said what it will do with the land it acquired in the park, but the company is busy announcing locations of new fulfillment centers. In the last few weeks, the company revealed plans for centers in Texas, Kansasand Nebraska. Each of the announcements came with a projection of 1,000 new jobs.
-Seth Tupper is SDPB's business and economic development reporter.