A major multifamily development marks the first foray into the Omaha market for Sioux Falls real estate investment firm Ernst Capital Group. Cherry Creek Village sits on 60 acres on Omaha’s west side near Potter Street and Highway 133. “We’ve been interested in entering the Omaha market for a while, and this site allows us to deliver what we think the market is looking for,“ said Chris Daugaard, a partner in Ernst Capital. “It has direct access to I-680, and you can get to the rest of the metro area very easily. It’s a place for people to enjoy a quick commute and allowed us to get into a large land development while keeping costs down to help the project be most effective.”

Ernst Capital, which offers private real estate investments for accredited investors, partners with developers to assist in financing. For Cherry Creek Village, Ernst Capital partnered with Sioux Falls-based Signature Cos. on the apartment development, which will be managed by Sioux Falls-based Lloyd Cos. “We have long, positive histories with both companies, which gave all of us confidence heading into a new market,” Daugaard said.

“We’re building units here that are attractive to renters but still offer an attainable rent price point. We think there’s a ton of demand for that regionally even in areas where there’s a lot of supply. We’ve been able to lease up well because even while residents are more price-sensitive, they still want a place that’s nice, and we think we hit a healthy medium.” The concept at Cherry Creek Village is similar to Willows Edge in northeast Sioux Falls and other Signature developments that also offer a range of housing styles. It started with 203 garden-style apartments across five buildings, offering studio through three-bedroom floor plans.

A clubhouse will offer an outdoor pool and community gathering spots with a golf simulator, fitness center, coffee bar and gaming area. “We’ve done this same building type in eight other regional developments, so we know what we’re building, Signature has a team that’s very familiar with it, and we’re able to utilize some of our subcontractors who have worked on previous projects,” Daugaard said. The first two buildings are about 80 percent complete, along with the clubhouse. The plan is to turn over the first units in July. Future phases will include additional garden-style apartments as well as townhomes. “There’s about 48 usable acres for development because of some great topography in the area, with a really nice creek running through it. We’re retaining a wooded area around it, so it’s a really attractive larger development site that will lend itself to outdoor recreation,” Daugaard added.

“As we were talking to potential lending partners, we kept hearing that our rent projections seemed to be conservative, so we think there’s potential for rent upside after lease up.” “Omaha is somewhere we plan to be over the long term, and once Cherry Creek gets more mature, we’ll look at additional sites.” He anticipates Ernst Capital could put together investments for more than 1,000 units in the Omaha market in the next five to 10 years. “We look at it as an expansion market, much like we did with Des Moines in 2014, and now about a third of our portfolio is in that market,” Daugaard said. “It’s a conscious decision to look at regional markets that are similar in size where we like their future growth opportunities. It just made sense as a natural market for expansion.”

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Tami and Craig McKenzie have marked 10 major moves in their 42 years of marriage — but the latest led them home again. “I grew up in Sioux Falls, but my husband and I have been in the desert 24 years, and we just were far from family and knew we weren’t getting younger, so if we wanted to move closer to family, we needed to make that decision,” she said. But Sioux Falls is a significantly different place from when she grew up on the west side. So before committing to something permanent, it made sense to rent and get a feel for the community. “My sister-in-law was kind enough to connect us with an agent through Lloyd Cos., and we were able to see some rental properties last summer,” McKenzie said. “At that point, we talked about Willowbrook, and I said, ‘OK, here’s our minimum size requirement for a new place to live, we’re going to get our house on the market, so keep up apprised, and we’ll keep our eyes open.’”

It wasn’t long after that she saw a story on SiouxFalls.Business and was prompted to circle back and see if a three-bedroom property was available at Willowbrook Village. “We were able to find a home being built at Willowbrook that was close in size to what we had in Tucson,” McKenzie said. “We were thrilled this came available because we sold our house only two weeks after coming on the market.”

Willowbrook Village at 6544 E. Pine Grove Place is northeast of Veterans and Arrowhead parkways. The business model, while not unique nationwide, is the first fully build-to-rent community in Sioux Falls, offering single-family detached homes available to rent. The McKenzies moved late last October into a three-bedroom rental home with a walkout basement. “What we’re starting to find is that it’s a good option for both permanent residents and empty nesters or people looking to not necessarily be in Sioux Falls all the time,” said Chris Daugaard, a partner in Ernst Capital Group, which put together the investment for the development. “It’s a good option, where they have a stand-alone home, their own garage, no shared walls or halls, but they also can lock the door and leave when they want to, knowing that others are taking care of the details. They can sign a lease and try out the lifestyle without committing to buying it.”

Willowbrook Village was part of Ernst Capital Group’s recently closed Signature Fund VI, which put together two multifamily development investments for Signature Cos. totaling just under $50 million in real estate. Of the 45 homes available to lease in the Willowbrook property, 41 are already pre-leased, with 12 homes still under construction. “It’s a rental home, and it’s brand-new,” Daugaard said. “People are impressed when they go through. It feels more like a nice, newly built spec home. They’re very nice finishes, and we’re able to offer it at a rent price that is accessible for many people but still works for the project.”

Willowbrook residents rent either a two- or three-bedroom home with an attached two-stall garage. Snow removal, trash, lawn care and all maintenance are covered by the rent. “It’s a great part of town to be in, and more development is occurring coming all the time along Veterans Parkway and Highway 42,” Daugaard said. As an investment property, Willowbrook Village is structured such that at some point in the future, the homes can be sold to owner-occupants, or it could change hands as an entire complex. The McKenzies were happy that their first winter out of Arizona was a mild one, but they still appreciated snow removal from their property management team and are looking forward to becoming reacquainted with the community Sioux Falls has become. “We haven’t gotten to know our neighbors too much at this point, but everyone waves, and some people have stopped to talk, and they’re very nice,” McKenzie said. “The management is very good here, and it’s nice not to worry about another move for at least a couple years. I grew up here, and it’s nothing like it was, so there’s a huge learning curve.”

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Juice Stop is has moved from its 57th Street location to a location on 69th and Cliff that has a convenient drive-thru. The new location opened last week at 1404 W. 69th St., and hours are 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the article.

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Two new east-side multifamily projects are set to bring a wide variety of living options to residents, funded in part by local investors. Sioux Falls-based Ernst Capital Group recently closed its Signature Fund VI, helping finance two multifamily developments for Signature Cos. totaling just under $50 million in real estate. “We’re been thrilled with how our portfolio has been performing, with some of the best winter leasing we’ve ever seen,” said Chris Daugaard, a partner in the firm. “We’re anticipating that strong response to continue as we move forward with these two projects.”

The first, Willowbrook Village, already has its first residents moved in. It’s a new offering for the Sioux Falls market, bringing single-family, build-to-rent homes northeast of Veterans and Arrowhead parkways. This community of 57 single-family homes is being built by Signature and managed by Lloyd Cos. as one multifamily development, with property maintenance included. “They’re a mix of two- and three-bedroom homes, and all have two-stall, attached garages,” Daugaard said. “As people tour, they’re impressed. They’re commenting that it feels more like a newly built spec home than a rental home.” The deal was intentionally structured to create a win-win for residents and investors, he said. The goal is to provide a lot of value for an affordable rent. Finishes are high quality but not luxury, and while all maintenance is included, there isn’t an amenity package. “This type of development needs the right piece of land, and this location allowed us to do a lower-density development,” Daugaard said. “It’s a great part of town with a lot of development nearby or on the way, so it’s already a popular place to live and will become even more so.” Willowbrook Village already has leased 28 of its initial 30 homes, with more on the way. “We’re ahead of where we expected to be both from a construction and a leasing perspective,” Daugaard said. “We think this kind of development is a natural evolution for the Sioux Falls multifamily market.”

Not far away, Signature Fund VI’s second project, Split Rock Village, is under construction with its first phase. Located at 26th Street and Six Mile Road, the project will bring 244 apartments – a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The first two 50-unit buildings have finished framing and will begin leasing in the coming months for move-ins later this spring. “We’ve been planning this project with Signature for a long time and purchased the property back in 2021,” Daugaard said. “We knew it was a little early for development, but with the growth of Sioux Falls, we anticipated it was going to be a great location sooner than later.” The first of multiple phases, the initial apartments will be served with a full amenity package, including a clubhouse, golf simulator, outdoor pool and patio.

In addition to the 244-unit project underway, there’s potential for 168 townhomes, which ultimately would make it the largest apartment development funded by Ernst Capital. “There will be some similarities to other projects in Sioux Falls, including Willows Edge in the northeast and Yukon at Benson in the northwest,” Daugaard said. “When we had an opportunity to secure that land, we knew it made sense over the long term because that area is going to become busier and busier.” The broader development also will have a commercial component, he added. “The hard corner is a good opportunity for retail, so we’ll either help develop it ourselves or look to sell it to another user,” Daugaard said.

Both projects build on a long history for Ernst Capital. “This was our 38th investment offering for Ernst Capital since 2007 and one of 16 investor offerings we’ve put together with Signature since 2009,” Daugaard said. “Just the 16 with Signature include more than 4,500 multifamily units in Sioux Falls, Des Moines, Rapid City, Omaha and elsewhere.”

Ernst Capital, which offers private real estate investments for accredited investors, partners with developers to assist in financing. “We work with developers that deliver high-quality projects while still offering workforce housing to our growing area,” Daugaard said. “It creates an attractive investment opportunity for people who want to invest in real estate and not deal with the day-to-day hassle of operating rental properties.”

Ernst Capital Group is beginning to work with new investors as it considers new projects in Sioux Falls and the Upper Midwest. “Really what we’re doing is helping investors from around the region participate in the growth of our region,” Daugaard said.

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Juice Stop is moving from its 57th Street location to a location on 69th and Cliff that has a convenient drive-thru. “We’re not moving because it’s not going good there,” owner Troy Jansma said of the location that opened seven years ago. “The new location will better accommodate customers. ”The relocated Juice Stop will be in a retail center at 69th Street and Cliff. The business will take the space on the west end of the retail center, which is just east of B&G Milkyway.”, according to the article.  

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