(KNSI) – When Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum gave his State of the City address this week, he talked about 2026 representing a transition point.
He explains that for three major projects, the seeds sewn in the past year are beginning to germinate. “2025 was a year of development, a year of exciting announcements, and 2026 is when they’re all going to start building.”
The construction of the new Niron Magnetics plant is a huge part of the story. Fitzthum says it moves Sartell from a bedroom community to a city where there are several high-paying manufacturing and engineering opportunities. The healthcare corridor continues to add businesses as well.
New employees at these businesses will be younger. For those under 34, and especially those in their early-to-mid 20s, Fitzthum says the research is unambiguous. They want multifamily housing, which is more affordable and a smaller living space, more suitable for someone who does not have a family yet.
Sartell leaders have already okayed some large complexes. Scout Haven is scheduled to go up just east of the Sartell Community Center on Leander Avenue. It will be gigantic, considering Sartell’s population is barely 20,000 people. Fitzthum says, “That is slated to be a 500-unit complex, so one of the largest that Sartell has seen to date.”
Fitzthum notes Sartell hasn’t forgotten its roots. It is still defined by housing neighborhoods. He believes Scout Haven’s location allowed the city to thread the needle on the issue, addressing a need without fundamentally altering the area’s character.
Denser housing means a bigger population, and that will test the city’s public infrastructure. Fitzthum expects the next decade to be defined by major improvements to roads and utilities. “Over the next eight years, we’ll be spending $100 million. Fifty percent of that will be spent on utility upgrades and improvements, and about another 40% of that will be spent on roadways, both updating current roadways, but also expanding additional roadways.”
The mayor laid out his vision for what he calls a new chapter of Sartell in this week’s State of the City address at Waters Church.
One issue that has mostly been taken off the table in the past 12 months is child care. Sartell once had a deficit of over 400 slots. That has been cut in half thanks to the two services.
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