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Rapid City voters say yes to Cabela's
About 30 percent of registered voters weighed in
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FarkRAPID CITY -- By a wide margin, voters decided Tuesday that transferring 30 acres of land to Cabela’s is worth it to ensure the outdoor outfitter builds in Rapid City.
The land transfer was part of three agreements the council approved in June as an incentive package to bring Cabela’s here. Other parts of the Cabela’s incentives included $2 million in economic development funds, though that was not part of Tuesday’s referendum.
Early in the evening, it appeared the election would be close as those opposed to the land transfer led by a handful of votes after absentee ballots were counted. But as the night progressed, the “yes” votes overcame the deficit and steadily increased their margin throughout the night.
By the end, voters approved the land transfer 6,957 to 4,716 -- roughly 60 percent to 40 percent.
As a result, the city can proceed with transferring land north of Interstate 90, where the Black Hills Visitor Information Center is, to the Rapid City Economic Development Foundation, which then will transfer the land to Cabela’s.
Tim Holland, Cabela’s new store development director, said the company wants to start moving dirt on its 80,000-square-foot store by mid-October and expects to open within about 10 months.
“We’re extremely happy the voters received the facts and voted in our favor,” Holland said. “We can’t say enough about the voter turnout. We’re very pleased at this point.”
Cabela’s and city officials say that Cabela’s and the larger Foursquare Properties retail center on 67 acres near Dyess Avenue and East Mall Drive will bring an additional $4 million per year in sales taxes combined, and an estimated $1.4 million a year in new property tax revenue.
Holland said he believes getting those facts to the voters made the difference in the election.
“That’s been our campaign. It’s all public information, and I truly believe the people of Rapid City did the research and got the facts,” he said.
After a public forum last week, Cabela’s officials seemed stunned about some of the things opponents were saying. Holland said that spurred the company to get its views out to the public.
“It was enlightening to me,” he said. “There’s still things being said that were off base, and it was our job to get the facts out there and answer as many questions as we possibly could.”
Fred Weishaupl, one of the organizers of the “No Free Lunch” committee opposed to the deal, said supporters did a good job twisting the issue, and the results indicate people didn’t want to risk the prospect that Cabela’s wouldn’t build in Rapid City.
“I think the last minute threat they made that they wouldn’t come made a difference with some people,” he said referring to comments a Cabela’s official made over the weekend. “They made it about Cabela’s, and it wasn’t about Cabela’s; it was about the land transfer.”
Opponents had a variety of reasons for opposing the deal. Initially, opposition was voiced about moving the visitor center. Other reasons included opposition to "corporate welfare," a desire to keep the land until a better deal comes along and skepticism about the level of economic benefits the development will bring.
“I have nothing against Cabela’s, but I don’t think we need to give away the farm,” Weishaupl said.
Weishaupl said opponents tried to get the word out about their concerns but were outspent five to one during the campaign. On the bright side, Weishaupl said, the opposition helped keep the visitor center where it is. Cabela’s officials told the city in June that the company would deed back the visitor-center building and about three acres of surrounding land to the city.
The issue got a good number of people to the polls, Weishaupl said. About 30 percent of registered voters cast a ballot Tuesday.
“That’s a good thing,” Weishaupl said. “The only thing that bothers me about the outcome is I think the city council is going to take the results as a reason to give out more TIFs and more giveaways.”
Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415 or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com
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