Parkers Prairie is growing

By Heather Rule (photos provided)

Parkers Prairie is booming with growth.

The city has a new Economic Development Authority, formed in 2024, focused on growing the community from housing to business development. The seven-person EDA represents different parts of the city, including city council members and business owners. The EDA recognized the opportunity for growth and hit the ground running.

“We have a lot of things going on,” said Beth Wussow, Parkers Prairie city administrator. “We did a housing study this year. We have a tremendous amount of interest all of a sudden in housing.”

With some steady housing growth, the EDA will work on communicating with and attracting developers for all types of housing and businesses, Wussow said. They have developers interested in producing some apartments, but there’s also interest in duplexes and transitional housing. There’s a level of excitement about small community living, Wussow said.

“I think a lot of people are moving toward the smaller communities, especially ones that have amenities like Parkers Prairie has,” Wussow said.

Parkers Prairie has a new florist, Simply Flourish. New owners of the Dipper Diner have increased business to being open year-round, plus they’ve added new menu items. Thousand Lakes Brewing Company is an award-winning brewery. Elderwoods a game shop and virtual golf business. There’s also a new hardware/lumber/rental center business coming soon.

Parkers Prairie is also celebrating a large renovation project at Lake Adley Park. The public water access and fishing pier are much improved. They also worked with the DNR to raise the elevation of the parking area so it could be expanded and more organized. Making the capacity larger will be a huge help during busy times when anglers are anxious to take their boats on the lake. The park is a great place to bicycle on a path that leads right into the heart of town or set up a tent for camping.

The EDA is also working on a revolving loan fund which would provide low-interest loans to people who want to make some improvements to their business or start a new business. They’re also looking to add a community resource center, which would work with the family resource center and be a place for people of all ages to meet where they could participate in activities and fulfill the social aspect of living in a small community.

“It would be welcoming for anyone,” Wussow said. “We’re working on developing that.”