Photos by Deb Gau Troy Johnson readied the oversize scissors, and developers, Marshall city officials and members of the Marshall EDA and Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce gathered around for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Nexus Apartments along Legion Field Road. The Marshall City Council established a TIF district to help with development of the project in 2018.

MARSHALL — It was a project about two years in the making. But when the Nexus Apartments complex opened on Legion Field Road in September, it didn’t take nearly that long to attract residents.

Speakers at a Tuesday ribbon-cutting and open house at the complex said the units were 80% full.

“It’s really awesome to see a project like this come together,” said Marshall Economic Development Authority Director Tara Onken.

“It’s been an exciting process from day one,” said Troy Johnson, owner of Unique Construction, the Fergus Falls-based company working to build the apartments.

Construction of the Nexus Apartments was the result of teamwork between private developers and the city of Marshall. A total of 108 apartment units in three buildings are planned, on about nine acres of land formerly owned by the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Last spring, the Marshall City Council also approved a Tax Increment Financing district on the land, to help reimburse up to about $2 million in costs to build the apartment complex.

The new apartments were a positive development for Marshall, said Marshall City Council Member John DeCramer. While the community has seen recent growth in its industrial and retail development, it also needs to support a strong workforce.

“Housing is certainly one of the areas that we needed,” DeCramer said.

The Nexus Apartments building that opened in September includes 36 apartment units, Johnson said. That total is made up of 12 one-bedroom units, 12 two-bedroom units, 10 three-bedroom units and two four-bedroom units. The complex has amenities like secure entries and security cameras, and washers and dryers in each apartment unit.

“We like to call it a transitional-type housing,” Johnson said. Residents attracted to apartments like the ones at Nexus tend to be people and families who have recently moved into a community and intend to stay. They often go on to become local homeowners, he said.

Rents at the Nexus apartments are $775 for one-bedroom units, $895 for two-bedroom units, $1,175 for three-bedroom units, and $1,295 for four-bedroom units. However, Johnson said a portion of the apartments will be income-based housing.

The two other planned Nexus apartment buildings will have the same number of units and the same amenities, Johnson said. The second of the three buildings is planned to open in summer 2020.

With the extreme winter weather and flooding going on over the past year, construction at the Legion Field Road site was an uphill battle, Johnson said. However, he said developers had a great working relationship with the city of Marshall. It was also positive to see the amount of support the apartments had from members of the public.

“We’re getting a lot of good feedback, and people coming in and wanting to rent,” he said.