Development of Hidden Gem Underway Near Swanson

     A lot is happening on the T&K Ventures Property along Highway 34 just North of the Swanson Lake Dam.

     Tracy and Kari Peter, owners of T & K Ventures, LLC, an excavation company specializing in earthwork and demolition projects, have a passion for developing properties. They both originate from northwest Kansas but spent 12 years living on the front range in Colorado.

     After moving to Trenton in 2011, they lived at their lake house in the North Shore subdivision along Highway 34 at Swanson Lake while looking for a permanent home and shop to get T & K Ventures off the ground. They rented a shop in McCook and started developing the Cappel Industrial Park with the plan to build there. However, Kari says the space available would have needed more size to meet their business and home construction needs.

     They had a friend who owned the property adjacent to Swanson Lake and, through a partnership, took ownership of half the property. It was surveyed, plotted, subdivided, and zoned with six commercial lots, where T & K Ventures is located, with the rest residential. “We have grown exponentially since being here to be diversified for our customer’s needs,” said Kari. Besides the T & K Ventures shop, there has been a lot of additional development in recent years.

     A few different companies are currently working to finish developing the remaining space. T & K is doing the excavation, demolition, and infrastructure work. Their sister company P2P LLC is the Project Manager for the Castaway Parkway Subdivision Phase 2, the 16 lots for sale on the property’s western edge. R. Via Retreat, a new long-term stay RV park with full-time electricity and sewer, is currently under construction. To round out the development, The Boat House is constructing a boat storage facility this summer and will be ready to open soon.

     “The property was a “work in progress” from the start. There was no place to build or go; nothing was out here, so we developed this for our vision for T & K Ventures. We designed it to be able to have a business along the highway and personal property on the north side. Our long-term vision for the development was to build our shop to accommodate a seamless transition for its future owner and consolidate our operation into a smaller shop closer to our home. ” Kari went on to explain that they love development, bringing change, and seeing additional commerce come to the area. “A lot of people want a second home and want to be able to build to suit their needs and dreams, and this is kind of a hidden gem as far as we are concerned,” she said about the property. “There is so much that can be offered out here. There are great people, great recreation, and the kids have opportunities.”

     The development of the residential subdivision area has two phases. The first phase involved the six residential lots on the northern side of the property and six commercial; all have been sold. The second phase is selling the available lots at Castaway Parkway, which Kari says she is ready to see developed. “I am ready to see the change, “she said. “All of this was developed in 2014, and it just never caught on, and we always said all it is going to take is one.”

     She explained that their son had the first “barndominium” built in the subdivision. “When he put his in, it started to go,” Kari said. “Then, when COVID came, it went just like that.” She explained that things have slowed with the higher interest rates and the low water level at the lake. People who buy the lots at Castaway Parkway don’t have to build the post-frame “barndominiums,” as they are called. They can build a traditional stick-built home; there are a few requirements, such that the structure is at least 1,200 square feet, on a foundation or footings. No trailer houses are allowed. “You have the freedom to build whatever you want, but it must be completed within 18 months of being purchased,” she said. “This is great for people because you own your land, well, and septic. The only regulations are stated within the covenants.”

      A lot is happening on the property, with several moving parts to make it all work, but they love what they are doing, and it has been exciting to see all the change.