Hemmer to meet with governor on Jamestown housing, growth priorities

Katie Hemmer will sit down with Gov. Kelly Armstrong on June 29, before her July 6 swearing-in, and she is treating the meeting as the start of her administration’s push on housing and economic growth. Hemmer said there is “no need to wait until July 6 to get started,” signaling that she wants state help lined up before she formally takes office in Jamestown.

The discussion lands at a moment when housing, taxes, growth and city spending helped define the mayor’s race. Hemmer defeated incumbent Dwaine Heinrich and Patrick Davis Sr. in the June 9 election, winning 1,198 votes to Heinrich’s 851 and Davis’ 498. The result returns Hemmer to the office she held from 2010 to 2018, while Heinrich leaves after first winning the mayor’s office in June 2018 and being re-elected in June 2022.

For Jamestown, the timing is about more than a courtesy meeting. Hemmer campaigned on more homes, jobs and fewer obstacles to development, and the city’s housing picture still looks tight. Zillow listed 35 homes for sale in Jamestown as of April 30, 2026, while Realtor.com’s May summary showed 80 homes for sale and 19 homes for rent. That limited supply matters in a city of 15,849 people, the Stutsman County seat, where Interstate 94, U.S. 52, U.S. 281 and North Dakota 20 carry much of the traffic and business activity tied to future growth.

Housing construction is already underway around the city. Riverside Cottages is a $48 million redevelopment that will convert 168 single-bedroom units into 150 apartments with one-, two- and three-bedroom options across 42 buildings. The project is using Low Income Housing Tax Credits, federal energy tax credits and the North Dakota Housing Incentive Fund, showing how much Jamestown’s housing supply now depends on state and federal tools as well as local planning.

Armstrong has made housing part of his own agenda as well. His 2025-27 executive budget highlighted property tax relief, housing and infrastructure, and his administration says it wants to align North Dakotans with attainable housing to support families and communities. Hemmer’s meeting with the governor will give both sides a first test of whether that state priority can translate into more units, better support for employers and a clearer path for Jamestown’s next round of development.