Here’s how you can help ‘shape Sioux Falls’ for 2050

The city of Sioux Falls is starting to look at how the community could develop — or even redevelop — between now and 2050.

It’s the latest iteration of the Shape Sioux Falls comprehensive planning process that last was updated in 2016 and at that time looked out to 2040.

Essentially, Shape Sioux Falls is a “road map or guide to our future, how our town will develop,” said Jeff Eckhoff, the city’s director of planning and development services. “Comprehensive plans are really written by the community, for the community. This will be something our residents can own and be a very active part of.”

The comprehensive plan largely will address future land use and subsequently zoning, which growth areas of the community are designated to develop commercially and residentially, and to what density, for example.

But it also will look at other city government functions, including public works, parks and libraries.

“Sioux Falls has a great tradition of proactively planning for its future,” said Christopher Shires, principal and project manager for Confluence, the firm hired to oversee the process.

“This is a really important planning update for the city’s future.”

Along with new growth, the planning process will address areas of the city that might be in need of redevelopment.

“We are likely to uncover opportunities or areas that do benefit from a little more attention on a redevelopment standpoint,” Shires said. “We’ll be doing edge-matching with our neighboring communities. We do want to plan together, and we want to look at our existing neighborhoods … are there existing areas that warrant a little deeper dive.”

The process also will include examining new national trends in areas such as housing, technology, infrastructure, the future of work, public health, transportation and mobility.

“It is a guide for the future and, if we do it right, can really help reinforce the brand or what we think of for our local community,” Shires said.

The work to update the plan is expected to take 18 months to complete, city officials estimated. The public engagement phase will begin now and continue through the end of the year. After reviewing and analyzing community feedback, Confluence will develop a draft plan for the public to review, which is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2025.

Public engagement will include a mix of in-person and online opportunities. Community listening sessions, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, pop-up events, neighborhood workshops and open houses will be used for in-person engagement, and an interactive engagement website will be available throughout the process. Additionally, a statistically valid survey will be conducted to collect input from at least 300 residents across Sioux Falls.

In addition to public input, a 29-person advisory committee has been named to help oversee the process. Its members are:

• Larissa Deedrich, Sioux Falls Housing & Redevelopment Commission
• Joan Franken, Costello Cos.
• Rocky Welker, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls
• Janet Kittams, Sioux Falls Planning Commission
• Erik Nyberg, Sioux Falls Planning Commission
• Mike Gray, Sioux Falls Planning Commission
• Jerry Jongeling, Lincoln County Planning Commission
• Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, Lutheran Social Services
• Brian Mulder, Volunteers of America, state representative District 11
• Tammie Denning, Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership
• Erik Gaikowski, downtown Sioux Falls
• David O’Hara, environmental interest
• Teddi Mueller, Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire
• Kenley Lamberty, Realtor Association of the Sioux Empire
• Dean Dziedzic, Sioux Falls Development Foundation
• Tom Hurlbert, McKennan Park neighborhood
• John Nordlie, Oak View neighborhood
• Sophie Johnson, South Eastern Council of Governments
• Steve Van Buskirk, Van Buskirk Cos.
• Luke Jessen, Lloyd Cos.
• Kelly Nielson, Nielson Construction
• Brady Hyde, Empire Cos.
• Bonnie Duffy, Minnehaha County Planning Commission
• Jeff Kreiter, Sioux Falls School District
• Jennifer Hoesing, Visual Arts Committee
• Kadyn Wittman, state representative District 15, Sioux Falls Family YMCA
• Jesse Deffenbaugh, Deffenbaugh Homes.

“While 2050 seems like a long time from now, it’s really not,” Eckhoff said. “This is your city, it will be your plan, and we encourage you to get involved.”

The first in-person events will be the community listening sessions open to anyone, facilitated by Confluence, held Sept. 9 at the Ronning Library, 3100 E. 49th St., and Sept. 11 at the Caille Library, 4100 S. Carnegie Circle, both from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Before that, there will be pop-up tents with information at Downtown Riverfest on Saturday, the Falls Park Farmers Market on Aug. 24, Levitt at the Falls on Aug. 30 and Sept. 7 and the Lake Lorraine Farmers Market on Sept. 5.

“There’s no level of government that affects you more than our local government,” Eckhoff said. “So this is your chance, Sioux Falls, to be involved, to give us input, whether online or in person.”

To learn more, click here.