Sioux Falls details approach to future park planning

City park officials are estimating that Sioux Falls could support several new parks as the city grows, identifying a half-dozen potential areas for them.

“Good park planning doesn’t happen in the office. It starts with listening to the people that use the parks,” said Mike Patten, park development manager, who gave an update on park planning Tuesday to the City Council.

Public input from meetings, online engagements and a statistically valid survey recently allowed residents to share input that created the city’s recent park master plan.

Parks “really do work as a system,” Patten said. “This is an essential philosophy in park planning because not all parks work the same. They’re not all designed to do the same thing.”

The city of Sioux Falls has more than 3,200 acres of parkland, including 84 parks and 42 miles of recreation trail.

About half of all parks are neighborhood parks, which are generally 5 to 10 acres in size, designed to serve area residents with playgrounds, sport courts, a walking loop and open space. Visits are designed for about an hour.

Community parks are larger, 20 to 40 acres, and serve a radius of 3 to 5 miles. Examples are Kuehn Park, Frank Olson and McKennan. Amenities include pools, ballfields and large gathering areas.

Other parks of at least 50 acres serve as regional destinations that provide experiences that last several hours such as the Falls, Family and Great Bear.

“Parks really do continue to the overall quality of life in Sioux Falls,” Patten said. “They attract our residents, our businesses, they provide destinations, and they help create the community.”

Residents are looking for clean, well-maintained parks with a variety of year-round recreation opportunities, he said.

“It’s important that growth in the park system continues to align with community growth. We need to make sure trail connections and recreation opportunities are continuing to meet the needs of our growing population,” Patten said.

One goal is to ensure residents have easy access to a park no matter where they live in Sioux Falls, he said.

The goal is to have a park within a half-mile of every home, he said.

The level of service map below shows areas of the city that are served and where there are potential gaps. The red circles “project where you can see a future park needing to happen based on the growth of the community,” Patten said.

The city works with developers, landowners and school districts to acquire future parkland.

“We’re able to acquire that parkland in locations that are convenient for residents in advance of the neighborhoods filling in,” Patten said.

A recent example is the Jefferson Heights park space next to George McGovern Middle School, which the city bought and developed in coordination with the Sioux Falls School District.

Residents recognize the need for new parks but also support investing in existing parks “to keep them fresh and exciting for park users,” Patten said. “Residents really strongly value the importance of neighborhood parks, especially parks that are located close to their home and provide those everyday recreation opportunities.”