Downtown 2035 vision begins to come into focus

Some themes are beginning to emerge for a group tasked with recommending what the future of downtown Sioux Falls could become by 2035.

The current plan looks out to 2025 and has helped guide such activity as more residential options, increased arts and culture offerings such as Levitt at the Falls, improved walkability and creation of additional park spaces.

Because of the level of new development downtown, the city decided this year to update the long-term plan and look out to 2035.

“Meetings so far have been about information gathering, from infrastructure to safety to parks,” said Jeff Eckhoff, the city’s director of planning and development services.

Members of the advisory committee helping formulate the plan for City Council approval are:

• Ann Nachtigal, downtown resident.
• Apolonia Davalos, artist and Levitt TV host.
• Arthur McCray, Advie.
• Brienne Maner, Startup Sioux Falls.
• Chris Daugaard, Ernst Capital Group.
• Curt Soehl, Sioux Falls City Council.
• Dan Statema, First Dakota National Bank.
• Del’Inkka Beaudion, Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen.
• Erik Nyberg, Cutler Law Firm, Sioux Falls Planning Commission.
• Ivy Oland Dandar, downtown resident and property owner.
• Joe Batcheller, Downtown Sioux Falls Inc.
• Kevin Tupy, Cresten Capital Group.
• Natalie Eisenberg, Click Rain.
• Penny Klinedinst, Simply Perfect & Threads, Plum’s Cooking Co.
• Riccardo Tarabelsi, R Wine Bar & Kitchen, Brix Wine Bar.

“This one is a lot of fun,” said Erik Nyberg of Cutler Law Firm, who chairs the group and has served on other city committees. “I learn something new every time we meet, and I think we’ve got a really good group of diverse individuals that have been very open-minded. Nobody has a preconceived agenda or direction this has to go.”

The group also has heard a lot from the public and will continue to do so. The city posted an online survey that allows the public to comment on individual downtown locations and provide broader feedback. Representatives also have attended many downtown events this summer seeking input.

“These guys have been rock stars when it comes to public input,” Nyberg said. “The city has done an awesome job reaching out and ensuring the committee hears from the public.”

Some themes are beginning to be clear, Eckhoff said.

“If you look at what’s working well, people like the shopping and dining. They like the look and feel of downtown,” he said. “Things that come up that need improvement is a lot of discussion about walkability. There’s a lot of discussion about affordability because units downtown are expensive.”

The big, noticeable difference is an increased focus on safety, he said.

“That’s really risen to the top. And it almost always seems like they mention panhandling, which makes sense because that’s how they’re affected,” he said. “And the biggest demographic are those that are downtown for events or to go shopping or eat, not so much people who live or work downtown. So that makes sense. That’s their interaction. They don’t like going down there and being panhandled or even walking by some of those folks.”

There’s also less emphasis on parking, Nyberg said.

“That was a little surprising to me, but there’s a little bit of a less dire need for parking downtown than there was 10 years ago,” he said. “We used to hear about parking issues downtown all the time, and I don’t hear that anymore, so I think the city has done a great job with that. A lot comes from awareness and new ramps and parking structures.”

There has been a lot of discussion about what to do with 10th and 11th streets, Eckhoff said, including reconfiguring them to no longer be one way or lowering a road “to make it a lot more attractive and add pedestrian walkability.”

The committee also is exploring what the new boundaries of downtown could look like, along with connectivity to help those who live in nearby neighborhoods to easily access downtown, Nyberg added.

“I can’t say for certain our group will push out the boundaries of downtown, but it’s something we talk about a lot,” he said. “There’s only so many acres in the current downtown boundary, and as people get interested in making investments in our downtown at some point, those boundaries need to expand.”

The next steps for the group include a mid-September report of initial public input, with a public meeting to review results, followed by a draft plan for public review in October. The final plan is expected to be released early next year.