I don’t agree with all of his recommendations, but;

“Your parking meters may need to be in effect until 7 or 8:00 at night, rather than 5:00. They should probably be in effect on Saturday. This is the only city I’ve ever seen where you have free parking on Saturday,” Gibbs said.

I don’t agree with that. I have often suggested that we should only charge for the on-street parking and the ramps should be free and charge more for the meters. I think the times are fine. There is nothing that pisses me off more then parking in a larger city like Minneapolis and having to pay for parking 24/7. It doesn’t encourage tourism.

Gibbs also thinks the streets should be narrower, and the traffic should go slower.

“I was almost hit by cars two times,” Gibbs said.

He believes the city should eliminate the one-way streets in the downtown area.

I agree 100%. The one-way’s Downtown are a pain in the ass and actually make finding parking time consuming and difficult. I also agree with the safety factor for peds.

Gibbs says the downtown area could be three or four times the size it currently is.

He is right. Ft. Collins downtown is much larger and they have the same population as Sioux Falls. They also have more entertainment/hospitality and less dress and cupcake stores.

11 Thoughts on “Development Expert makes some interesting points about DTSF

  1. Yeah, I don’t agree with all of his points but, some good observations I do agree with. Those One-ways are annoying and dangerous.

  2. The D@ily Spin on February 12, 2017 at 10:31 am said:

    Gibbs is a paid consultant who rewarded the mayor with consideration (i.e. Money). He said what he was told to say. The only reason he’s in town is the mayor is looking for more skim before he leaves office. Ft. Collins is an exception because there’s a college downtown. I’m surprised downtown is as busy as it is.

  3. The D@ily Spin on February 12, 2017 at 10:34 am said:

    I don’t go downtown till Saturday or after 5 because I have to pay to park. I’m sure there are others like me.

  4. My Mistake Mike on February 12, 2017 at 12:46 pm said:

    We’re stuck with the one-ways Downtown now that the city has invested millions into the permanent bump-outs (aka – Main Avenue Diet). More short-sighted vision from the MMM administration.

  5. The D@ily Spin on February 12, 2017 at 3:51 pm said:

    Good point about the bump outs. They’re like when Phillips was closed off. The next mayor will remove them so traffic moves better and it’s safer for pedestrians.

  6. The D@ily Spin on February 12, 2017 at 3:55 pm said:

    I’m surprised people haven’t learned that paid consultants are a sophisticated way for an ignorant mayor to impose his foolish and wasteful projects. We don’t listen to him and shouldn’t listen to them. Veto that.

  7. SF Economic Development on February 13, 2017 at 4:00 pm said:

    So, what rock has Jodi Schwan of the AL been living under?

    Schwan: Meet Mississippi’s model for Sioux Falls growth

    According to Jodi, “Higgins strikes me as someone who leads with vision and then finds solutions.”

    Here’s his philosophy in his own words, “The only way we win any deal is to tear off everybody’s face. We gotta kill everybody to win the deal.”

    That ought to go over very well here in the Midwest!

  8. Father of Three on February 13, 2017 at 8:04 pm said:

    Actually when laid out properly one way streets move traffic quicker and easier. That being said, they are not laid out properly and the lights and never synchronized, thus slowing everything down. With 10th and 11th, you should be able to get from the bridge to the old loop turn around without having to stop.

  9. yeah, lets do what one of the states more backwards then south dakota would do.

  10. The Guy from Guernsey on February 14, 2017 at 8:07 am said:

    SF ED and scott,
    My thoughts after reading the business piece by Schwan featuring the economic development engine in the ‘golden triangle of Mississippi’:

    Mississippi, now there is a society which you want to use as a role model. Next you know, Scwan will be encouraging Melody Schopp to emulate the Mississippi model for education.

    BTW, is there a golden triangle of Mississippi ? If so, where is it ?

  11. The Guy from Guernsey on February 14, 2017 at 8:15 am said:

    The Schwan piece on economic development in Mississippi seemed a self-validation of everything that the State, City and SF Development Foundation are doing [e.g. using tax revenues to provide land, already equipped with infrastructure enhancements @ Foundation Park]. According to this article, they lack the mean and ruthless approach necessary to close the big deals. Being Santa Claus isn’t enough, apparently.

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