Downtown Sioux Falls

New Women’s Drinkery coming to Sioux Falls?

l3wis January 27, 2014 12Comments

Rumor has it, this small national franchise is looking to open up shop in DTSF. The concept is simple, The Chatterbox caters to women (I heard there is a sign on the door of the establishment that says, Men enter at your own risk). The interiors have a bistro/coffee house feel about them, but a lot of pastel motifs. And unlike a normal bar or coffee house, where you order from someone, The CB charges a cover at the door of $10 and $1 for each additional hour you are there (you pay as you leave). You help yourself toÂ complimentary Moscato white wineÂ or Mich Ultra that is on tap. There is no staff assistance at the CB, you simply pay with a credit card when you leave.

I guess the lady who started the place says this about her concept, “I just wanted a place where I could shoot the breeze with the ladies for hours on end, without the interruption of servers or men, while solving none of the world’s problems.”

Downtown Sioux Falls

The very interesting â€˜Special Assessment’ rolls for DTSF.

l3wis December 16, 2013 8Comments

Thank goodness DTSF supplies these plants in front of my bizzo, I wouldn’t be able to figure this out on my own.

We have known about this for awhile (Item #36), but take a close look at the PDF document: SPEC-ASS-DT, and you will scratch your head about the inequality.

I have always been on the fence about this, because the organization, DTSF charges a membership fee, but if you are not a member, you still have to pay through property taxes, but don’t get the benefits of belonging as a member. I say one OR the other.

I know that several DT property owners have challenged this in the past.

My solution? I would eliminate the special assessment and ONLY have a membership fee to DTSF (higher, and base it on property value and number of employees, like the Chamber). If you don’t pay the fee, you get NO special treatment (no marketing, plants, sidewalk sweeping, etc.) from the organization.

It just seems odd and unfair that non-members of DTSF have to still pay in on their property taxes even if they get no benefits from the organization. But call me a realist.

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Who is responsible for making DT Sioux Falls successful?

l3wis November 11, 2013 16Comments

It was this guy who helped raise DTSF from the dead

Mayor Huether will tell you, and take credit for making DTSF in to what it is today. He has said on aÂ several occasions that when he was campaigning for mayor (3 years ago) that downtown was dead.

Hardly the truth.

I will give him credit for a couple of things downtown, with the help of the city council they were able to hand out a couple of TIF’s and tear down a parking ramp, but other than that, Downtown’s success was well in full swing when Mike was sworn into office. As for the rail relocation project, there hasn’t been a purchase agreement signed yet because we are waiting for an appraisal. Even if the city decides to move forward with the project, it will take several years before construction can resume on that location.

So when did DTSF start to become more successful? In 1991 when I moved here, I used to live behind Gigglebees on Duluth, I would walk DT about once a week. There was Zandbroz and Minerva’s and that was about it. A few years later, a lady named Carol Pogones had this vision to help redevelop DTSF, I believe at that time (1993-4?) the occupancy rate was about 15-25% DT. In 1993 I worked at a print-shop in the old Lewis building (it is that fancy-smancy dessert shop now). You would see Carol quite often pounding the streets of DT.

Carol was instrumental in convincing Mayor Munson and the city council to put more into DT. The redevelopment of Falls Park, approving Phase 1 of the River Greenway, the bump-outs on Phillips, the new sewer and water and road construction were all approved of and started during the Munson administration.

The Washington Pavilion has also been successful on one front, bringing more diners to downtown which has created a lot more restaurants and pubs.

Not sure WHAT downtown Huether was campaigning in, but DTSF certainly wasn’t dead 3 years ago. But this shouldn’t surprise anyone that Huether was clueless about the success of DT before he became mayor, when his bosom buddy, Darrin Smith first started working at City Hall, he was rumored to have said, â€œWhere does anyone eat or have a cup of coffee DT anyway?â€ Oh, and he was serious.

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