Planning Commission

Why own a home when this can happen

l3wis August 9, 2015 6Comments

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpFvQHUbBCU[/youtube]

So here is our question. You buy a place you call home. You live a good life with your family, friends, neighbors and visitor on the property of your dreams. Then one day orange signs get posted near you and your world changes.

We saw it every day in Sioux Falls since Shape Places was passed. Neighborhoods are being uprooted and changed forever because a dot was changed on a map or a mysterious zoning change happened. What are your chances you can go down to a city board and seek protection. Remember, you are only a lowly citizen and not a casino owner, developer or a Walmart. Zilch according to Jeffrey Schmitt, of the Sioux Falls Planning Office. Zilch, Nada, Nothing.

Director of City Planning, Mike Cooper at Democratic Forum, 6/26/15

l3wis June 26, 2015 4Comments

Image: Sioux Falls Rotary Club

Mike started out his presentation with talking about all the major development and big building permits handed out this year in Sioux Falls. He mentioned that the Southside Walmart is ‘permitted’. I found it to be interesting he would say that since they are still in ‘litigation’ over the conditional use permit. So when the Q & A started I asked him about the WM ‘permit’ in reference to the trial/hearings. He seemed to defend that the permits that have already been given are legal and binding. (He worded it a different way, but you get the gist).

I also asked him about how the property taxes would work at the Banks project being proposed Downtown. He said the proposed $12 million from the city to build the parking ramp would be coming from the parking fees and reserves (which is understandable) but then he said that they have not worked out the details of how the property taxes would work with a mixed public/private partnership with the building (which tells me they developers will probably be asking for a TIF).

Another audience member asked about what was going on with the 26^th and Southeastern project (viaduct over the tracks). He paused before answering the question and said that it is on ‘Hold’ for more ‘Studies’. Which surprised me, because I remember Shannon Austin from the planning/street department talk about the project on ‘City Scene’ that it was full steam ahead. Seems the mayor may have been shifting money around again on the streets. Cooper said it would be a multi-million dollar project.

Mike also said that the city planning office was working with the Sweetman Family to develop a large partial of land east of 229 on Benson Road.

Paratransit and public transportation were brought up towards the end of the Q & A. Melanie Bliss, a long-time advocate for the poor and disadvantaged stood up and chided Cooper about the city cutting paratransit. Also a long time rider of paratransit (25 years) complained about the rate increase.

It was probably smart of Cooper to say nothing in response since we all know who proposed these changes and it wasn’t this ‘Mike’.

Sioux Falls Planning Department recommends denial of Pavillion Square TIF

l3wis June 1, 2015 8Comments

It is going to be an interesting Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday. The Planning Department is recommending approval of the ‘workforce’ apartments just North of Sunshine, but is recommending denial of the Pavillion Square project.

In all fairness, I recommend they deny both TIF’s and let free enterprise sink or swim on it’s own without corporate welfare and tax rebates.

Over 8 years ago I proposed my East/West route

l3wis May 15, 2015 20Comments

It’s been awhile since this topic was brought up, and this is what I brought to the plate;

One of the biggest arguments Minnehaha Country Club had was that the land was a Audubon reserve that should be preserved. I couldn’t agree more. It is some of the most beautiful green space in the entire city, and if you have the money, you can see it. I think my approach would shoot holes in their argument and help the city get federal and state funding for the project. Build a state park in the middle of Sioux Falls.

Then here comes another great argument to finally build the east/west route;

Beings that the top 5 worst intersections in Sioux Falls are 41st Street and Kiwanis Ave, 41st Street and I-29, 41st Street and Louise Ave, 41st Street and Western Ave, and 41st Street and Marion Road, I can clearly see now, as the city council does, that our problem here must be on 57th Street and Bahnson Avenue on the south-Side, which is where there just so happens to be a small segment of land our greed-stricken city planners have their sights on annexing next. Perhaps the money junkies can use that land to move their sacred golf courses to the outskirts of town, as opposed to bottlenecking the entire city on two main routes, sparing the residents of Sioux Falls from 400+ traffic collisions every few dozen months, just so that the money junkies don’t have to go through the horror of driving an additional 15-minutes outside of town to go golfing.

While I agree 100% with Devin, the monied elite will never let this happen. Several mayors (Hanson, Munson & Huether) have all said that putting the golf courses in the center of town was bad planning, but none of them have had the guts to do anything about it. While they have bullied an entire neighborhood on the Southside over a Walmart, they won’t touch the country clubs with a ten foot pole.