Planning Commission

While the inner city deteriorates, we build, out, out, out!

flat-earth-society1

I won’t go into any specifics, but I did get a good belly role from this statement;

Schmitt acknowledges there are dangers with spreading out, but the city stops short of saying it will create hard boundaries to limit Sioux Falls’ footprint. Cities such as Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore., have done that.

“They’ve said, ‘This is it, this is as big as we’re going to be, and you have to stay within these boundaries,’ and both of them have preservation areas outside there where you can’t just go outside the area and start building,” Schmitt said.

He doesn’t see that happening here.

“I’ve spoken at three or four national conventions on how Sioux Falls does it, and people go, ‘You have got to be kidding me, so you’re not Boulder, but you’re not Vegas, either?’ ” Schmitt said. “That’s why we’re good. We’re not great, not bad, but we’re able to put a sewer pipe in, and say, if you want to grow, you have to go where we’re telling you, when we’re telling you.”

Unless you of course are Walmart or the Lloyd companies, because we will follow you to the ends of the freaking earth to give you what you want.

What’s up with the ‘Sanford Frontiers’ ?

sanfordstatue

Hey kids! Let’s play ball while your parents are drinking!

This came to my attention yesterday while I was reading the Planning Commission’s agenda (Item# 13)

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While I don’t debate the Pentagon having adult beverages at the facility, I wondered why this needed to be hidden under the cover of another organization, called the ‘Sanford Frontiers’. According to this SFBJ article in September;

Pulling it together is Sanford Frontiers, a wholly owned component of Sanford Health incorporated as a nonprofit earlier this year.

Sanford Frontiers was created primarily to help the health system’s researchers bring their work to the marketplace, but its duties are broader than that. President Rich Adcock and his small staff also are tasked with facilitating certain property development, namely the sports complex near Benson Road and Westport Avenue.

They also play the ‘poor non-profit’ card;

Sanford hopes to break even, White said.

“Our overall goal on the entire complex is to just cash flow,” he said. “If we could get to that point, we’d consider it a success.”

While Sanford Health and Sanford Frontiers are nonprofits, that doesn’t mean the property involved in the complex is tax-exempt. Sanford likely will pay property taxes on all of it, said Kyle Helseth, director of equalization for Minnehaha County.

Sanford hopes to break even?! BAHHAHAHAHA! Is this just a way for Sanford to say that while all other hospitality industries in SF have to pay on the altar of entertainment taxes, we are doing this for the common good? As for the property tax statement, why not mention the almost $10 million in TIF rebates?

But what I want to know is why Sanford Health, and the Sports Complex want to create an entirely different entity? So they are not associated with greasy franchise restaurants and alcohol consumption? Or to hide profits? It’s certainly curious, and something I don’t fully understand, but if Kelby and T. Denny are involved with Lloyd, Huether and Smith, ‘Roses’ are not the smell I am getting for the public.

Will the 85th & Western peeps garner the 3 votes needed?

rubberstREV
This may be a tough one. Last time the council voted on this (Item #24), they only got 2 No votes and 5 Yes (Entenman was absent). Hopefully they can get one more vote.
You know my feelings on this, I think the developers/investors made a bad investment decision. Their tough luck as I see it, that is how it works in the free market. But when you have a development investor (Mayor Huether) managing the planning department, what can you expect? Rubber stamps all the way, Planning Staff/CHECK, Planning Commission/CHECK, City Council/CHECK.

Enjoy your retirement!

steve

Steve Randall, City of SF Planning Staff

I rarely give props to city employees, and I can tell you I know very little about Steve Randall personally (except that he is an artist/painter), but have always admired his professionalism at public planning commission meetings. He has always helped citizens that are testifying with presentations without protest or contempt. Great public servant that I am sure will be missed.

He is retiring after 18 years with the city.