Check out page 61 (which breaks down the scoring) and page 62 which is the city’s compatibility matrix. Â These documents are found in the city’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan (CLICK: Â SHAPE-TRAN) Â
As you can see, putting C-4 commercial adjacent to low density single-family residential will score a 1 and is labeled highly incompatible. Â This was even noted on the planning department’s staff report during an earlier council meeting on this subject. Â Why is this important? Â Well, the green dot allowing C-4 in this area was designated in December of 2009. Â This was long after most of the people in Twin Eagle had already built their homes. Â Many in the city, the media, and this blog have asked “What were these people thinking?” when they built their homes along 85th Street?
The answer, many of these people consulted city planning maps that showed this area wouldn’t be developed for another 10 years or more when they built. Â Not one single resident expects this intersection to be anything but commercial, however there was no green dot there when they consulted those maps. Â To expect a restaurant, office park, gas station etc…is one thing, but a big box store like WM, Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, etc…No one expected them either after the green dot came in because of these two documents. Not to mention, this will be the largest retailer in the city, if not the state (185,000 square feet) and will be open 24/7.
To the comments about the likes on FB, it shouldn’t matter if there are 2,000 people who “like” SON’s site or just 1, the fact that the city can ignore the property rights of one person, who was there first, who relied on these documents and the city’s adherence to them is enough. Â If the city can simply pick and choose how it will apply these rules then everyone in Sioux Falls should be concerned. And we should be.
I remember a few years back I used to take a walk on my break at work, all year long. There was a certain retailer that never scooped their sidewalks, ever! They would just let people smash the snow down, which by the end of the season was about a 6″ sheet of ice. The irony, #1 was that they sold snowblowers, #2 they sold ice melt and #3 the city never forced them to clean the walk, or came out and cleaned and charged them. I will clarify this, the store was owned by a local family and was on a BUSY corner lot with tons of foot traffic, they are still there. Yet the city goes around charging residential citizens for cleaning sidewalks. My point? It is who you know in this town. Nevermind our little report above, WM and Lloyd have gobbs of money, we will just change the rules for them.
