Many in the development community may already know what that secret is, but, it seems, some do not;
But that’s not sitting well with JDI, Inc.’s CEO Robin Miller, who’s company wanted to build a 12-story condominium, including underground parking and a rooftop garden.
Miller said unlike the two other proposals, which would have maintained the parcel’s green space by turning it into a park, JDI’s plan would have generated $35 million or more worth of construction, brought high-quality architecture to downtown and bolstered downtown’s parking capacity.
If that plan wasn’t good enough for the city, Miller’s not sure what would be.
“When we first went to the city they said ‘We want to see quality construction that’s uniquely special to that site, and we agreed.†Miller said. “When they don’t proceed with what you think is a good proposal … what’s my incentive to make a proposal on something else.â€
What many people may not know is that the city may be holding back on projects like this because of the height of the building. Remember the $1 Million dollar fire truck the city had to provide to make sure they could reach the top of the Events Center? Rumor is the planning office won’t allow NEW buildings over four-six stories. It has a lot to do with the airport and National guard base’s proximity to downtown, but it also comes to the fire department not having the equipment to put out fires over 4-6 stories high. The other bank buildings downtown that are over four stories were built before these regulations were put into place.
Let’s face it, we could develop 12-story condos downtown, but if the fire department can’t reach the top in an emergency, we would be screwed.
I wonder if anyone in Community Development or the Fire Department will ever share this little tid-bit with the good tax payers of Sioux Falls? Oh, that of course requires transparency. LOL.
Seriously, Robin Miller proposes building a 12-story RESIDENTIAL building on this small parcel of land WITH underground parking.
The poor guy would have had to request a massive TIF to get through all the quartzite. (Remember the problems just across the river with the construction of the River Greenway….ended up costing the taxpayers a lot more than planned because of the quartzite and the soil mitigation problems. BTW, this is what the multi-million dollar settlement from Morrell’s was used for instead of what it was intended for: to improve the river’s water quality).
Also, a 12-story building at this location would have blocked the view for residents of Dr. Brue’s new residential project at the southeast corner of 8th and Phillips.
May have been some pushback from the Dr. and his development partners!
Why? Downtown property is cheap compared to other cities. 6 stories is plenty. If a developer wants to buy a ladder truck, OK then. Don’t give SFFD and Huether a reason. New equipment will cost double given there’s no competitive bids and corruption. The vendor has to pay for countless meals at Foleys and trips to the Super Bowl. It’s built in to the price.
Remember when Sioux Falls had its first tunnel design under I-229 along 57th. There’s a dozen fire plugs while other tunnels (other cities) have none. Don’t get SFFD involved. We’ll have fleet of water tanker aircraft. They have a serious problem with morale now. Let the department focus on that.
There are no height limits for the DTPUD zone district in the City Code. New commercial buildings also need to be sprinkled. The only limiting factor to height are finances and what the market can support.
Thanks, I heard that recently it has to do with cost more then fire safety.