The CC and CC just can’t agree on whether or not to allow a wedding barn to be built in the middle of a corn field. Yes. You heard me right. You would think with all the big decisions to make, that a wedding barn (outside of the city limits) would be the last thing to debate about. Oh, and it’s painful.
Ironically the Sioux Falls Planning Commission and Minnehaha Planning Commission both agreed it was ok. The kicker? Jeff Schmidt with the city’s planning office is concerned that in 12-30 years from now a housing development may be built around the wedding barn, and it may hurt the growth of the development because of the ‘noise’ from a wedding barn.
Are wedding barns noisy? Hmm.
The biggest problem with this is that the city and county agreed on joint jurisdiction in the growth area of Sioux Falls. In other words, land that is still not annexed into city limits but could be in the future. Most of the time it’s fine, but Schmidt with the help of councilor Neitzert decided to nitpick about streets, drainage and commercial/residential development 12-30 years down the road. Right now the land is a corn field and zoned ag in the county, they need to re-zone so the barn can be built.
County Chair Heiberger reminded the bodies on the dais that the joint jurisdiction is a more or less a ‘polite’ agreement, and if the city continues to nitpick about stupid crap, the county may get rid of the agreement (well she really didn’t say that, but you get the feeling).
Towards the end of the meeting during public input I told both bodies to try to remember to bring legal counsel to these meetings (neither side had one present) and that they need to stop cooking up their legislative priorities in private with only leadership in the room.
considering the city tries to rent out the convention center for wedding receptions, shouldn’t this be considered a conflict of interest?
Thirty years from now, marriage will sadly be an oddity. Most people then will just live together. Thus, the barn, by then, will be turned into a quite corporate campus…. don’t worry.
And I will say it again, if only people went to church on a regular basis there would be no need for these secular wedding barns…. (“Secular barns?”….. “I thought most South Dakota farmers were Christians?”)
these “barns” are used for receptions, and not all people who have their reception there get married there. the barns are also busy friday, saturday, and sunday nights year round. the one by harrisburg is so busy, they are building another venue on the property. i’m sure another thing that galls the city, is the liquor license is much cheaper outside city limits, and also the city misses their cut of the sales tax on these places. i would also guess there are hotel owners that are mad people aren’t booking their receptions in their hotels, and went to the city to whine about the “unfair” competition.
scott, that is just a small part. I’ve said it several times, the developers run SF, always have, now they are trying to run future SF development out of city limits. But this wasn’t their first rodeo, I watched this all play out several years ago when they denied the solar farm.
My first thought is exactly in line with scott’s second comment. Schmidt was sent to do someone’s bidding. This is a business which will gore the ox of someone who gains favor from city hall because they are in the elite circle of influence in this town.
And in another corn field located in a galaxy just outside of Sioux Falls city limits, someone will soon propose to build an axe throwing emporium. Escape Barns have become rather passe’.
A wedding barn in the middle of a corn maze. Gives bride and groom time to reconsider before they find the way there. Serve corn liquor instead of revenuer kind. I can’t believe the city and county would condone ‘Stalkers’.