When I moved to my house in Downtown Sioux Falls (DTSF) over 20 years ago, I learned quickly that it was NOT a quiet neighborhood. I am a block away from Cliff Avenue, I have 3 major train tracks within blocks of my house, the Avera heli-pad and over my house is the decent path of most airliners to Joe Foss field.
I knew this going in to my purchase because I wanted to live in DTSF. Before that I lived for 7 years right off the loop by U-Haul. I was used to the noise.
So I am astonished when people buy million dollar+ condos in DTSF and complain about the noise;
Nighttime downtown is a party place. It can be crazy when the weather cooperates. There are lots of noisy, happy people wandering the streets. The sip-n-cycle goes by with loud singing people. Revelers are drinking, shouting and partying. But it’s not all harmless fun.
Some vehicle drivers feel compelled to join the festivities by making as much noise as they can. It can be painfully loud. Outdoor diners are forced to take frequent breaks in their conversations. The excessive noise goes on well past midnight. Residents who live nearby have little chance of a good night’s sleep.
One downtown resident noted that while the traffic laws downtown are the same as elsewhere in town, enforcement is much less effective. Another observed, “it’s like a frat party, with no adult supervision”. No other neighborhood in Sioux Falls has this sort of regular nighttime challenge. The police seem frustrated with the situation, and perhaps resigned to acceptance of it.
Several people have reported that this problem appears to be unique to Sioux Falls. It is not such a serious issue in other Midwest downtown areas.
Don’t get me wrong, Joe makes tons of great points about how to improve DTSF and I would agree the fart mufflers, illegal motorcycle pipes, hip-hop-club on wheels and sip-and-cycle yahoos need to get a life, but human’s are fallible (stupid) and stupid is as stupid does.
Joe is right, enforcement is the key, but it will also take a heavy lift from the city council actually implementing noise ordinances in DTSF and the mayor instructing the SFPD to enforce the laws.
This is NOT a Midwest or Sioux Falls problem. I have been on 6th street in Austin, TX and the gay pride festival in San Fran. These areas tend to be DENSE so that makes them noisy and whether you live in my DTSF 1888 prairie shack or a lush DTSF multi-million dollar condo one thing remains the same, it’s noisy.