Re-Zone on Holly Avenue

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holly

The ‘100 Eyed Spaghetti News’ did a story today about the rezone to commercial property on Holly Avenue next to residential. You can read all the juicy details here (Item #25).

I really don’t see an issue with the rezone, and if I was sitting on the council I would vote to approve it. While it is close to residential housing, you must realize it is only a block off of 41st street. I have friends who live 2 Blocks North of 41st street near Western Avenue, and I don’t think they have ever seen any bad effects of retail near them. In fact, it is a pretty quiet neighborhood.

What I found ironic about the rezone was the petitioner, Lloyd Companies and councilor Erpenbach’s reaction to the rezoning proposal;

That’s probably true, Erpenbach said. But she wasn’t picking up that sentiment in any of the letters she was reading on this issue.

“For now, I take the other side of the fence,” she said. “There are people living there, and continue to live there, and they would have to put up with the construction and the additional traffic. I want to hear from them. We need to hear their voices.”

Michelle, should I laugh now, or wait until you vote for this tonight? One of your largest campaign donors, Lloyd is asking for a re-zone, I’m pretty sure you don’t give two snits about what the residents think. We know the only thing you listen to is the sound of a check being signed by another developer donating to your campaign. You will vote yes tonight after you explain to us how you are satisfied with the fencing, berm and buffering. Do you need me to write you the script? I can email it to you?

I also find the Lloyd connection interesting because they are requesting they encroach into residential to expand retail, yet when Lloyd received a TIF downtown for condos and retail, he had to change it to all condos and no retail because retail just couldn’t be supported at that complex.

You know what, I think I just changed my mind, I don’t think any residential should be rezoned to commercial in this city until we have filled all of the other vacant retail space in town. Of course, that would require developers to get more creative, and who needs creativity when you can just donate a couple of grand to a councilor’s campaign, it’s a much easier and cheaper way to go.

Didn’t we just have this PC a couple of weeks ago?

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I guess no one was listening or cared about a record breaking (Hail Storming) building permits in Sioux Falls last year, so let’s have a re-run;

2014 End-of-Year Building Permit Stats Are In! A Record-Breaking Year News Conference on Monday

 

What:  News conference to announce end-of-year building permit totals for 2014 and preview what’s ahead in 2015
 When: Monday, January 5, 2015
11 a.m.
 Where: City Hall Commission Room
224 West Ninth Street
 Who: Mike Cooper, Director of Planning and Building Services
Ron Bell, Chief Building Official
 Why: Sioux Falls building permits broke three different records in 2014. Come to the news conference to learn which records were broken and what the statistics mean for 2015.
 Visuals: Charts, graphs

Like I have mentioned before, wouldn’t have happened without the hail storm. I talked to a roofer the other day that said a lot of impatient homeowners used out-of-state (cheap) companies and we will probably seeing the effects of that in a couple of years. He also told me he already has 45 re-roof jobs lined up for the Spring, so it seems like the damage that needs to be repaired from the hail storms is still trickling in.

In other city news, I see Cory Madville did a great post about Big Brother using our cell phone data to track us;

Mayor Huether could buy more detailed information about Scott Ehrisman’s weekly travel habits. Mayor Huether could buy more detailed data, divide distance by time, mass-mail speeding tickets to every phone user who gets across town in under fifteen minutes. He could buy cell phone data to calculate road usage and send every driver a bill for road usage, essentially turning every street into a toll road. No federal legislation stops him. The Obama Administration says (and the courts so far agree) cell phone users have no reasonable expectation of locational privacy. The only things stopping Mayor Huether from such invasions of privacy are cost and good will:

What concerns me even more is that the traffic department is doing this kind of research using our tax dollars and without prior approval from the city council. Heck, I think most of them didn’t even know about it until they saw it in the newspaper. But hey, what do you expect from the most transparent mayor we have ever had?

Planning Commission to get TIF briefing

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I found this interesting and something perhaps to watch;

Prior to the monthly Planning Commission public hearing, the City of Sioux Falls Planning Commission will be having a briefing on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at 12 noon. The briefing consists of the items on the upcoming January 7 Commission meeting agenda, and then the members will adjourn to be briefed by the staff on a Tax Increment Financing project.

The briefing will be held at City Hall in the Commission Room on first floor, 224 West Ninth Street. More information on Planning Commission hearings, agendas, and other items is available at www.siouxfalls.org/planning-commission and is posted at the specific public facilities.

I am not aware of any projects pending, but if there is, I can almost guarantee they will have either Lloyd’s or, ah, Lloyd’s name attached to it 😉

I also find it interesting the ‘briefing’ must take place at noon at city hall instead of during their regular meeting that night at Carnegie (perhaps because the cameras won’t be rolling at the old commissions chambers).

How ‘Executive’ & ‘Hip’ we have become. I’m almost blushing with pride.

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Nothing like taking money out of the public school and county’s kitty and building luxury quarters for the rich in Sioux Falls.

Downtown residential development in Sioux Falls had lagged that of other cities, despite the central presence of beautiful Falls Park. But things picked up after city leaders worked to attract more commercial activity. Hospitals, banks, hotels, and others moved in. Craig Lloyd, CEO of Lloyd Co., made the $2 million, winning bid for a city-owned brownfield, using tax increment financing to improve the site. He rehabbed two buildings, demolished another, and built three apartment buildings. 

Funny how they forgot to mention Lloyd went back on their promise to have retail on the first floor, but still gave them the TIF anyway. Who runs this town? Good question.