Downtown Sioux Falls

Is the organization Downtown Sioux Falls ineffective? Seems so.

l3wis December 27, 2009 9Comments

Over the past few years I have heard constant complaints from downtown business owners about the org DTSF. The same crap is heard frequently;

• What do they do with their membership fees?

• Why did they move all the festivals to 4th and Phillips?

• Why do they charge so much for a booths during festivals?

• What really is their purpose?

• What do they spend their money on?

A few years back some DT business owners discussed starting their own group ran only by them, the idea fizzled, well, because DT business owners work their asses off and don’t have time for it. Downtown SF will argue they are a lobbying entity that gets things for DTSF, you know, like gigantor expensive planters that actually take up too much space. Or handouts in the form of ‘grants’ to a select few DT property owners who need new windows so they can sell more tobacco and liquor. While I understand paying lobbyists, we also expect those lobbyists to do something for that money.

Let’s take this winter storm for example. It seems Public Works found all kinds of time to plow the entire f’ing city, but they could not plow DT before Saturday evening? It’s not like this was some crappy Saturday night at the end of January, it was the day after Christmas! No spaces DT were plowed but to make it worse, the city decided to plow in front of the parking ramp entrances, so you couldn’t even get into them to park. A result was most DT businesses were closed Saturday Night. I know for a fact that Minervas, Touch of Europe and Sushi Masa were all closed.

But I don’t blame the city street removal on this one, I blame DTSF for not getting on the horn. Really?! How long would it have taken to plow Phillips avenue four blocks and clean out the entrances to the parking ramps? Idiots. I kinda wonder how many thousands of dollars of revenue was lost at DT businesses because of it.

If I were the next mayor, I would disband DTSF – they suck.

UPDATED: Is the City of Sioux Falls using Home Rule once again to skirt state law? Not sure.

l3wis August 31, 2009 23Comments

UPDATE: READ COMMENT #17 FOR CLARIFICATION

A downtown business owner told me an interesting story last night that is strangely not being covered in the local media. In fact this was the first I heard about it. I am a little short on the details, and I don’t have links to the state law code, but this is what I remember from the conversation;

According to state law you cannot sell alcohol on public property without a proper permit, some call it a ‘Tavern Permit’. But SOME downtown businesses have been breaking this law ever since the city started selling patio permits for places like Stogeez. As I understand it, it is okay for someone to drink alcohol on the patios if you are legal age, you just can’t purchase the alcohol on the patio. In other words, it is legal to go to someplace like Stogeez, go indoors, buy a drink and then sit on the patio and drink it, it becomes illegal when a server comes out on the patio and sells you the drink and brings it to you. Why? Because it is public property, not private, and according to state law the silly permits that the city sells, do not cover the tavern clause.

How did this all come about? The owner of Buffaloberries has a patio, and she follows the law, but she noticed that other bars and restaurants downtown do not. So she filed a complaint. But here’s the kicker; he city knows that it is illegal (or I suspect they do) because they are in the process of writing a tavern permit ordinance. But in the meantime, they are using the ‘Home Rule’ excuse that they do not need to follow state law. Okay, if that is the case, why are writing a new ordinance if you think you are exempt?

I want to be clear, I am not blaming the business owners, the city is the one who enabled DT business owners to break the law. Should the business owners know better? Sure. But the city shouldn’t be defending the practice when they know it is illegal.

The city needs to admit they made a mistake, fix it and move on. But as usual they make excuses for their mistakes. 

I need a drink.

Have a cigar, you are gonna go far

l3wis June 11, 2009 15Comments

Stick it in your orb!

l3wis June 10, 2009 0Comments