Downtown Sioux Falls Private Partnership with parking ramp is a horrible idea, and gets worse by the day

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During the Sioux Falls city council informational meeting yesterday, community development did a presentation to council for the new DT parking ramp. I responded at public input last night at the regular council meeting on how baffling it is that a majority of the council supports such a poor plan.

What troubles me is that the plan sounds worse and worse each day, yet the city council gets stronger with it’s support.

Only councilors Stehly and Starr oppose it. Starr doesn’t like the idea we are spending $18 million for only 190-240 parking spots. Stehly takes issue with the investors and Legacy development.

Some things I pointed out, piggy backing off of what Starr and Stehly said earlier at the informational meeting;

  • Why do we need to use the CIP, 2nd penny fund as collateral for the bond? Why not use the other parking structures we own as collateral?
  • Why even go into private partnership with Legacy when we would get more parking spaces for less if we built it stand alone. The city has already admitted we need more parking DT. Why spend almost $100,000 a space when we could spend $20,000 a space? Recently the SF Airport proposed spending that amount on parking spaces for a parking ramp they are proposing for $22 million and 1,100 spaces.
  • If we NEED to go into private partnership with a private developer, why choose Legacy? Even though they are not part of the OSHA investigation and fines, they still could be included in a civil wrongful death suit due to their ties to Hultgren Construction. Why get in bed with that?
  • And one of the most glaring parts of the informational meeting is what was said about investors. At first, community development director, Darin Ketchum says that NO city employees, elected officials or their families or spouses are investing in the project. So Stehly asked Ketchum, “Do you know WHO the investors are.” Ketchum reponds “No.” HUH!? How can you guarantee no city investment from employees when you don’t have a list to compare to? While I am willing to believe that NO city employees are investing, I do think Ketchum is lying about the investor list, I think him and his partner in crime, city attorney Fiddle-Faddle have seen the investor list.

So when will the insanity stop? Will more then two councilors get on board to stop this project before it is too late?

Posted in: Downtown Sioux Falls, SF City Council, Sioux Falls

Is another parking ramp downtown being vetted correctly?

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The first thing I can say is that I am grateful the city council killed the funding of the DT parking ramp in last year’s budget hearings. At least now we have a buffer from Veto Vinnie the Mayor before another one can be built.

Besides the fact that Legacy shouldn’t be touching any public projects with a 100 foot crane until a full investigation of the Copper Lounge collapse is completed, there is the bigger question if the proper location is being picked.

Like Washington Square, that got a TIF because they are promising FREE parking on nights and weekends (even though there is a parking ramp right across the street that offers the same thing) some wonder if building another parking ramp across the street from the current one on 10th is a very wise idea.

There is also the question if this should be a sloped parking ramp. As Bender pointed out in his market report last week, we should be focusing on flat parking structures because they can be repurposed if they don’t fill with parking.

There is also the question if parking ramps downtown are really being used at 100% capacity. Recently a South DaCola foot soldier perused them DT on a weekday afternoon and found the upper levels to be almost empty. Remember, the city is relying on a parking study done almost 3 years ago.

The city is once again pushing their idea to the city council during the informational meeting today. Some have suggested that the location of a new ramp should be closer to the Eastbank and something that could compliment the RR relocation project.

If anything, the council needs to kill the current plan, with or without a replacement plan.

 

Posted in: Developers, Development, Downtown Sioux Falls, SF City Council, Sioux Falls

Has the Bunker Ramp turned into Loser lot?

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For historical purposes, the ‘Loser Lot’ was the parking lot at Carnegie Hall when the downtown ‘loop’ was open. It was the skank hangout. Heavy Skanks!

What I have noticed over the last couple of years is that the teens like to hang out in the Bunker Ramp. I won’t say the activities that I have seen, but let’s just say, we were all teenagers at one point in our lives and for some reason the air smells like MJ.

I am sure the SFPD is aware that this place has turned into Loser Lot II, but maybe they are not?

This has been going on since the place opened.

So I guess if you are looking for a ‘hookup’ the 4th floor is the place to go.

As Eddie Spaghetti from the Supersuckers said, “A friend with weed is a friend indeed, I’m a friend, a friend in need.”

I guess party central is the Bunker Ramp. Maybe we should do all age shows there? That way it is easier for the teens to do illicit drugs.

I’m kidding. Kinda.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Sioux Falls Bunker Ramp, the gift that keeps giving (taking)

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We’ve heard all the excuses, time and time again, that Mayor TenHaken was handed this mess and had his hands tied. Hogwash. They could of canceled the bond for the Bunker Ramp (which probably would have resulted in a hefty fee of around $1 million) but in the end would have saved us this nightmare scenario and millions in bond payments.

At the city council informational on Tuesday, the finance director has finally admitted that the debt service on this POS is dragging the system down;

The solution? Well the first thing I would not have done was give $50 million dollars in tax breaks for 2 parking ramps attached to luxury condos and offices. Why would we subsidize private parking structures when ours are not full?

So now they want to do this;

It’s possible drivers may need to pay for metered parking in downtown Sioux Falls on evenings and Saturdays in the future.

I am on the fence about this. On one hand other cities do this and if the parking ramps remain free on nights and weekends, it could be okay. I also like the fact that it encourages people to either ride share or take other forms of transportation (like an E-Bike) to get DTSF. While I go DTSF almost every day for some kind of errand, I can’t tell you the last time I fed a meter or parked on Phillips Ave. There are FREE parking options DTSF, you just gotta walk a little.

I just wonder who the city thinks they will recruit to be a meter maid on Friday and Saturday nights? No thank you! Enforcement will be the biggest hurdle.

This is what happens when we have feckless leaders in city hall and on the city council dais. They knew it was a bad idea to move forward, the warning sirens were louder then a train whistle, but they were too gutless to tell the public, so now we are paying for it . . . in dimes and quarters.

Posted in: Uncategorized

UPDATE II: Who is bringing Ice Bumper Cars to the Bunker Ramp?

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UPDATE II: The city of Sioux Falls celebrates the 7th anniversary of the 10:30 a.m. Dec. 2, 2016 building collapse with…. You guessed it Bunker Ramp Ice Bumper Cars!

Saturday, Dec. 2

North Pole Jingle & Mingle | 1 to 5 p.m.

SANTA: Experience the magic of the North Pole with a visit to Santa and Mrs. Claus. Take a moment to share your holiday wish list and create a special memory to last a lifetime! 

CANDY CANE HUNT: Kick off your Candy Cane Hunt at the 10th Street Mural for instructions and riddles to help you search your way through downtown. Candy canes will be scattered throughout downtown businesses. Once you solve the riddles and find the candy canes come back to the 10th Street Mural to visit Santa and collect a prize.  

GLICE & FREE ICE BUMPER CARS: Come down and enjoy FREE Ice Bumper Car rides provided by First PREMIER Bank and First PREMIER Bankcard.

Just curious if anyone in the halls of city hall realized this very bad coincidence with a tragic event?

Tone deaf.

UPDATE: Seems city hall had to get their propaganda wing of the administration to generate a story quick. Well you heard it here first. And as we assumed, it is the same group of merry pranksters funding this bizarre installation;

MarketBeat is serving as the presenting sponsor of the event, in addition to the plaza it sponsors farther south on Phillips Avenue next to the federal courthouse.

The project “is a great example of how public and private entities can work together to get things done,” Paulson added. “We are really impressed with the work that the city and the Washington Pavilion have done in a short period of time to spin up a second holiday plaza at the parking ramp site.”

MarketBeat also sponsored the mural painted on the ramp earlier this year.

The synthetic ice is part of a sponsorship from First Premier Bank/Premier Bankcard, which originally helped purchase it, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire, which sold it to the city at a reduced cost.

It’s actually looks pretty fun, but I am still confused how all of this never made a public agenda. So now we are taking private donations for activities on public property with NO public process?

Original Post:

A foot soldier called me a few moments ago to let me know the contraption they are building at the park by the bunker ramp will be a rink for ice bumper cars.

Who is paying for this?

A city official confirmed to me that no one has a clue who is funding this or where the concept is coming from.

Likely the usual suspects will appear as the likely donors.

But where was the public’s input?

Oh, that’s right, that doesn’t matter.

Posted in: Uncategorized