UPDATE: Sioux Falls City council votes 5-3 to NOT vacate Elmwood Avenue
l3wis It takes a super majority to close a street (6-2). Councilors Starr, Stehly and Brekke voted against the vacation saving Elmwood. Watch the Replay.
I will tell you that I was on the fence about this, but still lean towards leaving the street. But ironically, Lifescape still gets their parking, and still got to remove houses (Which moved to Lennox, NOT somewhere else in Sioux Falls). Lifescape didn’t lose. Also, I don’t believe there will be (worse) safety issues. The kids will still be dropped off in the same manner. All this would have done is provide about 10 more parking spots for employees while losing an important inner city street.
Brekke is right, it’s time to put together a strategic plan for our central neighborhoods so they don’t continue to get gobbled up. I was fortunate to buy my home around 16 years ago in a central neighborhood at an affordable price. I couldn’t afford my home today. All I ever see city planning and city councils do over the past decade is put out fires for poor planning. It’s got to stop.
We need to implement a strategic planning vision for the future of central neighborhoods and we need to overhaul the TIF program to assist those neighborhoods in fixing them up. The Sanfords and Lloyds of Sioux Falls are doing just fine.
UPDATE: Cameraman Bruce weighs in after attending last night’s meeting in person;
The night was full of interesting observations.
LifeScape was not the only issue the city failed on but it was the most active one. I actually want LifeScape to be creative in order to solve this issue. I have great respect for LifeScape and want them to succeed.
I for one, am always excited when people show up to be part of the process. This vacation vote showed people wanting to be involved. We must have people showing up and adding their voices to the discussion.
Most of the following thoughts reference the evening’s vacation vote because it was 3 hours and 10 minutes of the meeting. The Sioux Falls street vacation process is a cluster of a high degree. Our town’s street vacation methods have forced the town government to just let it happen because what else can you do? It is always done as a force majeure after the neighborhood damage has been done. The houses have been torn out. The trees have been cut down, The property has been made ugly. The process forces acceptance of what the applicant wants because everything is ready to go, so you better let us do this (whatever the applicant’s goal is).
If the city had a policy of helping companies and institutions with growth planning, they could stop this type of show. Why not bring in the neighbors before the plans are started? Bringing in the neighbors early into a growth discussion, an applicant might have a chance to succeed with the neighbors support. Why not have a checklist to show actually show the due diligence has been done?
The vacation issue failed because it was down to a question of process. Where and how far do we want our city staff to go with planned developments potentially destroying neighborhoods and the policies allowing it to happen.
Consider these back row observations from the back row:
– why was there so much city data available on this item but no data or contracts on most of the other evening items
– the use of tear jerking emotions not having anything to do with legal issues
– attempts at government secrecy by administration
– threats by the administration to withhold information from Council
– the use of an insensitive photograph by the administration
– the repetitive testimony, especially by the 2 dozen non-neighborhood applicant employees
– what was the purpose of the long drawn-out rambling, with pregnant pauses, by the engineering department
– the inability of some members of the dais to read the situation and move on, was it an attempt to “wear down” or “run out the clock”
– the childish behavior of some members of the dais during the presentation and after the vote (only seen by being in the room, there might be some special video coming)
– watch the emotions, I know tantrums when I see them, computers don’t like to be slammed around
The LifeScape issue should not have been a win or lose proposition. The issue was made into one by the poor way the Sioux Falls has done so many previous vacations. I am sorry it was LifeScape that got caught up in the town’s abusive past vacation policy.
