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South Dakota
Sioux Falls Enlists Public in Creating Vision for Future Development
''We used to have alleys. We used to have porches. We used to have one-room schoolhouses,'' recalled Sioux Falls Assistant City Planner Jeff Schmitt as the city and Des Moines, Iowa-based RDG Planning and Design firm consultants began a five-month process of updating its 25-year-old zoning ordinance, telling gathered public and civic leaders before discussion of smart growth, higher density and related issues that ''(t)his is our opportunity to take a look at the next 20, 50, maybe even 150 years of growth and development in Sioux Falls.''
Since the city planning staff is seeking advice for 10 regulatory categories -- single-family lots, multi-family units, commercial districts, office/industrial areas, institutional uses, mixed use, open space, street corners, signage and landscaping -- RDG partner Gary Lazano and planner Marty Shukert showed the audience 167 topical slides from the city and other areas, and asked participants to rate their reaction to the images on a scale from -5 to +5.
The images, reports Sioux Falls Argus Leader writer Melanie Brandert, ranged from single-family or multi-family areas with tree-lined streets or lake views to mixed-use neighborhoods with diverse architecture and bike paths.
Participants found many of those from other communities the most appealing.
''They were the sort of things I'd like to see in Sioux Falls,'' said planning commission member Meredith Larson, mentioning building design, open space and smart growth.
Koch Hazard Architects principal Jeff Koch liked photos of mixed uses, greater density and outdoor recreation, saying, ''A mixture of opportunities for living and working and playing make for a much more interesting neighborhood environment.''
And Councilor Vernon Brown said compared to other areas' architecture, neighborhood design or commercial makeup, some Sioux Falls structures and layouts didn't look the best.
''They were all done with the best of intentions,'' he observed. ''But when you compare them to how other cities might handle the same situations, it does make you pause sometimes.'' -- Argus Leader 2/21/2008
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