Downtown Sioux Falls is dead, despite what they say... (Columbia: appointed, apartments)

[dannequin]

For the longest time I believed that downtown would become this big thing, and I imagined that all the major buildings that existed would open to apartments, however -- that dream has not happened. Watching the news lately, several old buildings and houses (like the Van Eps house) are being torn down for new development...

Doesn't anyone have a problem with this? It makes me depressed seeing the old images of Sioux Falls and seeing it in all it's glory, and now looking at it and wondering what happened? Didn't Rick Knobe have a thought in his head that downtown should have remained and not razed? The city has spent so much money into trying to revive downtown (and also, the Uptown will not happen for 2 or 3 more years, the company is behind) that it's not even worth it.

I believed that downtown was key to Sioux Falls, but with businesses coming and going (World Imports) it's hard to determine the status of downtown. In bigger cities, their downtown's are lively and blooming -- Fargo's downtown is more lively than Sioux Falls (I have experienced it, believe me)

So, here's a question for you to think -- should they keep investing money into downtown, to fix what Rick Knobe destroyed? Or is it smarter to invest the money in other parts of town? Remember parts of town migrate when there's a bigger attraction on another part of town... Or is it smart to invest money into downtown to retain the historic value we have?

[skate342]

Downtown may not be what it was in the early 1900s, but what city the size of Sioux Falls can say it hasn't experienced massive gentrification in the last 50 years? That being said, downtown is looking better than it has in a long long while. Sure, the Van Eps home was relocated (not razed) but if you look at all the other development I think you might gain a new perspective.

As far as renovation, there are several historic buildings that are being reused now. Security Bank, Shriver's Square, Larson Square, Tristate Creamery and the Carpenter Hotel are all examples of old buildings that have been turned in to Office/Lofts/Retail in the last few years. There are others in the works too, like the Houwman Building, LA Bakery, Llard & Son, and Boyce Greely that are well on their way.

There's also new projects slated to start soon. Phillips Ave redevelopment, the whole Uptown stretch will have new hotels, office and living space, restaurants, etc.

Places like World Imports close because they're owned by restaurateurs who don't know how to manage a restaurant, not because downtown is dead. This sort of thing happens in store fronts in every neighborhood in every city.

Come downtown anytime on a nice day and you'll be surprised how many people are here, and it's only getting better.

[fsdflyer]

Well hopefully the Events Center will get build downtown. I am working on getting an starting an organization soon to promote the Downtown location. Will have a website link up when I get it up.

Downtown Sioux Falls just needs more than Phillips Avenue, and hopefully something will stimulate growth down there soon.

[Chris19]

There are places that do well downtown. The downtown could use some improvement and I agree with that. I agree with fsdflyer that the Events Center should be built downtown. I orginally was for an events center by the arena and even on the fairgrounds, but the events center will do the greatest good downtown and there is a series of roads leading out of downtown (several different alternatives, good central location) and the parking for the many cars can be spread out into several lots/ramps here and there and would not be one giant sea of parking spaces. It would be done better than one giant parking lot with a theoretical 3,000 spaces. When the events center is not used, these spaces will be helpful for use of parking for offices and shops when there are not events.

Downtown has potential but it will take time, creativity, and resources to make it happen. There are some progressive-minded people who are working on further improvements to downtown. It will be neat to see it even better than now in 5 to 10 years down the road.

[MJ1986]

Originally Posted by dannequin

For the longest time I believed that downtown would become this big thing, and I imagined that all the major buildings that existed would open to apartments, however -- that dream has not happened. Watching the news lately, several old buildings and houses (like the Van Eps house) are being torn down for new development...

Doesn't anyone have a problem with this? It makes me depressed seeing the old images of Sioux Falls and seeing it in all it's glory, and now looking at it and wondering what happened? Didn't Rick Knobe have a thought in his head that downtown should have remained and not razed? The city has spent so much money into trying to revive downtown (and also, the Uptown will not happen for 2 or 3 more years, the company is behind) that it's not even worth it.

I believed that downtown was key to Sioux Falls, but with businesses coming and going (World Imports) it's hard to determine the status of downtown. In bigger cities, their downtown's are lively and blooming -- Fargo's downtown is more lively than Sioux Falls (I have experienced it, believe me)

So, here's a question for you to think -- should they keep investing money into downtown, to fix what Rick Knobe destroyed? Or is it smarter to invest the money in other parts of town? Remember parts of town migrate when there's a bigger attraction on another part of town... Or is it smart to invest money into downtown to retain the historic value we have?

I think Downtown is alive and well... They have a growing array of lofts/apartments. Yes, a store or 2 may have closed, but with the economy, Sioux Falls and downtown are doing very well.

Fargo's downtown is more lively than SF? Possibly... I've been in downtown Fargo plenty of times. I think they are comparable though.

The Van Eps House at 8th & Minnesota was an eye-sore. It wasn't torn down... it moved to somewhere in Missouri. I was happy to see it moved. There's probably a lot of history associated with it.

The city is investing a lot into downtown... like the revitalization, and the downtown revitalization project is needed (Pettigrew Heights/11th & Duluth area). It became crime-ridden, and the homes in the area were in horrible conditions. I feel for the people that had to displaced, but I think the newer, better housing will be beneficial for them.

You have to remember that you can't just "fix" every dilapidated structure.

What did Rick Knobe destroy? Downtown? How?

[ahoffelt]

We were there a month ago looking at a job opportunity and were excited to check out the downtown area that is supposedly improving. We were absolutely shocked at just how dead it was. It was interesting to notice that there were lines out the door at every yucky chain restaurant on 41st. I think the problem lies not in the downtown structure or improvement efforts, but in the population that would rather support chains instead of locally owned businesses. More patrons would increase business which would then support new bars, restaurants, and entertainment options. I'm just not sure how you break the cycle at this point. We were really disheartened by everything that we saw and are pretty sure that Sioux Falls is crossed off of our list of possibilities.

[Chris19]

Yes, many in Sioux Falls like chain restaurants but there are some locally-owned restaurants that are great also: Keg Chicken, Bob's Cafe, Fryn' Pan (family restaurant), etc. Spezia's is a local Italian restaurant and I have heard nothing but great things about it. Same with Bracco's. There are quite a few independent Mexican and Chinese restaurants that have awesome food. The downtown has good eating places too, one has to look. I wish that Sioux Falls had a few more independent mom and pop steakhouses, the type one finds in the small towns that make good steaks and homestyle meals and are reasonably-priced.

Encouaging some chain restuarant and a retail draw such as Target, Borders, etc or a little cluster along with a few recognizable names downtown will help. There are enough downtowns that have some chain places such as Mc Donalds, Burger King, and Quiznos in them but they would do fine in Sioux Falls if in a prominent area and would have a good customer base in the lunch time and evening time with the office workers.

Yes, Sioux Falls is not for everyone, but the downtown is a lot cleaner and more vibrant than the late 1980s.

What will get more people down to downtown is an events center and further efforts to clean up some of the industrial areas. Also, a riverwalk with some shops and the ideas in the second paragraph will help along with areas to sit, walk, and bike along with good landscaping. I would love to see an Events center with a riverwalk on one or even both side of the Big Sioux. It is coming and maybe moving a little slower than what some would like, but the improved downtown will come.

[Jammie]

One of the problems that I'm seeing is outsider's expectations of Sx. Falls or South Dakota in general. We have a lot going for us~low unemployment compared to many places~low crime rate, etc.

But something I've noticed is questions from people who live in such different areas in comparison to Sx. Falls. We don't have a lot of huge companies here. Our population is nothing compared to most places. We don't have the huge and beautiful buildings and museums and culture that they have in many places.

Right now I'm thinking about the member who asked about our state and she/he was from Washington, DC. Portland would be the same situation. You may enjoy visiting here, but I'd guess our state is like a totally different world compared to a lot of places. Like Chris said~it's definitely not for everyone.

Maybe the media is partially to blame for it? Maybe we are partially to blame for it. It's not Paradise here and it'd be so different if you're coming from a large city. We're just a very rural state so what is a large city with a lot to do in our eyes is probably a village in the eyes of people from a lot of places.

[SD snowbird]

Originally Posted by ahoffelt

We were there a month ago looking at a job opportunity and were excited to check out the downtown area that is supposedly improving. We were absolutely shocked at just how dead it was. It was interesting to notice that there were lines out the door at every yucky chain restaurant on 41st. I think the problem lies not in the downtown structure or improvement efforts, but in the population that would rather support chains instead of locally owned businesses. More patrons would increase business which would then support new bars, restaurants, and entertainment options. I'm just not sure how you break the cycle at this point. We were really disheartened by everything that we saw and are pretty sure that Sioux Falls is crossed off of our list of possibilities.

I think maybe you were expecting a bit too much. Considering that we are no where near the size of Portland, or probably it's close suburbs for that matter. I think you also need to consider that we are a very large city for South Dakota and that we also have more than a few colleges in town so we do have to have the chains for the college kids. A larger percentage of the older groups, I'm saying older than college here, prefer the smaller or more locally grown restaurants and businesses.
An events center in the downtown area would definately help it grow faster, my only concern is the traffic because flow in that area is not something that will be improved by adding the events center. If they decide to put the EC there, I think they need to address the congestion issues it will cause before they begin building.
I guess if our downtown left you feeling that discouraged, maybe we aren't the place for you but you could also consider that new residents who are interested in helping the downtown area grow would be a way to contribute. Maybe if you chose to relocate here you could help improve the area. New ideas are welcome.

[ahoffelt]

I agree. We were expecting too much. We are from South Dakota originally, so it's not like it was our first time there. Now that we are done with school, we've gotten a lot of pressure to move back from friends and family who are trying to use the 'booming downtown' to lure us in. I guess we wanted to believe it and got our hopes up, only to be sorely disappointed. Prior to Portland, we lived in Columbia, MO which is similar in size to Sioux Falls but has a very vibrant downtown with tons of local shops, restaurants, theater, concerts, etc. I think that one of the main differences is that Columbia is a major university town with the campus close to downtown. It just has a very different feel to it. Your idea to go there and to add to the area is a good one that we thought about for a long time. We thought that opening an art house/independent movie theater based on the many examples that we've seen in Columbia and Portland would be a great idea. But then I always think that if it would have made it, somebody would have done it already. I know that it always goes back to 'be the change you want to see', but the idea of living somewhere already ready to go is also alluring.