(Editor's note: This is just one part of a series of stories about local candidates in the upcoming June 2 primary, municipal and school board election. Find more coverage here.)
Simplified: The announcement that Smithfield is moving out of downtown Sioux Falls is one of the most significant changes to the city in recent history. It also opens up more than 100 acres for redevelopment in the city's core. Sioux Falls Simplified asked all City Council candidates how they plan to lead the city through the next steps in planning for the future of that space.
Here's what we asked:
What’s your vision for the future "Sanford District" and of downtown overall after Smithfield moves out, and, perhaps more importantly, how do you plan to approach decision-making for what goes in that site?
Here's what candidates had to say (in reverse alphabetical order):
Bob Trzynka
Trzynka said he wants to hear from surrounding neighborhoods and the public to understand what they want to see with that land.
"We need to ensure that we have real smart investment there and work in partnership with private actors to ensure that we get, for lack of better word, the best bang for our buck for that land," Trzynka said. "More importantly, though, I think it needs to be an integrated plan with that entire corridor, from the south end of downtown all the way up to the north end of the Sanford District. I think that really needs to be a well-thought-out, integrated plan."
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Zak Okuwe
"The Smithfield move, I think, is the greatest news we've received in the past 50 years," Okuwe said. "But we as a community have to slow down and take it a step at a time. I think the first thing we should be worried about is how do we help those 3,000 workers there to successfully transition to that new plant."
Okuwe also wants to see the Board of Historic Preservation involved as the city cleans up the site to assess if any buildings of the existing Smithfield site are worth preserving. He then wants to make sure Whittier neighborhood is taken care of in the process.
"I think we have to take this a step at a time and make sure that everyone is taken care of – the workers, the neighborhoods," Okuwe said. "And then let's start dreaming."
Matthew McKinley
McKinley did not respond to multiple calls and emails requesting an interview.
Tommy Kunz
Kunz said he'd like to see more park developments like baseball fields, recreation centers, football fields, etc. The idea is to encourage people to get outside.
"Especially when it's more in a core area where you're gonna to have more people walking to those places, and more people in downtown are going to be walking rather than driving or biking," Kunz said. "Having more areas that are more accessible would be really nice."
Zach DeBoer
DeBoer said he wants to see the Smithfield site replicating parts of what makes Phillips Avenue successful: mixed-use development, an emphasis on walkability, land parcels that are small and close together.
- He also wants to be intentional about engaging neighbors up the hill and in the Whittier neighborhood – including emphasizing meetings at times of day that are accessible to everyone and creating listening sessions based on hearing from the public rather than just the city presenting its own ideas.
"It's a big opportunity, but I think we need to take it slow and be thoughtful," DeBoer said. "Don't expect everything to be built by the end of 2030."
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