This is a paid piece from the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.
Simplified: Officials in Tea, Harrisburg and Sioux Falls have worked together in recent months to figure out the boundary lines where each city will intersect someday. Here's what that collaboration means for future growth.
Why it matters
- The metro area adds thousands of new residents each year, and that rapid growth means Sioux Falls and surrounding communities are in continuously planning for things like infrastructure, housing and development.
- That growth also means the boundaries of cities like Tea and Harrisburg have been drawing closer and closer to both Sioux Falls and to one another. That's led for a push over the last year to work together and decide the growth boundaries for each of these communities.
- These growth boundaries make it very clear where each community will be responsible for future utility and development needs, and the process to decide on those boundaries shows the importance of collaboration over competition as the Sioux Metro grows.
"It’s more important than ever to think regionally, not just locally in terms of our land use," said Kevin Smith, assistant director of planning and development services with the City of Sioux Falls.
Tell me more about the growth boundaries
As all three communities have been working on comprehensive plans and mapping out future growth, setting the boundaries became essential.
"For us to be true partners in growth ... only serves the region better," Harrisburg City Administrator Amanda Mack said.
The process to draft the boundaries wasn't always smooth sailing, Tea City Administrator Justin Weiland said, but having the plans completed and agreed upon has relieved tension and even repaired relationships between the communities.
- Weiland noted the boundaries also serve to benefit landowners.
"Then we can begin working with those property owners to visit with them about their timelines – talking with them about what opportunities or challenges there are to bringing them the proper infrastructure," he said.
There's also a business benefit to having these boundaries in place.
- Much of what drives new development is the availability of utilities, and these boundaries make it clear which jurisdiction is responsible for ensuring that when developers eventually come, the land is ready for them.
"Having land ready to develop is a game-changer when it comes to bringing new businesses or housing developments to the metro," Sioux Metro Growth Alliance President and CEO Tyler Tordsen said. "These growth boundaries help ensure we're being good neighbors to landowners, developers, and nearby communities, while also working towards strategic and collaborative growth in attracting those future opportunities."
