(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 mayoral 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):
David Zokaites said the city's vision for the future "Sanford District" – what the new area of downtown is expected to be called after Smithfield moves out – is too small. He wants to see planning also include the land where the state penitentiary is now as well as the city maintenance property adjacent to Smithfield.
"What I would love to do is combine all of these three enormous properties fo affordable housing, for mixed use development, for bringing people together, for infrastructure, for art everywhere, green spaces all around, plant fruit trees here and there," Zokaites said. "The overall vision is kind of an ancient city design brought forward to the modern era."
Jamie Smith said the short-term goal is figuring out clean-up and getting that land ready for development. Beyond that, he wants to see a very community-focused approach to planning for the next 50-100 years. It can't be one person's plan, he said, it has to be a collective approach.
- Additionally, he wants to see innovation at the core – including adding "innovation" to the "Sanford District" name.
"When it comes to opportunity in that district, be it for business, housing, recreation – all of it through the lens of innovation in our future for the next 100 years here in Sioux Falls," Smith said.
Greg Jamison said this opportunity was like "a brand new toy" that's very exciting. He said his approach would be to set up a community advisory board and lead with the vision of creating Sioux Falls' version of Central Park in New York City.
"Sometimes making decisions by committee is difficult, but my leadership and my focus would be that Central Park kind of theme, and that space that is just so great that everybody loves it," Jamison said.
Christine Erickson said what's most exciting about the Smithfield property is that it'll be a "blank slate." She's also envisioning broadening the scope to look at the prison property and the city-owned property as potential for redevelopment.
- She's also advocating for a slow, intentional approach because "it's not a race" to just put something there.
"I definitely want to see some mixed-use (development), some entertainment," Erickson said. "We can incorporate some of the arts in there, but the sky’s the limit with that. I think it's really exciting."
Joe Batcheller said he sees it not necessarily as an extension of downtown but as an area that should have its own identity.
"It’s an opportunity to create a kind of a fullservice neighborhood, if you will – housing, commercial, office, I could see educational institutions being a part of it, medical, maybe even higher education," he said. "I think that it needs to be a mix of uses, and I think that we need to really think about it in more of at least a density similar to downtown."
