May 21, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

When Rick Larsen and his wife, Virginia, looked for their retirement home, a quieter lifestyle was at the top of their list.

“And Valley Springs fit the bill for that,” Larsen said. “We looked around and found the perfect spot to build a house.”

That was 10 years ago — and it represented a homecoming of sorts for the Larsens, who had raised their children in rural Valley Springs four decades earlier.

“That made it an easy choice to come back because we know a lot of people from when our children went to Valley Springs Elementary,” Larsen said.

It didn’t take long for Larsen, who previously had served as fire chief for the city of Sioux Falls as part of a long career in public service, to become involved in the community.

He served on the Board of Commissioners and then was encouraged to run for mayor of the town of 900 — a role he was elected to last year.

“I thought I could make a difference,” he said. “And I’ve promised people we’re not going to turn this into Harrisburg or Canton or Sioux Falls. We’re going to try to keep the small-town feel.”

We sat down with Larsen to learn more about the momentum in Valley Springs.

On the residential side, what kind of activity have you seen? Are more people moving to town?

Our West Acres housing development just opened up 15 more lots. We’ve been growing probably by about nine houses a year, and for Valley Springs, that’s pretty good growth. I’m also exploring grants for income-qualified housing. We don’t have anything like that yet, but we should explore it.

When you ask people why they move to Valley Springs, it’s because they like that it’s a nice, quiet community. So we’re growing about 2 percent a year, which is good, but there’s also room to improve.

What kind of commercial opportunity do you see in Valley Springs?

Valley Springs is primed for retail growth. We’ve been busy working on that with some partners. We have some retail sites identified in the community and are working with the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance, as well as partnering with Sioux Valley Energy and their Revive grant program, which have both been really helpful. I think a gas station and convenience store would do well here, and a Dollar Tree or Dollar General could be beneficial. There’s been interest in the past, so I think it’s a viable opportunity.

What have you focused on from a quality-of-life standpoint as mayor?

First, we’re focused on planning. We’re updating our comprehensive plan and doing our first capital improvement plan. Sioux Valley Revive 2030 has been a great partner with that, and then we’ll start using that plan to promote Valley Springs. We’re working on our park system. I think in the future we’ll have a dog park in Valley Springs, so we’re looking at getting some amenities. We’re excited to host AutoMania for the third year on June 28. That’s gone over well. It’s well attended and a fun afternoon.

How have you worked with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance as you help position the community for the future?

The relationship really has been a perfect fit for us. The staff there is excellent to work with and will bend over backward to get me information or answer questions. If they can help me, they do. So SMGA already has become an important partner to Valley Springs. It’s a challenge to grow our tax base, but it’s not impossible, and that’s what we have to do to propel ourselves into the future.

Listen in

Sioux Metro Growth Alliance talks further with Larsen in its Growing Places podcast. Listen in here.