Nov. 1, 2022

Two properties that could be redeveloped around the Denny Sanford Premier Center are part of a deal worked out between Minneahaha County and the city of Sioux Falls.

The first, 1900 W. Russell St., is an uninhabitable building that sits on more than 4 acres. It’s near Elmwood Golf Course and the events center campus.

“It needs to be torn down,” director of finance Shawn Pritchett said, adding the proximity to other city property is appealing.

The other, 908 N. West Ave., formerly was a nonprofit center that included Volunteers of America. It sits on 2 acres near Covell Lake and the events center campus.

The property serves as a connector between the city parks and events center, Pritchett said.

“This really could provide an opportunity for development. It could provide an opportunity to … link the park and the event center campus,” he said.

In return for the two properties, the city plans to take over the county’s financial contribution for equipment at the new public safety campus under construction in northeast Sioux Falls. That funding already is included in the 2023 budget.

“We want to provide opportunities for development in that area, but everything is fully developed,” Pritchett said, adding that prospective events looking at the convention center want walkability to other developments.

“They like to have restaurants nearby, and they like to have other types of things they’d like to do, entertainment options.”

There is a need to add housing to the area as well to support that kind of development, he continued.

“By trying to proceed forward with more density, we’ll hopefully provide more economics to bring some of those support services forward.”

Assuming the deal with the county is approved, the plan going forward is to do a market study in the first half of next year to determine the feasibility of expanding the events center campus and look at the marketability of the land. The second half of the year would involve master planning the area.

A board overseeing the events center campus is continuing to review pre-pandemic recommendations from a study group for the property. That included demolishing the arena and replacing it with expanded convention space. The group also recommended not to invest further in the Sioux Falls Canaries stadium and to instead pursue a different stadium location, while ultimately using the current site for the benefit of the existing campus.

The city needs to take a long-term vision for the campus and the surrounding area, Pritchett said.

“We want to be creative and really think big picture in terms of what that development looks like,” he said.