April 16, 2023

It never pays to try to imitate someone else.

You’ll generally end up an inferior version of whomever you copied and lose a vital piece of yourself trying.

Same goes for cities. I remember that when I first heard about a big vision to develop the Sioux Falls River Greenway, it rarely took long before some reference to the San Antonio River Walk would follow.

Going on 20 years later, it seems obvious to state: Sioux Falls likely is never going to be a second San Antonio. But that also never really was the point.

Thanks to the political will of our elected leaders and the private investment of local developers, the downtown phase of the River Greenway has fulfilled at least part of the promise that many of us hoped it would back in the mid-2000s when this master plan first was approved.

Last week, we shared a look at updated designs for the Greenway’s next phase, which will run along The Steel District development and bring public access to a part of the Big Sioux River and upper falls not enjoyed since the late 1880s when Seney Island was a draw for early settlers.

It’s funny because on one hand I need to point out what a big deal it is for our city leaders to move a project like this forward. Estimated at $15 million, this is a heavy lift in a city budget filled with other big-ticket wants and needs.

But, on the other hand, it’s at least equally if not more important to note something I’ve tried to communicate about the River Greenway for years. While it’s easy to perceive this project as strictly quality-of-life-related, it brings considerably more benefit.

Think about how much cities invest in large-scale public projects like arenas and stadiums under the premise of not only providing resident amenities but also driving subsequent surrounding investment.

Greenway development, while not cheap, costs considerably less and in Sioux Falls has been shown to generate significant resulting private investment.

“The amount of redevelopment and new construction that the city has gotten from their investments in the Greenway has been crazy,” said Jon Jacobson, senior principal for Greenway design firm Confluence. “The first two phases were barely $9 million, and there is over $130 million in redevelopment. We’d make that investment every time.”

There are still gaps in the downtown Greenway that also need to be filled in to create a cohesive river walk – including from Raven Industries to the Arc of Dreams, under the Sixth Street bridge, what remains undeveloped in the former Sioux Steel property, near Fawick Park and south of the old railroad bridge along the Lumber Exchange building.

“Our hope would be to work with Sioux Steel and Raven to continue the Greenway,” Jacobson said.

But there also are three more zones identified in the city’s long-range master plan for the Greenway, which follows the Big Sioux River around the community. That plan identified everything from enhanced fishing, canoeing and kayaking areas to native gardens, natural parks and improved access to the river itself.

Imagine what those kinds of improvements could do to help revitalize all the core neighborhoods along the way.

The real missing link for the Greenway, though, doesn’t have much if anything to do with public dollars. And it’s the piece Sioux Falls will need to figure out if its own Greenway is going to create a memorable visitor experience such as San Antonio’s.

While the downtown Greenway has drawn investment from developers, bringing multistory mixed-use buildings to the area, it hasn’t yet attracted enough trickle-down entrepreneurship and grassroots community involvement.

What could that look like?

What about a series of pop-up markets? A food and drink festival? A parade of canoes and kayaks? A rubber duck race? What about bringing in performers, from princesses to pyrotechnic artists?

Thinking bigger, what about an eventual water shuttle of some kind? Structural improvements to address the water level could make that possible in the future, Jacobson said.

“It would be, from my perspective, as the Riverline gets developed and you’re starting in The Steel District at the upper falls or starting at the Riverline and you’re ultimately ending up in one or the other spot and maybe you have a stop at Fawick Park,” he said. “It’s totally practical. It would take some thoughts and some effort to make it happen, but it’s a possibility.”

He suggested creating additional indoor year-round spaces, whether it’s part of something like the Stockyards Ag Experience or something “like a large glass house with plants in it and a holiday show, that kind of thing. I think Sioux Falls really lacks a destination, and we were all sensitive to it this year, where you can get away a few hours and walk around and feel like you’re not being a couch potato.”

For years, I’ve thought a Ferris wheel or some other kind of attraction to help people appreciate the views would be a draw here.

The big thing to remember is to face the river. For years, Sioux Falls turned its back on the river, and if you look at the development happening today, the back door generally is what faces the river. That’s a big shift in thinking, but startups and creatives might be wired the best to achieve it.

And, keeping it real, we’re still limited by Mother Nature.

“Midwestern rivers traditionally have way too much volatility in them to do something like San Antonio,” Jacobson said. “For the most part, San Antonio is completely manmade and controlled. Ours not so much.”

But consider this: The San Antonio River Walk is the No. 1 tourist attraction in the entire state of Texas. Residents and visitors alike want these kinds of unique experiences. Figuring out what that looks like in Sioux Falls can only be a win – and, thankfully, we’re now continuing to set the foundation for it.

Downtown River Greenway expansion finalizing design, with construction ahead