Aug. 31, 2025

Success breeds success.

You see it in win streaks, consecutive record years and individuals whose accolades seem to just keep adding up.

You see it in communities too. And I think it’s worth pausing to recognize what we seem to be experiencing in Sioux Falls right now.

Since Jacobson Plaza opened about two months ago, the attraction in downtown Sioux Falls has been a success beyond even optimistic expectations. Its destination playground, splash pad, dog park and Lodge restaurant are appealing to all ages.

“It’s absolutely packed, ” said Brett Kollars, assistant director for the Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation Department.

Until students returned to school, no Saturday drew fewer than 5,000 guests. Each weekday averaged at or close to 3,000 people.

“It’s competing with Falls Park in terms of visits. It’s insane,” Kollars said.

By comparison, Sertoma Park, which is a big, popular park with a large playground, draws about 1,000 people a day.

“But what’s really cool to me is where these people are coming from,” Kollars continued. “Those are Sioux Falls residents. Falls Park we love and cherish, and it’s our namesake, but 60 percent (of visitors) are outside of 50 miles. It’s tourism, which is great, but it’s not Sioux Falls residents in the majority. It is at Jacobson Plaza. It’s like 80 to 85 percent, so it’s neat to have that additional traffic downtown.”

I’ve long thought downtown needed some kind of draw to bring people who live outside the core of the city to the center of it. It’s too easy to feel disconnected from the broader community, especially as new construction stretches farther from downtown. People are busy. They’re on a budget. They need the right incentive. And this appears to be it.

It’s also just getting started. Spoiler shared with permission: We won’t have to wait for the ice to form to see activity on the future ice ribbon. Jacobson Plaza namesake donor Garry Jacobson recently added hundreds of pairs of roller skates and inline skates that kids and adults will be able to rent. Hopefully, they will start arriving this week.

The Parks & Recreation Department provided a hint of what’s to come with a special throwback skating night over the weekend, inviting people to bring their own skates.

But Jacobson Park doesn’t exist as an island.

It all works for the very reason I mentioned: because success breeds success. Because leaders two decades ago completed the long-envisioned Phillips to the Falls. Because local developers did the heavy lifting it took to create never-before-seen mixed-use projects in downtown Sioux Falls. And because of all the other ingredients a vibrant community needs: bike trails and public art and a commitment to public safety and accessibility.

That’s why the record crowds are there — and not just at Jacobson Plaza.

“I think people are getting more comfortable being downtown,” said Nancy Halverson, president and CEO of Levitt at the Falls.

She saw it nightly this summer as the Levitt concert venue recorded its best year ever.

Photo via Levitt at the Falls

“There’s so much more activity than there used to be,” she said. “It used to be it felt like it was an out-of-the-way location, and now it seems central to people’s lives, and I love that. We’re seeing so much visitation from people staying at the Canopy and coming to concerts, so it’s fun. There are people on the balconies watching.”

It is impossible to fully articulate the vibe that now exists on a summer night filled with people enjoying downtown Sioux Falls, so if you’ve not felt it for yourself, I encourage you to do so. You’ll hopefully feel as I do — proud of what this city is becoming and grateful for the people who have helped make it so.

The key is to keep it going. Success breeds more success because it builds confidence and momentum. If you succeed once, you know you’ve got what it takes to do it again. We must keep investing for the future, both publicly and privately. And we should remember that doesn’t always mean the biggest-ticket items. Jacobson Plaza and Levitt at the Falls were not inexpensive, but they also weren’t mega-projects. Lower-dollar investments in the right places with the right appeal can become incredibly high-impact ones.

These amenities also essentially are free to use, making them a true taxpayer benefit and hopefully leading many visitors to save their spending for the surrounding small local businesses.

Like throwing a stone into water, the right investments in the center of the city spread out across the community. We’re seeing that in Sioux Falls, too, from record air travel to continued population growth and business activity.

It seems appropriate this Labor Day to pause and be thankful for a job well done so far.