Aug. 28, 2019

A neighborhood pizza shop could be coming to the area between the University of Sioux Falls and Augustana University.

Sunny’s Pizzeria has signed a letter of intent to rent the former Aerial Horizons building on the southwest corner of 26th Street and Walts Avenue, across the street from USF.

The concept is for an order-at-the-counter pizza place that would draw a lot of carryout business but also offer seating for about 20 diners, according to Ron Nelson of Nelson Commercial Real Estate, who has the space for lease.

“It’s one of those very unique little properties,” Nelson said.

“I’ve done lots of restaurant (deals) – national, local and every hybrid in between – and in 30-plus years, this is one of the coolest little concepts I’ve seen.”

The pizzas would feature a thin crust. In addition to regular toppings, there would be a few “quirky” offerings along the lines of Greek or “inferno” pizzas.

The business is seeking a conditional use permit so it can sell local craft beers to go with the pizzas, Nelson said.

“Alcohol will probably be 10 percent of his revenue. He’s not a bar that serves pizza. He’s a restaurant that happens to have beer as some options, along with all his other beverage options,” Nelson said. “It’s been warmly embraced by virtually 95 percent of the neighborhood, including the universities, and that’s clearly who you want to appeal to.”

In addition to the conditional use permit, the restaurant’s plans will have to be approved by the city’s building services office. More details are expected once a lease is done.

“It’s in full conformance with the zoning ordinance, but it’s a restrictive zoning just to be compatible with the neighborhood and the colleges,” Nelson said. “We’ve had interest from everything from tattoo parlors to yoga studios to ethnic grocery, and this situation came along. It’s a really cool story.”

Ideally construction would start this fall, he said.