Dec. 5, 2024

Sioux Falls is experiencing momentum ahead of what Mayor Paul TenHaken predicts could be “a big year.”

“We want to get a lot done,” said TenHaken, who will complete the final full year of his term in 2025, adding that there’s “a lot of good things and good momentum happening.”

TenHaken and members of his team addressed the media Thursday about priorities for the coming year, which focus on public safety, infrastructure and the admittedly more “nebulous” goal of “casting a long-term vision for this community,” he said.

When the mayor asks the public to name a biggest concern, “they usually want to talk about public safety,” he said. “It’s their No. 1 priority, and if it’s the public’s priority, it’s my priority, and it’s going to be the community’s priority.’

The $108 million public safety budget for 2025 includes funding for seven new police officers plus ongoing efforts at recruitment and retention as city government experiences the so-called “gray wave” or “silver tsunami” of retirements.

Expect more “hard conversations” around homelessness in the coming year, TenHaken added, including an upcoming community forum on the issue and a communications campaign starting next year to discourage giving to those soliciting money. The city also plans to begin planning and design for its next fire station on the north side.

Financing improvements continues to be a challenge, TenHaken said, noting that a fire station that cost about $3.5 million several years ago now is estimated to take $6 million to build.

On a positive note, initial sales tax numbers just came in for November, and they “are good,” he said. “They’re not great, but they’re good, so we’ll be able to end the year on a high note there.”

Infrastructure improvements likely also will dominate 2025. If 2024 was a “phenomenal” year for road work, 2025 is going to be “an even bigger year,” said Mark Cotter, the city’s director of public works.

Construction is planned at Arrowhead and Veterans parkways to create the largest intersection in the state, “built with all modes of traffic in mind,” he said, including three pedestrian tunnels.

Other large projects include work on the next segment of South Veterans Parkway, from Cliff to Sycamore avenues, and the start of the city’ third diverging diamond interchange at 85th Street and Interstate 29.

A temporary bridge has been set at Interstate 229 and Cliff Avenue as part of a two-year project that also will include pedestrian tunnels at the on- and off-ramps, plus a new intersection at 41st Street and Cliff to better align with Lincoln High School.

The city also plans key improvements for existing roads, following a year that saw its overall pavement condition average go up from a 70 t0 a 73, ranking Sioux Falls among the upper end of its peer cities, Cotter said.

“It just really speaks to that the engineering team is selecting the right roads at the right time with the right treatments,” he said.

Major road improvements scheduled for next year include:

• 12th Street from Ellis to Marion roads.
• Rice Street from Cleveland Avenue to Veterans Parkway.
• Cliff Avenue from the Big Sioux River at Tuthill Park to Tomar Road

The city also will continue with its three-year wastewater treatment plant project, which is scheduled to wrap up in 2025, and is looking at what improvements will be needed to secure a water supply for the future, Cotter said.

Additional planning will come in an update to the Shape Sioux Falls comprehensive plan. Residents and businesses are encouraged to weigh in on it, said Kevin Smith, assistant director of planning and development services.

“What do you want to see Sioux Falls look like in the next 25-plus years?” he asked.

Weigh in on the plan here.

The robust pipeline of business activity in multiple sectors drives the city planning department to collaborate within city government to support growth, he added.

“We are too dependent on just one sector to make or break us,” Smith said. “The strength of the community is that diversification … and our job in the planning department is to support that.”

Housing also will continue to be a focus for the city, said Logan Penfield, housing development manager.

He pointed to a variety of unique projects in progress, including the former Mercado block west of downtown, which is being redeveloped as a mixed-use multifamily building anchored by Southeastern Behavioral Health, and the Tre Ministries project along Minnesota and Dakota avenues between 18th and 19th streets, which is bringing workforce housing to the All Saints Neighborhood.

“We expect to continue to work with our partners to increase access to safe, sanitary and affordable housing,” Penfield said.