Aug. 14, 2023

The road itself hasn’t looked better in years — the question is if properties along Cliff Avenue will follow suit.

This construction season brought an asphalt overlay from 11th to 26th streets along the north-south corridor, which now stands to benefit from future investments in the area of Nelson Park and the proposed Riverline District and then south past Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.

“With increased city investment — the skate park, the Riverline District — there are more redevelopment opportunities along that corridor,” said Jeff Eckhoff, the city’s director of planning and development services.

“It connects major east-west transportation, and it’s certainly posed to emerge as a very active corridor in the future.”

The city could begin identifying opportunities for reuse along the route similar to what it has done on Minnesota Avenue, Eckhoff said, adding there’s a lot of area that could be considered underutilized.

“There’s a lot of property that isn’t being used, vacant property,” he said. “There’s challenges with the railroad crossing, but that certainly hasn’t stopped downtown either. There’s ways of working through that, so I think as downtown continues to expand and we look at the downtown boundary and Riverline District, it only makes sense to start looking at that (Cliff Avenue) too. Not tomorrow, but in the future.”

Current opportunities 

For today, the stretch of Cliff Avenue from 10th to 26th streets presents some immediate opportunities.

There are at least a half-dozen available properties, a mix of office and retail.

The former Get-N-Go at 611 S. Cliff Ave. has the gas pumps removed and now offers a 2,700-square-foot retail building.

“I think the highest and best use is probably utilizing something in that facility — a liquor store or small restaurant or casino or something small retail,” listing agent Reggie Kuipers of Bender Commercial Real Estate Services said.

“We had a couple inquiries right away. One would be a really good fit. We just have to figure out a few things.”

Next door, the building at 601 S. Cliff Ave. went on the market for sale last week.

“The building is occupied by a consulting firm and month-to-month church,” listing agent Nick Gustafson of Bender Commercial said, adding it’s a “fantastic location for a business owner looking for a high-visibility location with close proximity to downtown.”

To the north, half of the Mobile Electronic Service building is for lease at 408 S. Cliff Ave.

“They’re in a period where they really don’t need it, so they’re looking for a tenant to fill the space,” listing agent Bradyn Neises of Bender Commercial said.

The 6,500-square-foot space was eyed as an event venue but has some limitations, he said.

“We’re negotiating an offer, and it’s going to be a flex user. It’s tight on parking. It’s kind of commercial but more warehouse, so it’s going to be a little more flex and not a full commercial use with that parking restraint. It’ll be more destination.”

Along the corridor, Mike Knudson of Van Buskirk Cos. has multiple listings, including the Arnold Riddle Interiors building at 712 S. Cliff Ave. The store is in the process of closing.

“We’ve had interest in that,” he said. “It’s a beautiful free-standing flex building that could be retail or could be office. They’ve had a mix of interest in it because it has a garage door on it, so folks looking for a way to pull in a van and unload, and have a nice showroom with polished concrete floors.”

He also has office space at 620 S. Cliff Ave. and 630 S. Cliff Ave. The majority of the latter is large warehouse space.

Additionally, Knudson is marketing about 2,500 square feet at 26th Street and Cliff Avenue next to Nerd Envy.

“It’s more retail than anything,” he said of early interest in the space.

Along Cliff Avenue, Avera McKennan’s traffic draw will help support additional development, and there’s potential for future growth, Knudson said.

“This area is so close to downtown. I truly do think at some point, the way the city has grown and downtown keeps growing, it will be interesting to see what happens with some of this,” he said. “You’re minutes from being in the heart of downtown, and there’s nice greenery, and the bike trail is right there.”

Neighborhood possibilities

Tim Fjellstad has been a decadeslong believer in the area.

The franchisee of Goodcents at 17th Street and Cliff Avenue sees both neighborhood and destination traffic for his subs and pastas, he said.

“A lot of the businesses here rely on the neighborhood,” he said, adding the area could benefit from increased retail development.

“That would be nice. We would benefit from it, and the neighborhood would benefit.”

He sees challenges with finding a building or parcel large enough for something like a discount retailer but said the area could use a coffee shop or other small retail.

Creating anything of scale — a mixed-use apartment project or hotel, for instance — will likely take assembling multiple properties, “which is going to take awhile,” Kuipers said. “In order to get something like that accomplished, the city would have to incentivize it.”

Given the momentum in the area, however, the possibilities for Cliff Avenue could be coming, he said.

“It’s a little premature, but the whole Riverline will have an impact there. It’s coming,” Kuipers said. “It’s three to five years early, and it will have an impact. That whole area of Cliff I think will have some real opportunity, on 10th and on Cliff, to be gentrified and to come to life over the next 10 years.”

City updates Riverline District — survey results, extended option to buy land