SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s been three years since the city of Sioux Falls chose Confluence to design a master plan for Falls Park.
A new master plan was unveiled on Thursday but it will be at least several months before the city council will act on the plan.
Mike Patten, the parks planning and project manager for Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, said the city’s parks and recreation board will review the plan in the first quarter of 2025. The board would decide if it recommends the plan for council approval.
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Proposed Falls Overlook Visitor Center. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed Falls Overlook Visitor Center and Observation Tower and Pedestrian Bridge. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed Falls Overlook Visitor Center and Observation Tower. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed Queen Bee Mill Event Center. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed Falls Overlook Visitor Center and Observation Tower in Wnter. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed Quarry Adventure Park and Urban Fishery. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed view of Farmers Market looking south towards Falls Park and the Downtown. City of Sioux Falls graphic -
Proposed horse barn dining and Heart of the Park Pavilion. City of Sioux Falls graphic
Until then, Confluence and the city’s parks and recreation department will work on the operational and programming ideas.
“There will be an operational impact as the park grows in size and what expectations (will be realized),” Patten said. “Will there be an increase or decrease in maintenance?”
The cost of some of the proposed improvements in the master plan will vary, based on possible private donations or partnerships and what are the priority projects. Jon Jacobson of Confluent said in a media briefing Wednesday that the plan is about $90 million in improvements on the low and about $130 million on the high end.
So far, Patten said Confluence has been doing well at including projects that the public and stakeholders like.
Some of the proposed projects were included in Confluence’s initial design plan that was reviewed by the city council in October of 2021. And in an update in March of 2022
“Confluence is a respected design firm with a good pulse on the community,” Patten said. “For them to hit the bullseye right off the bat doesn’t surprise me a bit.”
“If there was a good idea, it stayed in the plan,” Patten said.
Here’s some of the ideas that have been in the plan over the past three years.
One project is the expansion of Falls Park into the nearby Quarry Lake.
Quarry Lake is owned by the city. It’s south of Rice Street and east of Weber Street and south of Smithfield. A Quarry Adventure Park and Urban Fishery are included in the new master plan.
The lake serves as stormwater retention pond but “It’s quite a beautiful area when you get back there,” Patten said.
The adventure park idea is an example of an operations detail, Patten said. An adventure area could involve a vendor operating a ropes course and charging for use, Patten said.
Or it could be more of a city-operated agility playground, he said.
Improving, enhancing or changing the visitor view of the Big Sioux River and Falls Park has been part of any plan since 2021.
The 2024 new plan would move an observation tower to the east side of the Big Sioux River in the park, near the remains of the Queen Bee mill.
In the master plan, the tower has glass windows or glass panels on each level.
The tower is also an example of a detail that needs to be finalized. How tall will it be, Patten said.
The remains of the Queen Bee mill are an attraction at Falls Park. The remains are also the site the Shakespeare summer productions.
The master plan proposes a Queen Bee Mill Event Center. A design appears to cover the remains in a glass enclosure with a solid building attached to that.
Landbridge connections and an east bank entrance were part of the updates in 2022.
The orientation of Falls Park would change some under the new master plan. The visitors center would move to the east where the main entrance would be.
The new master plan also includes a pedestrian land bridge over Falls Drive.
Patten said at this point there are no priority projects.
In general, when it comes to changes with buildings, “some elements are more apt to be replaced (as they age),” Patten said. “You typically want your existing elements to reach their end of life.”
When it becomes more costly to maintain an element it is more cost effective to replace it, he said.
The pedestrian bridge across the river is an example of an item that needs to be replaced Replacement has been included since 2021.
The bridge is a narrow and visitors often need to stand to the side to let others pass, Patten said. The bridge could move up to a priority project.
Others could become a priority if a donor has a particular interest in that feature, he said.
The master plan has designs that show a widened pedestrian bridge that includes an observation deck.
Officials have said throughout the past three years that the master plan will be designed to fit future needs for 30 to 50 years.
Patten said Jacobson’s cost estimates shared on Wednesday are important but the city is mindful that those are estimates.
It will be long-term master plan but Patten said there could be pieces that are added or removed in another 20 years.
Jacobson Plaza at Falls Park is example of a how an original design expanded with additional donations for more features.
The city released plans for Jacobson Plaza in Falls Park in February 2021. The plan was for a ice skating ribbon of 12,000 square feet as well as a playground, restrooms and an open-air shelter. The plan has changed a few times since that introduction.
In April of 2022, the city said the ice ribbon would increase to 14,000 square feet. Donations also changed the park as a dog park was added and a donation added a splash pad.
