SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A big parking ramp with a giant, gray blank side has a prominent place in downtown Sioux Falls on East 10th Street; it also has prominence for what it didn’t become.
Village on the River was supposed to be 15 stories tall with a hotel and commercial space on top of a parking garage. Today, the parking ramp is there. In 2019 Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and his staff terminated an agreement with the developer. This past March, the mayor announced a settlement with the Village River Group, developers of the ramp.
The Sioux Falls City Council heard a presentation on Tuesday about what the future brings. Erica Beck, chief of staff to TenHaken, looked ahead to this fall.
“Our intent is to target an announcement in October or November of this fall that we will be soliciting interest in this development opportunity again,” Beck said.
The location between Phillips Avenue and the Big Sioux River will be reviewed.
“Over the next three months, that’s how much time we have, we will be getting an updated appraisal of this site so that we can educate our interested parties on what the appraised value of the site is,” Beck said.
Mark Cotter, director of public works with the City of Sioux Falls, shared a temporary plan which includes a mural and a place for people to go instead of the undeveloped patch of land in front of the big gray side.
“We’d like to activate this area,” Cotter said. “There’s a large open space between 10th Street and the façade or the face of the ramp, so we’d like to create a public space to gather and recreate, like to paint a temporary mural on the parking ramp façade, and then also install a plaza for walking, sitting, informal games and small performances.”
