'Midtown' zoning aimed at urban renewal, but could prompt neighborhood blowback

TenHaken proposal would put more commercial uses near residential areas

Mixed-use buildings embedded into a residential area like this one in Minneapolis could begin to pop up in the urban core of Sioux Falls if a proposed zoning category is adopted by the City Council. (SiouxFalls.org)

The live-work-play neighborhood concept that’s driven the revitalization of downtown Sioux Falls could soon be applied to other parts of South Dakota’s largest city.

New economic development plans being rolled out by Mayor Paul TenHaken’s administration would establish a new zoning category designed to foster more mixed-use property developments along major commercial corridors and arterial streets.

“Think Cliff Avenue and North Minnesota — avenues like that,” said Adam Roach, an urban planner at City Hall who pitched the concept to the Sioux Falls City Council.

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