Proposed Shape Sioux Falls plan charts city growth to 2050, notes need for housing

A comprehensive plan that aims to guide city growth for the next 25 years is wrapping up.

A draft of the Shape Sioux Falls 2050 plan was presented this week to the Sioux Falls City Council and Sioux Falls Planning Commission.

After significant public input, including one-on-one, small-group and large public meetings, the consultants facilitating the plan put together several key themes and takeaways:

• Housing and neighborhoods
• Transportation and mobility
• Conservation and resiliency
• Economic and cultural development
• Community health and services
• Infrastructure and public spaces

The plan is designed to be “a growth strategy to accommodate the trends prioritized by city residents,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said in an introductory statement to the plan. “The Shape Sioux Falls plan has proven to be a vital document in guiding our community through smart, strategic growth. I hope elements of this updated plan will continue to both inform and inspire the strategies and investments of community partners, big and small.”

By 2050, the city’s population is expected to range from 370,000 to 413,600, with the metro area approaching 500,000.

The proposed plan speaks to the city as a whole but also identified 10 subareas within the city “so we can do a more focused plan for that and even breaking it down into neighborhood plans where it’s appropriate,” said Jeff Eckhoff, director of planning and development services.

“We want people to be successful whether they own a home or whether they own a business.”

While the report takes a thorough inventory of city infrastructure, facilities, quality-of-life amenities and natural resources, one of its primary roles is to identify growth areas and future proposed land uses.

“We’re taking a very high level look at the entire city,” said Chris Shires, principal and vice president of Confluence, the consultant that facilitated the plan.

This is a look at the city’s current growth map, identified by tiers:

• Tier 1: Annexation advised within five years. All city services are available within the five-year capital improvement program period.
• Tier 2: Annexation not advised at this time. City services are projected to be available for development within six to 15 years — additional monetary resources may be needed.
• Tier 3: Annexation not advised at this time. City services are projected to be available for development within 16 to 25 years — additional monetary resources needed.

This is the proposed future land use map, which identifies areas that could develop as regional employment centers, subregional, community, neighborhood and lower-density, as well as future industrial areas and green space.

The report also found that the housing mix in Sioux Falls is changing. Between 2000 and 2020, single-family homes decreased from 66.2 percent to 63 percent, while multifamily housing increased from 33.8 percent to 37 percent.

“Sioux Falls needs to continue supporting a mix of housing types to match different income levels, lifestyles and ages,” it said. “In 2023, nearly one in five homeowners and over two in five renters spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing, which is a common threshold for being considered ‘cost burdened.’”

The report recommends focusing on expanding the supply of senior-friendly housing, supporting aging in place through walkable neighborhoods and guiding new development acres with existing infrastructure to help seniors stay connected to the community.

“The percentage of single-family housing units as a portion of the whole will decrease over the planning period as housing affordability and lifestyles change,” it said. “The city plans for this growth by supporting infill development and encouraging higher-density housing in areas where infrastructure already exists, helping reduce the need to expand outward. As housing needs and lifestyles change, the percentage of single-family homes will likely decline, making way for a wider variety of housing types that are better suited to a growing and diverse population.”

It went on to say, “there is a significant need for accessible housing options, including affordable apartment units from one to three bedrooms, missing middle housing such as duplexes, rowhouses, townhomes and small-scale apartment buildings.”

The need is “something we’re seeing all across the United States,” Shires added. “Housing costs are going up faster than wages.”

Other recommendations include a focus on resilient planning so development is resistant to drought or heavy storms as well as impacts to infrastructure along with maintaining flexibility in the plan so land uses and growth planning can adjust as needed.

“You have a very visionary yet flexible plan to react to opportunities when they arise,” Shires said.

The Shape Sioux Falls plan is scheduled to go to the City Council for approval Feb. 10. To view the full report, click here.

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