18 foot parking spots heading to council vote

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The city council is set to vote next week on a proposed parking ordinance that would ban vehicles over 18 feet from parking on a four-block section of downtown Sioux Falls.

City Council member Jennifer Sigette first announced the ordinance on Oct. 22 and since then, she said it's had the most feedback new council members have received on an issue; and most of it is positive.

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"Of course, there's a couple of negatives. I mean, there's always going to be, but I would say 99% of the feedback we've had is 'It's about time' are the other words I've heard a lot," Sigette said in a Tuesday city council briefing.

The proposal would affect 142 parking spots between 9th and 13th Street along Phillips Avenue. Lines would be painted on the backs of parking spaces letting people know how far out their vehicles can be, Sigette said.

"There are about 4,000 public parking spots in downtown Sioux Falls, so there's still well over 3,800 places for people to park," she added. "We definitely want people to still feel very comfortable coming downtown, shopping, eating, and enjoying all the amenities that we have."

The penalty for parking a vehicle larger than 18 feet in those four blocks is a $15 prohibited parking ticket. The ordinance would be enforced 24/7, not just when the parking meters are working.

"So this will be on the evenings and weekends too. The police department will, if they so choose, offer or give tickets," Sigette said.

The ordinance will get its first reading in front of the city council next week, Sigette said. If it passes, the rule will be enacted on May 1.

KELOLAND News previously reported that councilmember Curt Soehl was against the proposal because he doesn't want it to deter people who drive larger vehicles from coming downtown. Soehl mentioned that the No. 1 selling vehicle in the country is the Ford F-150, which can be up to 20 feet long depending on the model.

"Now, I will be the only council member to vote against it, and we'll go on and life will be great," Soehl said back in October. "I just hope that if there is an economic downturn downtown that they don't struggle and look back and say we never should have done that."

Council members share updates on Delbridge, child care During the city council briefing on Tuesday, members also discussed the childcare situation in the city and the status of the Delbridge Museum animals.

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Currently, a working group on childcare is discussing the results of a new report on a tri-share model for childcare costs, which will be released in the next week.

As for the animals in the Delbridge Museum, Soehl said the deadline for institutions to submit letters of interest is in early December. The deadline is Dec. 12 and the Brockhouse Collection Work Group plans to be meet Dec. 18.

"I would sincerely hope that a couple of these groups, the natural history museums or universities, will come forward with a plan to take a lot of it away," Soehl said.