No one should be surprised that parking will spill over into the neighborhoods surrounding the proposed Event Center/Convention Center/Arena area. West Sioux residents were given the news at a planning and input meeting Tuesday night in preparation for the construction of the Event Center.
“But there’s no doubt, folks, if there’s a big huge event going on that is taking up all three buildings, that there is still going to be some parking around the streets,” said Mike Cooper, director of planing and building services.
We all knew that would happen though no one from the city actually came out and said it would happen. During the Event Center debate, there was plenty of discussion that parking was not sufficient if multiple events were held at this site. No one from the city refuted it. They just never addressed it.
If I lived in that area, I would not want all that traffic blocking my ability and the ability of my friends and family to park in front of my house or in my neighborhood. Can you just imagine the traffic and the noise that will spill into those neighborhoods and at all hours? The residents living in the neighborhoods surrounding the event center should start a petition drive to prohibit on-street parking in their residential areas between the hours of 6 p.m. to Midnight, seven days a week. Signs would be posted to prohibit parking during those hours.
I suppose this could spur the mayor and the public parking director to say we would need to build a parking ramp out there next to the Event Center. The ramp talk has been floating around for some time now.
Details, Details, Details. These pesky little details will continue to dribble out as the bonds are sold and the construction of the event center begins in earnest. The new tag line for the mayor's press conferences and news releases relating to the Event Center construction could be taken from a couple of well known songs - Musician Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" or American Country Music Group SHeDaisy's "Don't Worry 'bout a Thing." A philosphy of denial.
I attended the neighborhood meeting for West Sioux. The room was packed…..they had to open up another room for the overflow. The anxiety level was so high you could have cut it with a knife.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what those folks are already putting up with…parking in the neighborhood, speeding through the neighborhood to get from Western to Kiwanis, litter, “Pheasant’s fireworks”, Crow Fest………
Many of them expressed concerns about this only being magnified by the new EC………
And, of course, the Mayor and his Team told them that they don’t currently have a lot of the answers, BUT they wanted to reassure them that “everything will be OK and most likely even better for their neighborhood.”
They didn’t appear to be buying it!!!
After the meeting, a young man engaged the Mayor in a very passionate conversation about his concerns, and I suggested to the Mayor that this probably was symbolic of how high the emotions are going run about the issues that the West Sioux folks are going to encounter with the new EC………….
He basically went off on me for expressing my opinion!!
I think that the best thing that they could do for themselves now is to form a neighborhood association (like Pettigrew, Whittier and All Saints) so that they can speak with “one voice” to resolve the many issues that they are going to encounter.
Remember, this is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sioux Falls filled with lower income seniors who have lived there for decades and young families looking for starter homes.