SIOUX FALLS, S.D (KELO.com) — A report recommending the demolition of the Sioux Falls Arena and the Birdcage arrived at the desk of Mayor Paul TenHaken Tuesday.
“I’m grateful for the time and the due diligence the group members spent building a bold vision for the campus,” TenHaken said, adding he looked forward to reviewing the report in-depth.
The report sets up a 20-year plan for the area, which includes the arena/convention center, the Denny Sanford Premier Center and The Birdcage.
“Our task was to take the long view and to say, ‘what does this campus look like in the year 2040?.’” group co-chair Ryan Piddie said. “And so we really took a deep dive and took a lot of information in, and tried to understand what is the best path forward.”
Expanding the Sioux Falls Convention Center is one of the top items on the new plan. Group co-chair Ryan Piddie says the center simply needs more space and tearing down the Arena is the best way to do it.
“When you look at our competitor peer cities in the region, we’re behind in terms of convention center space,” Piddie said.
The plan doesn’t call for immediate action with regard to the baseball stadium but says the city should “eliminate any plans for future investment” in the aging ballpark, and eventually “repurpose” the facility. That would mean finding a new home for the Sioux Falls Canaries pro baseball team, the stadium’s primary tenant.
“Do we feel if we tore this baseball stadium down and put a new one in that exact same spot, that all of a sudden development would happen? I don’t think so,” TenHaken said.
The City will need to take further action if it decides to act on the recommendations to tear down and Arena and the Birdcage.
(KELO.com’s Carter Woodiel contributed to this report.)
