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2026-05-05 - City Council

Summary

Built from the official approved minutes (adjourned 7:26 PM). No agenda or video on file.

  • Present: Thomason, Basye, Brown, Merkouris, Sigette, Soehl and Mayor TenHaken. Absent: Spellerberg and Barranco. Every roll call was 6-0 unless noted.
  • Invocation by Voelva Boots Among Trees (name as printed in the minutes: Völva Boots Among Trees), member of The Order of the Vitkar in Service of Vanir Goddess Freyja. Awards and recognitions: the Mayor's Youth Council 2025-2026 cohort.
  • Consent agenda approved 6-0 (Sigette, Merkouris). It included minutes of the April 21 informational and regular meetings and the April 28 joint meeting, the contracts over $100K memorandum of May 1, a medical cannabis dispensary license transfer (PJS Holdings LLC, from 3215 South Carolyn Avenue to 5422 East Arrowhead Parkway), special one-day liquor and malt beverage licenses, malt beverage renewals for 2026-2027, and nine property tax abatements recommended by the Minnehaha County Commission (amounts from 122.32 to 2,602.73 dollars, for errors, the elderly and disabled assessment freeze, and disabled veteran exemptions).
  • Hearings set for May 19, 2026 on new wine licenses for Hacienda Jalisco LLC, Diamond Dogs LLC (Ken's Korner) and PTLS Distribution LLC (Loud Smoke and Brews, with a malt beverage license), a license transfer from Honesty Counts LLC (Aces Casino) to Commonwealth Gaming and Holdings Inc, and a transfer and renewal for Plum's Cooking Company LLC.
  • Regular agenda approved 6-0 (Brown, Basye) after a 6-0 amendment (Merkouris, Sigette) moving Item 43 after Item 36 and Item 54 after Item 38.
  • Unfinished business, Items 30 to 32 approved together 6-0 (Soehl, Brown): a malt beverage license transfer to Union Pizza and Smash LLC, a package liquor license transfer from Jack Rose Social Club to Jack Rose Sioux Steel, and a one-day malt beverage license for Casting for Recovery-South Dakota.
  • The Carmon Family Glen naming agreement ordinance (Item 33) was withdrawn, 6-0.
  • Second readings adopted 6-0: Ordinances 31-26 (rezoning near W. 89th St.), 33-26 (E. Taylor St. conservation rezoning), 34-26 (zoning code chapter 160) and 32-26 (supplemental appropriations). The N. Van Eps Ave. rezoning was deferred to May 12, 4-0.
  • First reading of the Costco rezoning (3800 S. Grange Ave.): second reading set for May 19, 6-0.
  • Resolutions adopted 6-0: street vacations (40-26, 41-26), comprehensive plan map amendments (42-26), Mescher Addition preliminary plan (43-26), nine annexations (44-26 to 52-26), a citizen board appointment (53-26) and a 130,000 dollar capital program amendment for parks (54-26).
  • Hearings set for June 3, 2026 on two more vacations (W. 14th St. right-of-way and a Covell's 2nd Addition alley), 6-0 each.
  • General public input: annexations, data centers, the need for better communication from the Council, a Grant Street pothole, Lone Wolf Initiatives, help for youth and adults, missing people, and funding for businesses.
  • Adjourned 7:26 PM on a voice vote, 6-0 (Basye, Merkouris). Minutes signed by Assistant City Clerk Denise D. Tucker.

Carmon Family Glen Naming Agreement

  • Item 33, second reading of the ordinance authorizing the Mayor to sign a conditional gifting and naming agreement for donated real property to be named the "Carmon Family Glen at Falls Park." Merkouris moved and Sigette seconded withdrawal; 6-0. The minutes give no reason. The ordinance returned in July and was adopted July 14.

West 89th Street Townhome Rezoning

  • Item 34, Ordinance 31-26, LW Live-Work to RD-2 Townhome, case 22592-2026 (Nielson Development, Sandy Wolfswinkel); Planning Commission 4-0. Sigette moved, Brown seconded; 6-0.

Van Eps Avenue Duplex Rezoning

  • Item 35, case 22593-2026, RA-1 to RD-1 Twin Home/Duplex (Ehrhart Griffin and Associates, Shannon Johnson); Planning Commission 4-0. Merkouris moved, Sigette seconded deferral to May 12; 4-0, with Basye and Soehl excused under City Ordinance 30.017.

East Taylor Street Conservation Rezoning

  • Item 36, Ordinance 33-26, RS to CN Conservation, case 22597-2026 (Infrastructure Design Group, Beau Koopal); Planning Commission 5-0. Brown moved, Basye seconded; 6-0.

City Zoning Code Amendments

  • Item 37, Ordinance 34-26 amending Chapter 160 (Zoning), sponsor Mayor; Planning Commission 5-0. Basye moved, Sigette seconded; 6-0.

Park Design Capital Program Amendment

  • Item 38, Ordinance 32-26 (supplemental appropriations, sponsors Basye and Merkouris): Basye moved, Merkouris seconded; 6-0.
  • Item 54, Resolution 54-26 amending the 2026-2030 Capital Program: raises Project No. 14080 by 130,000 dollars in 2026 for design of Willow Ridge Park and Whispering Woods Park, funded from the Sales/Use Tax Fund available fund balance. Basye moved, Merkouris seconded; 6-0.

Costco Grange Avenue Rezoning

  • Item 39, first reading, case 22595-2026, I-1 Light Industrial to C-4 Commercial-Regional at 3800 S. Grange Ave. (Costco Wholesale Corporation, Lawrence Dziurdzik); Planning Commission 4-0. Sigette moved, Brown seconded setting second reading for May 19; 6-0.

West 21st Street Right-of-Way Vacation

  • Item 40, Resolution 40-26 vacating West 21st Street between S. Grange Ave. and S. Menlo Ave. (applicant Sanford Health), with a 20-foot water main easement and a 10-foot communication easement reserved. Soehl moved, Brown seconded; 6-0.

South Joliet Avenue Right-of-Way Vacation

  • Item 41, Resolution 41-26 vacating S. Joliet Ave. south of E. Grant St. (F & K Assam Family, LLC). Soehl moved, Basye seconded; 6-0.

Shape Sioux Falls 2050 Comprehensive Plan

  • Item 42, Resolution 42-26 amending four maps of the plan: 5.A Development Areas, 5.B Sanitary Availability, 5.C Water and Roads, and 5.D Public Facilities and Proposed Drainage Basins. Planning Commission held its hearing April 1 and recommended approval 5-0; the Council held its hearing May 5. Brown moved, Sigette seconded; 6-0.

Mescher Addition Preliminary Plan

  • Item 43, Resolution 43-26 (Infrastructure Design Group, Beau Koopal); Planning Commission 5-0. Sigette moved, Basye seconded; 6-0.

West 85th Street Annexations

  • Items 44 to 46, Resolutions 44-26 (W. 85th St. and S. Sundowner Ave., Soehl and Merkouris), 45-26 (85th Street, Soehl and Basye) and 46-26 (85th and I-29, Brown and Thomason); 6-0 each.

Veterans Parkway Right-of-Way Annexations

  • Items 47 to 52, Resolutions 47-26 to 52-26 (annexation cases 022786, 022784, 022782, 022783, 022781 and 022780); 6-0 each. See the issue page for movers and locations.

Citizen Board Appointments

  • Item 53, Resolution 53-26 (sponsor Mayor): Kent Cutler reappointed to the Airport Authority Board for May 2026 to May 2031. Thomason moved, Sigette seconded; 6-0.

Notices of hearing for street vacations

  • Item 55, W. 14th St. right-of-way (West 14th Street Right-of-Way Vacation, applicant Wayne Wagner of Stan Houston Equipment) and Item 56, alley in Covell's 2nd Addition (Covell Alley Vacation, applicant Shannon Johnson): hearings set for Tuesday, June 3, 2026. Sigette and Brown on Item 55, Soehl and Thomason on Item 56; 6-0 each.
  • Item 57, notice of transfer of appropriations on the memorandum of April 27, 2026. New business: none.

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