Council reviews road, building projects

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BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council received several progress updates at its Tuesday evening meeting, including updates on roadwork and activities at the Swiftel Center.

• The 15th Street South and Seventh Avenue South roadwork project continues its march toward completion. So far in June, base gravel has been installed; curb and gutter work has seen significant progress; several ramps and half of the sidewalk is in place; east valley gutter installed; and asphalt surfacing work. Next steps are to finish curb and gutter work and complete sidewalk, topsoil and seeding efforts. It’s estimated that the project should reach the finish line sometime in July.

• Progress is also being made on the Main Avenue South and Eighth Street South intersection project, including the excavation of asphalt and installation of the water main along with new water and sewer services. The next steps include excavating and replacing the base gravel and start pouring the concrete surface. The city expects the project will be completed in early August.

• The Swiftel Center, according to the progress report, had 18 events in June, including the Got Milk Gala with 200 attendees and the South Dakota Quarter Horse Association’s annual event.

Aside from the progress updates, city councilors also heard first readings and took action on a couple of items that were on the agenda. These included:

Ordinance first readings

• Ordinance 22-024: Todd Voss is seeking a conditional use to demolish and redevelop 129 Main. Ave. S. A two-story 40-foot by 100-foot mixed-use building is proposed, with 4,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and four, two-bedroom apartments on the second floor.

• Ordinance 22-025: This rezoning request by CD Properties on behalf of David Kneip and Todd Voss would affect lots 1-8 in block 4 of the Hill Park Addition. The property is along Sixth Street between the Lofts at Park Hill and the Sixth Street Centre and includes eight homes that are owned and rented by Kneip and Voss. The request is to rezone the lots from a residential R-2 district to a business B-2 district.

Community Development Director Mike Struck said the applicant wants to do a redevelopment project in the area between 12th and 13th avenues.

During subsequent discussion of the rezoning proposal, housing concerns were raised by City Councilor Nick Wendell who, while supportive of the redevelopment, also indicated that 20 to 24 residents could be displaced.

“I do have some pause with the idea that we would be wiping out a nice (rental) residential block right in the core of the community and not replacing it with residential,” he said. “It’s a departure from the decisions we’ve made on neighboring blocks.”

Struck noted Wendell’s concerns. “It’s always a concern when you have the potential of losing housing units in your community, and how do you make up for those loss of housing units?” he said.

He added that there had also been worries about housing when the Lofts at Park Hill was proposed, saying that roughly 36 beds were in the housing there at the time. By the time the Lofts project was finished, though, it had a total of 70 bedrooms.

“It helped add some bedrooms within the neighborhood but, yes, the potential to lose 20 to 30 potential bedrooms (and) eight units and what impact does that have on the housing stock in the community … it’s always a concern,” Struck said.

City Councilor Joey Collins also raised the issue of the possibility of a marijuana dispensary being able to locate in the rezoned area.

“I know we don’t know what’s in there yet, or what it’s going to be right now, but I’m just curious if it would meet the criteria,” he said.

Struck wasn’t certain, but he did note that the property at 1310 Sixth St. is eligible.

Second readings for both ordinances will take place at the July 12 City Council meeting.

Public hearing

The Rental Depot at 134 Main Ave. S. plans to add a 2,800-square-foot expansion to the rear side of the primary building for storage space with the intention of then removing the old motel building at 144 Main Ave. S.

After some discussion involving green space and drainage concerns that included a 7-0 vote on an amendment, the council voted 7-0 in support of the overall site plan.

The full City Council agenda can be found online at https://bit.ly/3udafpw.

Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.