Sioux Falls wants to move convention center, turn existing space into recreation area
Riverline District concept, unveiled as part of 2050 plan, includes hotel space east of downtown
The city of Sioux Falls wants to repurpose its convention center and arena into a large-scale recreation center, and redevelop land east of downtown into a central location for conventions and hotels.
Sioux Falls City Hall, in collaboration with the Friends of the Riverline District, unveiled what will be a decades-long plan aimed at addressing a need for indoor recreation space, child activity options and long-term economic vitality for Sioux Falls.
That’s how Mayor Paul TenHaken characterized the vision during an announcement at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in front of hundreds of onlookers who attended the Monday afternoon event.
“I couldn’t be happier today to share this 2050 vision with Sioux Falls,” TenHaken told the crowd. “While we have a lot of work to do before it becomes a reality, it is a vision for future generations, and I’m proud to stand alongside so many community leaders and help kickstart the work. The work to get us to this point has been collaborative—a real One Sioux Falls effort.”
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Lynne Forbes and Natalie Eisenberg, Friends of the Riverline District co-chairs, and dozens of community leaders joined TenHaken for the announcement, outlining their vision for the 8-acre Riverline District — located near 10th Street and Cliff Avenue — to include a newer and larger convention center and full-service hotel.
Those plans coincide with a proposal to repurpose the existing Sioux Falls Convention Center, built in 1996, into a publicly-accessible indoor recreation and playground center, addressing the community's needs for year-round recreation and programming, indoor play, and fitness facilities.
Recognizing the current limitations of the existing convention center, the mayor and Forbes emphasized the need for a new facility to meet demand, stimulate economic growth, and maintain Sioux Falls' competitive edge in the convention center industry.
“We know public access to indoor recreation and play space is critical to the quality of life in Sioux Falls, and we also know that our community needs a modern and appropriately sized convention center,” Forbes said. “This opportunity will drive growth with a full-service hotel, necessary to continue to attract business and family-friendly events to our community.”
Specific details about the scope and scale of investment — like how much it’ll cost and how much space will be pursued — are pending further studies.
“The cake is not baked yet,” TenHaken said. “This is going to take years.”
Experience Sioux Falls CEO Teri Schmidt, who’s led the city’s primary convention and visitors agency for decades, said the plan could be a game-changer for Sioux Falls’ ability to draw conventions and group gatherings.
For years, a lack of floor space and attached hotel rooms at the existing convention center has stymied opportunity.
“This is exciting. It’s what Sioux Falls needs,” she told The Dakota Scout following the afternoon announcement. “We better get to at least double the size of the current center, because we lose leads and business everyday due to lack of space.”
Right now, the convention center has about 50,000 square feet of floor space, while the only attached lodging is a 250-room hotel. Schmidt said to meet demand from trade organizations and other entities that would otherwise consider Sioux Falls for conventions, about 400 more hotel rooms are needed.
Erica Beck, chief of staff in the mayor’s office, said including the arena, there’s about 130,000 square feet of space at the events center campus that could be repurposed when convention operations move to the Riverline District, plans that still require funding allocations and approvals, private partners and more in-depth study.
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What a refreshing idea...a downtown convention center. We shoulda done this in the 1980s!