Planning

The Planning Department provide a wide range of support for things from helping people work through the Planning Commission and City Council process for things like rezonings or conditional use permits, working with neighboring communities on future plans, to working with state and federal officials on making sure our infrastructure improvements meet the needs of our growing community based on available financial resources.

When was the Planning Department created?

The City of Sioux Falls first started planning and zoning with the creation of the Zoning Commission and zoning ordinance on July 25, 1927, following the South Dakota Legislature adoption of a Comprehensive Municipal Zoning Act in 1927. The Planning Department was not established in 1961 after the City Planning Commission was established in 1959.

Director of the Planning Department history:

James Pryde – 2 years (1961 - 1963)

Ed Becker – 11 years (1963 – 1974)

Steve Metli – 31 years (1974 – 2005)

Mike Cooper – 14 years (2005 – 2019)

Jeff Eckhoff - (2019 - Present)

Planning Division Mission

The Planning Division provides direction for the physical development and quality of life within the city. The Planning Division shall implement the mission through the development of transit, transportation, and long-range plans, downtown development, historic preservation, and neighborhood conservation activities, and coordination of public improvements and private development with the comprehensive plan, zoning and subdivision ordinances.