Sioux Falls approves rezoning for 178‑unit apartment project near W. 12th after traffic questions

Sioux Falls City Council voted 8-0 Feb. 3 to approve an ordinance rezoning an 8.54‑acre property east of Interstate 29 and south of West 12th Street from the I‑1 Light Industrial District to the RA‑3 high‑density apartment district (ordinance number 0205402024). The planning commission recommended approval 4‑1.

The applicant said phase 1 will be a four‑story building with 178 units — 48 two‑bedroom, 103 three‑bedroom and 27 four‑bedroom units — and a planned phase 2 of about 20 senior affordable units on parcel south of phase 1. Planning staff said the development will provide a pedestrian connection and complete a sidewalk to link the site to the Sioux Area Metro bus stop on Lyons Avenue, and that the applicant is proposing a mix of on‑site and on‑street diagonal parking to meet zoning requirements.

Jason Bieber of Planning and Development Services summarized technical details for the council, including an estimated 267 parking spaces and proposed pedestrian connections. Bieber also told the council the developer planned to purchase transit passes and work with staff on distribution to residents to reduce parking demand. Ryan Jobber, representing the applicant, said the site qualified for federal incentives used to finance workforce housing: “This lot became a qualified census tract in 2025,” he said, and added that such designation helps finance lower rents.

Several residents addressed council about traffic and safety. Mark Jager, a West Newcomb Street resident, said his concern was “exit on safety,” asking how vehicular circulation from the project would affect congestion on Twelfth Street during peak hours. Alan Taylor of 4101 W. Newcomb Street asked for clarity about the traffic counts and whether the numbers included both north–south and east–west movements.

Bieber outlined traffic engineering analysis presented to the planning commission and the council: peak AM and PM counts at the Twelfth‑and‑Lyons intersection were reported at roughly 250 vehicle trips for those peak periods (characterized in the presentation as about 12% of that intersection’s capacity). Staff said three primary traffic routes were anticipated for residents leaving the site and that Thirteenth Street — designed as a major collector with an 80‑foot right of way and capacity for roughly 5,000 vehicle trips per day — currently carries under 1,000 trips. Staff also said traffic engineering supports installing a stop sign at Thirteenth and Lyons to help circulation.

Councilors asked about sidewalks, on‑street parking and how the transit passes would be administered. Councilor Sigurdi asked whether the sidewalk connections discussed at the planning commission were still included; Bieber said the applicant and adjacent property owners were coordinating additional sidewalk installation and that the south side connection was a priority. Councilor Basie asked how staff would ensure transit passes are redeemed by residents; Bieber said staff would require the developer to purchase about 65 passes and work with Sioux Area Metro and the applicant on distribution and usage tracking.

Developer representatives said they had searched for sites in Sioux Falls for several years and had experience with similar projects in other markets. The applicant said parking demand estimates and prior comparable projects informed the project's 1.5‑space‑per‑unit design decision and that the site layout aimed to provide secure play and amenity spaces internal to the building to limit unsafe travel between parking and outdoor areas.

After council discussion the ordinance passed on second reading, 8‑0.

The zoning change allows the applicant to build the described apartment development; any specific financing, tax credits or state awards would be processed separately from the council’s zoning decision, council members noted.

Votes at a glance: motion to approve ordinance 0205402024 passed 8‑0.