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Council advances lease with St. Joseph Catholic Housing and first reading includes fence plan to limit disorder at adjacent lot
Summary
City staff presented a first-reading ordinance to lease the parking lot adjacent to the Bishop Dudley House from St. Joseph Catholic Housing; staff and the police chief said installing a fence and controlled access should reduce calls for service. Council set a second-reading date and voted 8-0 to move the ordinance forward.
The City Council on Tuesday held first reading of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter a lease with St. Joseph Catholic Housing Inc. for the parking lot next to Bishop Dudley House and set a second reading for Feb. 18. City staff described plans to secure the lot with a decorative six-foot fence, gates (one electric for staff access), and reserved parking for Bishop Dudley employees.
Jeff Ekoff, Planning and Development Services, said the lease is for five years with one five-year extension, that approximately 20% of spaces would be reserved for Bishop Dudley staff and that the $70,000 fence cost would be addressed in supplemental appropriations and capital budgeting. Ekoff said city staff negotiated the option to acquire the property later if the diocese chose to sell both parcels.
Chief John Toome, Sioux Falls Police Department, described the lot as a persistent “hot spot” for disorderly gatherings and said private ownership previously complicated law enforcement responses. He said the fence would be one lever in a wider strategy — including partnerships with service providers — to reduce calls for service and help define trespass boundaries that officers can enforce more clearly.
Public comment included residents who said high volumes of police and EMS calls originate in the Bishop Dudley vicinity; others criticized the city’s use of taxpayer funds for the fence or urged alternative approaches. Councilor Barranco said she was persuaded the fence would assist officers but acknowledged symbolic concerns raised by residents and reiterated that the improvement would not by itself solve homelessness.
The council voted 8-0 to move the ordinance to a second reading; a separate supplemental appropriation item to fund the fence was presented during the same meeting and staff indicated funding sources would be proposed through the capital program process.
Ending: City staff will bring the second-reading ordinance and related appropriation back on Feb. 18 for final council action, and police and parks staff said they will continue coordination with neighborhood partners on non-enforcement interventions.
