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Developer asks Rapid City to reconsider Bellevue Drive sidewalk variance; staff recommends denial, council tables request
Summary
Dean Kelly Construction asked the public works board to waive a sidewalk requirement for a Bellevue Drive lot citing an eight‑foot elevation change; staff said a seawall could allow a compliant sidewalk. Council voted to table the item so the applicant can work with staff on revised plans.
Dean Kelly Construction asked Rapid City’s Public Works board on Nov. 25 to reconsider a variance that would waive the requirement to install sidewalk along Bellevue Drive, citing extreme elevation changes at the property.
"I'm Ryan Kelly with Dean Kelly Construction," the applicant told the board, saying the site has "super, super steep" grade changes — "roughly 8 feet" — that he said would make a standard sidewalk unsafe. Kelly offered an alternative: installing two handicap‑accessible panels on both sides of the street rather than a full sidewalk.
Public Works staff reported they had reviewed the location and found sidewalks both above and below the lot and that the work could be accomplished using a seawall and sidewalk. A staff member told the board, "They believe that this could be accomplished with the seawall and the sidewalk," and recommended denying the variance because a sidewalk would connect to existing segments and to St. Charles Street below.
Board members weighed safety and connectivity. One council member said the slope could make a sidewalk more dangerous than no sidewalk, while staff and the applicant discussed a compromise. After discussion, the board agreed to table the item and asked the applicant to return with revised plans developed in coordination with staff.
The board made and passed a motion to table, allowing the applicant to work with staff on a design that could include a seawall and curbside sidewalk. The item will return to the board once the applicant submits the revised layout and staff review is complete.
