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VIEWPOINT: Downtown is logical spot for events center |
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By Yvonne D. Hawkins
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Tuesday, 21 August 2007 |
Oh my, how time flies.
Fall doesn’t arrive until Sept. 23, but like for most people, Labor Day is my signal that summer’s over. And that date is coming soon.
Labor Day also means for me an annual trek to LifeLight, one of the last festivals of summer for Sioux Falls.
And LifeLight, in turn, means preparing to get in and out of another jampacked event with minimum traffic frustration.
I embark on this journey to avoid stalled traffic whenever I attend such events even though it’s a little like searching for the Holy Grail.
It seems I’m not alone.
Fear of clogged streets persists among some residents who remain hopeful that Sioux Falls eventually might build an events center but cringe at the thought of placing it downtown.
It’s true that when attending any event that draws huge crowds – whether it’s LifeLight, JazzFest or anything else – basic travel logistics can get overwhelming.
Experience has taught me, though, that with deep breathing and a little planning, it’s amazing how much frustration can subside.
The key – as most traffic consultants will say – is alternate points of entry. In other words, never follow the crowd.
Crowds, especially Midwestern crowds, often use the common strategy of taking the shortest, most familiar route available and arriving early enough to park as close to the event as possible.
However, we Holy Grail faithful like to find under-used, secondary routes or – better yet – ditch our cars altogether in favor of some form of mass transportation.
Fortunately for events center supporters, traffic consultants who studied the two most promising sites – downtown and the Sioux Falls Convention Center – say both locations can offer those options along with plenty of parking.
Actually, the 2004 study shows that downtown is slightly better because it has more parking and that parking is more dispersed.
And what downtown also offers that the Convention Center doesn’t is a retail environment that would magnify the economic impact of an events center. It’s that kind of boost that pushes a downtown events center into preferred status.
A task force that analyzed traffic and other factors in building an events center also noted that a city of Sioux Falls’ size can’t necessarily build the facility anywhere it wants and expect that supporting development will follow.
Sioux Falls learned that lesson when the Convention Center was built. Only a smattering of restaurants and shops have sprouted near that center.
A more recently proposed events center site along the southwest edge of Sioux Falls would have a similar problem.
It would seem better to build an events center where there’s a convergence of economic activity. In Sioux Falls, those signs point downtown.
Plus, let’s be honest here.
The traffic gremlins are going to come no matter where an events center might land. It’s not like thousands of cars can disperse from the Convention Center or downtown in a flash.
From that perspective, a downtown events center would make the most sense in order to get the best economic return.
And maybe with a few realistic expectations and a stop at a nearby restaurant or shop, folks arriving at and leaving a downtown center might be amazed at how much, just like summer, time flies. |