Sioux Falls Zoning Changes Going to Public Vote

SIOUX FALLS - Opponents of changes to zoning laws in South Dakota's largest city have submitted enough petition signatures to force a public vote.

The opposition group needed 5,120 valid signatures and submitted more than 6,500. Sioux Falls City Clerk Lorie Hogstad says more than 5,300 signatures were verified. The City Council can put the measure on the April 8, 2014, ballot, or schedule a special election.

The zoning law changes are aimed at streamlining the project approval process. Opponents say the changes would ease requirements for developers and give the public less of a say in what can be built. Their primary concern is a proposed new Walmart Supercenter.

The Argus Leader newspaper reports that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. must now start the approval process over under the old zoning ordinance.

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