A Generational Land Opportunity: What Smithfield’s Move Really Means for Sioux Falls

When Smithfield announced it will move its downtown Sioux Falls plant to a new facility near the I-29 and I-90 interchange, most headlines focused on the obvious. Jobs are staying. A modern plant is coming. It is a large private investment.

All of that matters.

But something bigger just happened. One of the most important pieces of land in Sioux Falls is about to open up.

For more than 100 years, the Smithfield plant has occupied over 80 acres directly next to Falls Park, along the Big Sioux River, and just north of downtown. It sits in one of the most visible and recognizable areas of the city.

Now the question is simple.

What should go there next?

 John Morrell meat packing plant, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Taken June 9, 2007 by Jon Platek. Public domain. Originally uploaded to Wikipedia by AlexiusHoratius.

The Convention Center Debate Just Got Bigger

Before this announcement, the city had already purchased the former Department of Social Services site east of the viaduct. That land has been discussed as a possible location for a new downtown convention center.

At the time, that made sense. It was available. It was close enough to downtown. And there were not many other options. Now there is another option. And it is not just another piece of land. It is arguably the most important piece of land in the city.

Convention centers work best when they are part of something bigger. People attending events want to walk to restaurants. They want hotels nearby. They want public spaces to gather. They want energy around them. The Smithfield site offers something the DSS parcel cannot fully match. It sits next to Falls Park. It sits along the river. It connects naturally to the Steel District, Jacobson Plaza, and the existing downtown grid.

Imagine this:

A convention center facing the river.

A public plaza flowing into Falls Park.

Hotels rising nearby.

Restaurants lining the ground floor.

Pedestrian paths connecting everything without the need to cross a major viaduct.

That is not just a building. That is a district.

This does not mean the DSS site is wrong. It means the conversation has changed. When new land opens up at this scale, serious cities re-evaluate their plans.

Map Source: City of Sioux Falls Graphic overlay (red boundary) added by ONEnetwork for illustrative purposes.

Other Cities Did This on Purpose

Sioux Falls is not the first city to face this kind of decision.

Look at what other mid-sized cities did when they had the chance to reshape their core.

In Omaha, the CHI Health Center sits next to the river and is surrounded by the Old Market district, hotels, restaurants, and public space. Visitors can walk almost everywhere. In Des Moines, the Iowa Events Center connects directly into the downtown grid and nearby hotels. The surrounding area has steadily filled in with housing and mixed-use development. In Oklahoma City, the convention center was placed along the riverfront and tied into a larger redevelopment plan that included parks, mixed-use blocks, and new housing.

None of those cities treated their convention center as an isolated building. They treated it as a catalyst. They built districts around it.

Sioux Falls now has land that could allow for that same type of coordinated development.

The opportunity is rare.

Downtown Sioux Falls and Falls Park (March 16, 2024), photo by Calibas, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Momentum Is Already There

Downtown Sioux Falls is not stagnant. It is evolving.

The Steel District brought new housing and commercial energy. Jacobson Plaza expanded public gathering space. Falls Park continues to draw visitors year-round. There are ongoing conversations about expanding hotel capacity if the city wants to grow its convention footprint.

If the Smithfield site is layered into that momentum, the effect could be powerful.

Instead of scattering projects across different parts of the city, Sioux Falls could create a connected stretch of activity.

From Falls Park. To a new riverfront plaza district. Into a convention and hotel cluster. Through the Steel District. Down Phillips Avenue.

That kind of concentration changes how a city feels.

The Weber Avenue Question

This vision is not automatic.

Weber Avenue and surrounding service corridors will require serious attention. The Mission, Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, and other community services are located nearby. Infrastructure upgrades, streetscape design, traffic flow, and public safety planning must all be part of the conversation.

If Sioux Falls wants to build something transformational on the Smithfield site, the surrounding corridor must be part of the plan.

Big projects reshape entire districts. They do not stop at property lines.

Meanwhile, the Interstate Becomes Stronger

While downtown considers its future, the interstate corridor is about to gain new importance.

The new Smithfield facility near I-29 and I-90 strengthens Foundation Park as an industrial hub. Interstate access improves logistics. Suppliers may cluster nearby. Supporting businesses could follow.

There is also the infrastructure piece. Processing plants require significant wastewater capacity and utility coordination. Investment in treatment systems and infrastructure will shape growth patterns in that area for years.

This move does not just shift jobs. It shifts infrastructure focus.

Sioux Falls may soon have two strong growth engines forming at once. A more concentrated downtown core and a reinforced industrial interchange.

Map Source: City of Sioux Falls Overlay: Red shaded area added by ONEnetwork for illustrative purposes.

The Cost and the Responsibility

Redeveloping a century-old industrial site will not be simple. Environmental cleanup, demolition, and infrastructure adjustments will take time and funding.

Financing tools such as tax increment financing, bonding, or public-private partnerships could enter the discussion. These are serious decisions that require careful planning.

But the scale of the opportunity justifies that seriousness. Cities do not often get to rethink their most visible land.

The Decision in Front of Sioux Falls

Smithfield’s move gives Sioux Falls more than vacant property. It gives it leverage.

The city can treat this as routine redevelopment. Or it can treat it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape its core.

If Sioux Falls wants to compete regionally for conventions, tourism, and downtown vibrancy, then this land deserves full evaluation as a leading option for future large-scale civic development.

Not because it is new.

But because it sits exactly where people already gather. Exactly where the river meets downtown. Exactly where the city presents itself to visitors.

Few cities get the chance to redesign their front door.

Sioux Falls just did.

ONEnetwork News Team

Independent reporting and analysis focused on verified facts, context, and long-term community impact.