Marijuana jurisdiction rules, diagonal parking Council leadership discussed during meeting

The Sioux Falls City Council voted unanimously to give councilors Curt Soehl and Alex Jensen another year in their respective roles as council chair and vice chair, with their colleagues praising how the two had performed their roles.

Councilor Marshall Selberg, who nominated Soehl, said he had "proved to be an effective leader," adding the council would benefit from consistency as three new councilors began their terms.

Soehl's remarks as he accepted the nomination were characteristically brief, mirroring those he made last year.

More: Soehl, Jensen elected to City Council leadership positions

"Thank you for the nomination," he said. "I will do my very best."

Councilor Greg Neitzert nominated Jensen for another term as vice chair, citing his work in acting as a liaison between council and staff over the past year and agreeing with Selberg on the benefit of consistency.

"I'll do my best," Jensen said. "Thank you."

Council votes on parking, marijuana

Tuesday's meeting also saw the council reconsider an item that had been deferred on May 10, a resolution approving diagonal parking on South Grange Avenue, near a building that owner Alex Halbach is looking to develop into a coffee shop.

An email from Neitzert to other councilors attached to the meeting's agenda urged them to vote against the deferral and support the project, which he called "too good to lose."

Neitzert's email said that a city staff member being out sick had led to a miscommunication last week, meaning Halbach had not been at the meeting to address concerns raised by a neighbor.

More: Sioux Falls City Council's three newest members excited to get to work

Halbach, who attended the May 17 meeting, said he had spoken with the neighbor and come to an agreement. The resolution eventually passed 8-0.

Councilors also passed an ordinance to a second reading that would amend the zoning regulations in the joint jurisdictional area shared by Sioux Falls and Lincoln County.

The amendment, brought by private applicant Dalton Grimmius, would specify the zoning districts in which a medical cannabis establishment must be located at least 1,000 feet from a single-family home, a rule that currently covers the entire area where city limits overlap with Lincoln County.

Both the city and county's planning commissions voted against recommending the approval of the amendment, although the council voted 8-0 to send it to a second reading at a joint city/county meeting on May 24 — standard practice for items that will be considered by the combined members of the council and the Lincoln County Commission.