The Future Sturgis Process 56 The Future Sturgis Process 5 The Future Sturgis Process he engagement of Sturgis’ residents Future Sturgis, a community visioning process that began in and business owners is essential to a Spring 2008, invited the citizens of Sturgis to share their ideas for improving the city. A series of meetings were sponsored by Sturgis Tsuccessful planning effort. The Sturgis Economic Development Corporation, the City of Sturgis, Sturgis Comprehensive Plan included many oppor- Area Business Alliance, Sturgis Regional Hospital and Foundation, tunities for public participation, including Citizens for the Betterment of Sturgis, Sturgis Chamber of Commerce, Sturgis Rally Department, Sturgis Jaycees, USDA- workshops, on-site studios, stakeholder Rural Development and Meade County Schools. The program’s discussions, and informal open houses. The goal was to identify ways to achieve community growth and plan’s agenda was built on the foundation of improve the quality of life for Sturgis residents. Initial community an earlier visioning and goal-setting process, input identified five priority areas, which in turn became the focus of individual working groups. These priority areas included: called Future Sturgis. This chapter summarizes the directions of this community effort. Community Pride Bridging Economic and Social Gaps Industrial Development Retail Development Tourism Each group identified specific goals and strategies for a more successful Sturgis. While the scope of goals sometimes included issues that are not ordinarily included in comprehensive plans, the overall program provided the foundation for the recommen- dations of this document. Goals that are addressed specifically in the comprehensive plan are noted by their chapter reference in parentheses. COMMUNITY PRIDE The Community Pride working group’s overall goal was to “Enhance Sturgis’ identity and heritage, foster pride in the Sturgis community, and enhance the way Sturgis presents itself to fellow citizens and visitors”. The group identified the following focus areas: the initial introduction to Sturgis for many visitors from around the country and even the world. 57 The Future Sturgis Process '!(/ 30 and 32. (Chapter 7) 1 extend Sturgis’ peak season, ultimately establishing Main Street as a strong, year-round central district. (Chapter 7) '4&5;<!=>?@@) BRIDGING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL GAPS Participants in the Future Sturgis process expressed concerns about economic and social barriers within the city. This working group’s goal was to “Bridge economic and social gaps within Sturgis, to create a higher quality of life for all Sturgis residents.” Areas of focus included: economic opportunities. K ! people of all ages. !) &&) Specific goals included: (/!!- of an enhanced Exit 32. A priority for the street was increasing school programs. its potential as a mixed use community corridor without losing its residential scale. '!& youth and adults. (Chapters 6 and 7) ! iconic backdrop for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. '!) "$ K!!) Sturgis from I-90 along Lazelle Street. (Chapter 6) " ! & INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT during the Rally alone meet owner’s expectations and provide no particular incentive for operating year-round or even extended Economic development is linked to social equity, population season businesses. attraction, and creation of opportunity. The city has a limited private sector employment base, and creating new entrepre- The group has successfully implemented a number of visual neurial potential is important for balanced growth. The Industrial improvement programs. Issues that remain on the community working group has a focused goal to “Create 150 quality primary agenda include: jobs through recruitment, retention, expansion and creation of new businesses within three years”. The working group estab- ' $ (!) lished the outlines of a detailed economic development program (Chapter 6) that includes: 58 The Future Sturgis Process (1$Q(1$V OVERALL GOALS OF FUTURE STURGIS by: - Retaining an executive director. - Developing a long term plan for the SEDC board. COMMUNITY PRIDE - Developing a working plan to guide the SEDC executive director. Enhance Sturgis’ identity and heritage, foster pride in the Sturgis community, and (/'X;&Y enhance the way Sturgis presents itself to - Developing relationships with landowners. fellow citizens and visitors. - Securing funding. - Identifying target sites through the comprehensive land use planning efforts. (Chapter 6) BRIDGING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC $;!) GAPS Bridge economic and social gaps within $!&Q$/V Sturgis, to create a higher quality of life for - Exploring the feasibility of a speculative industrial building all Sturgis residents. or incubator. - Working with area agencies for incubator applications. - Establishing a smaller site application separate from the INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT industrial park. Create 150 quality primary jobs through - Developing a profile for a spec building. - Establishing a regional SEDC network. recruitment, retention, expansion and creation of new businesses within three '!@>&) years. (&) RETAIL ( / & Strengthen existing retail services while process. expanding regional retail opportunities in RETAIL Sturgis. The Rally creates unique opportunities and challenges for retailing TOURISM in Sturgis. Vendors, restaurants, and entertainment venues that set up during the Rally bring significant retail dollars to the Enhance and promote year round tourism city and region. However, many of these businesses close or for the benefit of ALL in the greater Sturgis disappear during the rest of the year, and the land and buildings area. 59 The Future Sturgis Process that they occupy remain empty. Local and regional retailing tends to gravitate toward Rapid City and Spearfish (consistent with findings in Chapter 1). The goal of the retail working group is to “Strengthen existing retail services while expanding regional retail opportunities in Sturgis”. Objectives of the group include: 1 that identifies and encourages year around retail and service businesses. (The city retained Buxton consulting to complete a retail opportunities plan, and Chapter7 of this comprehensive plan deals specifically with these key issues) '\?/! recruiting appropriate businesses. 1)Q$V $K]";; business friendly. ^ ! </ ; economic development initiatives TOURISM Tourism is a key component of the regional Black Hills economy, but in Sturgis is highly focused on the Motorcycle Rally. An important tourism focus is to diversify awareness and use of important attractions beyond the Rally, taking advantage of other features and environmental resources. The goal of the Tourism working group was to “Enhance and promote year round tourism for the benefit of ALL in the greater Sturgis area.” Objectives included: $/ the Sturgis area. $ ! Street and the Downtown corridor into a year round tourist desti- nation. (Chapter 7) 5;; city as a regional base for visitors. 60 A Development Vision 6 A Development Vision The heart of this comprehensive plan is a unified DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES development vision for Sturgis - a concept that Chapter One projected Sturgis’ growth potential and estimated unifies land use, transportation, parks, infra- the amount of land needed to meet this potential. This new structure, housing, and other systems into a development should be distributed in ways that maximize benefit coordinated program for the city’s future. This and minimize unnecessary costs to the entire community. It vision builds on the work of Future Sturgis and should use land efficiently, be environmentally and economically sustainable, and reinforce the quality and character of Sturgis. recognizes that long-term goals are realized “Smart growth” principles, applied to overall city development incrementally through many short-term policy, can help Sturgis develop in an economically sound, envi- decisions. In addition to major projects and ronmentally sustainable, and mutually beneficial way. They ideas, this chapter also provides a sound basis ensure that investments have multiple benefits and that as Sturgis grows, it grows together rather than apart. Sturgis will for public and private planning decisions. grow “smart” if it: Uses Urban Services Efficiently An efficient Sturgis will maximize investments in streets, infra- structure, and public services, and use every unit of service to the greatest advantage. New development should generally be contiguous to existing development or take advantage of under- utilized “infill” areas to produce a unified and economically efficient, and attractive city. This principle avoids stretching city services out over wide areas, which increases the cost of services and requires people to travel farther to destinations. Encourages “Human-Scaled” Design in Major Activity Centers In a culture oriented to personal transportation, urban develop- ment often consumes large areas of land. People in the West enjoy privacy and the sense of openness provided by the landscape. But we also thrive on the human scale of more intimate envi- ronments. The Rally, with its juxtaposition of masses of people and machines in a dense urban environment, is testimony to these twin impulses. City environments should provide choice – places that offer both walkable scale and greater space. Even when densities are low, careful design and planning can create environments that are both efficient and a pleasure to experi- ence. Our landscape can accommodate cars and large-format