Community planners say the next five to ten years will be huge for the Black Hills. With population almost certain to expand, Rapid City and surrounding towns need to be ready for the future.
Community long-range planners are asking what Rapid City will look like in 2035 for the city's Comprehensive Plan.
City planning project manager Sarah Hanzel is one of those planners. She said the comprehensive plan is already being assessed.
“That’s our city-wide vision and strategy for how we grow over the next about 10 years," Hanzel said. "A really important part of that process is hearing from our community, hearing from members of the about what's important to them, and what needs and changes they want to see in the community.”
Thus – root beer floats. The city hosted a series of events at the Dahl Art Center this week promising root beer floats in exchange for ideas and suggestions for the growing city.
“Population change is a big part of it, so what is the impact of that on our housing needs, how does that affect our transportation, also just looking ahead to what our goals for the future are," Hanzel said. "This plan should also be visionary and set us on a path towards, where do we want to go, and how do we get there together?”
Another long-term planner, Kelly Brennan, said to keep an eye on transit.
“The aging infrastructure of our bus system is one of our huge issues. We already don’t reach to the ends of city limits, we don’t go far enough out on Catron (Boulevard), we don’t go out to Elk Vale," Brennan said. "Our busses range from six to 10 years old, they age out at about 250,000 miles, they’re very expensive, and they take about 18 months to procure once we get the money in place.”
Officials say there are specific challenges Rapid City faces which blend transit, housing, and economic development. They include issues like aging infrastructure and a lack of suitable construction space in the Black Hills.