Vision

Planned Growth

Vermillion is going to grow, and we need to make sure that growth is well managed.

Our town is a desirable community: We have healthcare. We have a great school system. We have the finest university in the Midwest! We have groceries. We have industry. In twenty years, Vermillion will be an even more vital hub in Southeast South Dakota than it is now. We need to be ready welcome more residents and businesses in a way that doesn’t overwhelm our resources. And we need to start getting ready now.

Growth doesn’t automatically mean sprawl. We can be smart about increasing residential and business density as well as expanding outside city limits. I suggest that we become more aggressive in our efforts to make Vermillion a more inviting place for housing developers and new businesses. After all, only by increasing our tax base (residents, residences, and businesses) can we lower property taxes by spreading the burden among more taxpayers.

We are lucky to have in place a Comprehensive Plan that prepares us well for this anticipated growth, but it has never been implemented. Let’s put it into confident action.

Affordable Housing

We have a chronic shortage of affordable housing. This lack has a negative impact on our labor pool. We have plenty of apartments and expensive homes, but we need to build up the “missing middle,” and offer home ownership options for small households, for seniors wanting to downsize, and for our young people. This will call for some aggressive changes to our current zoning, to allow for more duplexes, fourplexes, cottages, and condominiums. In the past we have allowed this, and we have several small and cute cottages in town. Other options include offering density bonuses to encourage infill. We should revisit our parking space formula, as well as our minimum lot size requirement. Up north, Aberdeen, SD, is pioneering a Homes Are Possible, Inc. (HAPI) model, and many other cities are making these adjustments. If we do not we will be left behind. In sum, we need to look at our zoning regulations with an eye to encouraging an expansion of affordable housing.

Transportation

In 2018, the city of Vermillion commissioned a thorough Bicycle Master Plan. The price tag to do everything on their list was prohibitive, but we don’t have to do everything! Many of the suggestions were inexpensive and would make Vermillion a more bicycle-friendly town. Bike infrastructure improves safety for riders and drivers, eases the transportation (and parking) burden, and creates a more physically and economically active community.

Vermillion would benefit from public transit with a regular route and schedule. Bus systems do not make a direct profit, but cities invest in them because they make it back in the increased economic benefits that derive from regular, reliable, and affordable transportation being available to everyone. A regular bus service would enable those without reliable transportation to more fully participate in our economy by getting them to and from work and to our stores. Many of our residents rely on internet shopping options simply due to a lack of transportation—those tax dollars could benefit the city instead.