What's New in Sioux Falls: The Quarry, The Switchyard and More

Here is what is new in the Sioux Falls area this month: the city has a $15 million plan to turn the old quarry east of Falls Park into a green, public destination, a new mixed-use neighborhood called The Switchyard is rising on a former rail yard east of downtown, a family-run Mexican restaurant is bringing a 40-year West Russell Street landmark back to life, and a new Fareway grocery store just broke ground in Brandon. If you are buying, selling, or relocating here, these are the stories that tell you where the city is investing. I'm Jennifer Krosch, a Realtor with eXp Realty, and I keep this local beat because real estate is really about what is coming next.

The Quarry at The Falls: a $15 million green transformation

The biggest parks story in the metro right now is the old quarry just east of Falls Park. In July 2026, the City of Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation announced the city had received $15 million from the Bezos Earth Fund's Greening America's Cities initiative, and Sioux Falls is one of just eight U.S. cities in the program's second round, which spread $100 million across the group. That money is aimed at a single, striking piece of land: the former industrial quarry property across North Weber Avenue from Falls Park, in the 1100 block of N. Weber Ave, a site that has sat largely untouched for decades and includes a roughly 7-acre quarry pond.

The project, called The Quarry at The Falls, is part of the Falls Park Master Plan, and the vision is a nature-filled destination rather than a traditional park. Think trails and green space, water and pond access, native plants and trees, and space for outdoor recreation, all community-designed. The planning is genuinely public right now. The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation hosted a community event on October 1, 2026 at 1110 N. Weber Ave where residents weighed in on possible amenities, including ideas like a zipline, a climbing tower, and an obstacle course. Mayor Christene Erickson has called the revitalization the potential "jewel" of Sioux Falls parks.

Here is the honest timeline part. Design work and environmental risk assessment are still in the early stages, so this is a years-long project, not a next-summer one. But the grant money is real and the vision is public, and for anyone who lives on the east bank of the river or is considering it, this is the kind of amenity that changes how a neighborhood feels. Falls Park is already the heart of the city; a connected, pond-front green space next door only deepens that pull.

The Switchyard: a new downtown neighborhood on a rail yard

Just a few minutes east of the quarry project, another long-awaited piece of the city is finally under construction. The Switchyard is a roughly $95 million mixed-use development from Des Moines-based Christensen Development on a 4-acre former BNSF Railway switching yard along East 8th Street, in the East Bank district right next to Cherapa Place. The project includes a five-story office building of more than 60,000 square feet, two residential buildings totaling approximately 270 units, a parking ramp, and retail and commercial space, plus pedestrian and bike trail connections that continue the riverfront path from Cherapa Place. The Sioux Falls City Council approved an $8 million tax increment financing district for the project.

The timeline matters if you are making plans around it. The project broke ground on July 10, 2026 at 445 E 8th St. Construction is already visible on the site. The first multistory office and retail building is expected to be available by late 2027 or early 2028, with full completion targeted for 2031. In other words, the frames are going up now, and the address will mature over the next several years.

For buyers, the significance is simple: roughly 270 new residential units at the east end of downtown is the largest single addition of homes to that part of the city in years, adding real inventory near the river. For renters, it is more supply, too. And for anyone who remembers when this part of downtown was rail docks and warehouses, the change is remarkable.

New places to eat right now

The freshest restaurant news is on the west side. El Agave Mexican Restaurant is taking over the former Casa del Rey location at 901 W. Russell St., the spot that served the neighborhood for more than 40 years before closing. The new concept is owned by Martin Leon, his wife Elle, and his cousin Oscar, whose family runs El Rancho Mexican Restaurant in Marshall, Minnesota. The opening is expected in mid-to-late October 2026. Anytime a landmark building gets a second act with a family-run business behind it, it is worth celebrating, and for buyers looking along West Russell, it is a welcome sign that the corridor still has life in it.

On the east side, two solid openings from earlier this year are worth putting on your list. Nick's Gyros converted the former Caribou Coffee building at 3501 E. 10th St. into its second Sioux Falls location, which opened June 25, 2026. Owner Kosta Sengos, whose father Andy founded Nick's in 1982, kept the menu focused on the classics: the signature gyros, the Big Nick Burger, smashburgers, salads, fries, onion rings, hummus, and baklava. And Over Easy, the Arizona-based breakfast chain, opened its first location outside Arizona at Dawley Farm Village, 5722 E. 18th St., with a grand opening on Saturday, June 6, 2026. It is serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch and has been a busy addition to that east-side retail corner.

Taken together, these are small moves, but they add up. A new family restaurant on the west side, a hometown favorite on the east side, and a regional chain landing at Dawley Farm tell you that all three corners of the city are seeing demand.

Brandon: Fareway breaks ground on a new grocery store

Out in Brandon, the grocery news is significant. Fareway broke ground on September 17, 2026 on a new 21,000-square-foot Fareway Meat and Grocery store at 801 W. Holly Blvd. It will be the chain's fifth South Dakota store, and it is expected to open in fall 2027. For a town that has grown as fast as Brandon, a full-service grocery of this size is more than a store, it is a quality-of-life anchor that makes the commute feel less like one. Buyers touring Brandon Valley neighborhoods ask about amenities constantly, and Fareway is the kind of answer that helps a town compete.

Around the metro

A few more things worth knowing. Near Harrisburg, Stones Coffee and Play, a coffee bar with a kids play area, opened this year at 27294 Kenworth Place, Suite 1, just off the I-29 Harrisburg exit. For families touring Harrisburg's growing neighborhoods, it is a practical and fun pit stop, and it is the kind of small business that helps a suburb feel like a community rather than a parking lot. I keep an eye on these businesses because they are often the first sign of a neighborhood maturing.

What this means for buyers and sellers

Here is the realtor's take on all of this. Projects like The Quarry at The Falls and The Switchyard are neighborhood fundamentals, not flashy news items. A publicly funded green space next to Falls Park raises the desirability of the East Bank and downtown, and 270 new units of housing plus office and retail space shift the center of gravity of downtown a little farther east. For sellers near Cherapa Place, that is momentum you can genuinely point to.

The restaurant and grocery news matters in a quieter way. New dining and retail follow rooftops, and every opening in Brandon, Harrisburg, or Sioux Falls proper is evidence that demand is real. When I work with relocating buyers, amenities are often the deciding factor between two similar homes, and this month's list gives them real answers.

My honest advice is the same as always: buy the neighborhood you want to live in, and let the city's momentum work for you over time. If you would like to talk about what any of these changes mean for your search or your home's value, I would love to walk it through with you.

FAQ: What's New in Sioux Falls