Sioux Falls Gets $15 Million Grant for Falls Park Quarry

Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation announced July 7, 2026, that the city will receive a $15 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to revitalize the quarry property adjacent to Falls Park.

The grant gives the city a major outside funding source for a signature public-space project near the Big Sioux River. The quarry’s redevelopment could affect how residents use the Falls Park area and could shape future recreation, tourism, downtown expansion and river access.

What the grant supports

The money is targeted specifically at revitalizing the quarry property beside Falls Park. The announcement does not provide a final design, construction budget, completion date or details about matching funds.

The grant also does not establish that construction has begun. At this stage, the confirmed development is the award of the grant and the city’s plan to move into a public launch and community-engagement phase.

Sioux Falls was one of eight communities selected in the funding round. The city and the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation announced the award together, while the Bezos Earth Fund is providing the grant.

A broader Falls Park vision

The city says the broader Falls Park master-plan goal is to create a year-round signature park and community gathering place. The quarry property is adjacent to the existing park, making its future use part of a larger public-space question for the city.

That connection matters because changes at the quarry could influence how the Falls Park area functions beyond the current park footprint. The approved announcement identifies potential implications for recreation, tourism, downtown expansion and access to the Big Sioux River, but it does not say which of those elements will be included in a final project.

The project also arrives as Sioux Falls works through longer-range questions about growth and public investment. The city’s Shape Sioux Falls 2050 comprehensive-plan process focuses on managing growth, infrastructure investment and long-range development. That planning context gives the quarry project significance beyond a single property, although the grant announcement does not specify how the project will be incorporated into the final comprehensive plan.

Public engagement is next

The city has planned a public launch and community-engagement event for fall 2026. That phase should provide the next known opportunity for residents to learn more about the project and offer input as the city develops the quarry’s future direction.

No final construction schedule has been announced. The grant announcement also leaves open the project’s ultimate scope, total cost and funding structure beyond the $15 million award.

For now, the award marks a significant step toward redeveloping a prominent property next to Falls Park. The practical local question will shift from whether the quarry has a major new funding source to how the city uses the engagement process to define a plan for the site.