SIOUX CITY, IA -
If you drive through the intersection of 27th and Pierce Streets very often, be ready for a safer change.
The Hy-Vee Drugstore that's there could be transforming, and that intersection along with it.
Besides a bigger Hy-Vee Drug Store, some folks see this project as planting a seed that will hopefully grow to revitalize that section of Pierce Street.
A stretch of Pierce Street in downtown Sioux City is set to look a whole lot different.
"Over the years Pierce, like all arterial streets, Pierce street's got a little run down," said Brent Nelson, a senior planner with the city of Sioux City. "This takes a full block of it's frontage and rebuilds it nicely, very, very nice."
In a meeting Tuesday, Sioux City's Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans to re-zone that part of Pierce, starting a project that's set to breathe new life into that stretch of street.
The Hy-Vee Drugstore that's there will transform into a bigger 14,000 sq. ft. building just south of where it sits right now. The current building will become part of a new parking lot.
Other buildings and six vacant homes will be torn down to make room.
"Previous projects had those homes plus seven more going away, and so this is a significant improvement," said Nelson. "We preserved seven very nice older homes."
But those changes aren't all.
The intersection, at Pierce and 27th, is also set for a safer change.
"We will re-align it so that free right turn goes away, because those are very difficult when you look over your shoulder, and it leads to accidents," said Nelson. "We'll turn it into a normal four way intersection with a turn lane."
It's about making an intersection safer for drivers, while starting to redevelop a small part of downtown Sioux City.
The city council still has to approve all of those re-zoning plans before anything gets underway.
If that happens, we should see work starting on the project by September 1st.
