CHS Acquires Vacant Lot Near Shelter
The Executive Team is excited to announce that CHS has recently purchased approximately 1.5 acres of land at the corner of East 10th Street and North St. Paul Avenue in Sioux Falls—directly south of Shelter for Family Safety.
Last summer Furniture Mission, in partnership with Lloyd Properties, notified us that the adjacent lot near the Shelter would be listed on the commercial market. They expressed their desire to give CHS the first opportunity to purchase the property.
After consulting with our Board, the Executive Team decided that owning the land would allow us to eliminate any potential risk to the safety of our Shelter guests.
“The Executive Team and I believe that purchasing this land is a strategic investment in the long-term safety of our Shelter,” said President and CEO Michelle Lavallee. “It reflects our continued commitment to protecting the vulnerable children, adults and families we serve, while also ensuring that we have control over the environment that surrounds them.”
With help from our Finance Department, CHS submitted a bid, but unfortunately, the offer was declined. At that point, both CHS and the Board decided to allow the property to enter the open market.
Last month, CHS learned that the property was still on the market and the Executive Team began discussing the possibility of submitting another offer. During those conversations, Reggie Kuipers of Bender Commercial Property reached out to inform us that a third-party offer was under consideration. If CHS was still interested, we needed to submit a bid by the first week of June.
In the final weeks of May, Chief Philanthropy Officer Jon Mammenga secured a generous gift that covered the full cost of the new offer—ensuring that no funds would come out of the CHS budget. On Friday, May 30, CHS Board Chair Jack Marsh met with Mr. Kuipers to finalize the terms and submit a new offer, which Furniture Mission accepted.
If all continues to go according to plan, Mr. Kuipers believes that we will close within the next 30 days.