Gauer: Covering how Sioux Falls develops is important to me, because it's important to you.

Many of you might be familiar with my work as the Business Reporter, a position I’ve held at the Argus Leader since April of last year.

Now, I’d like to officially reintroduce myself as the Real Estate and Development Reporter.

The Argus Leader has gone through enormous changes the past six months, as have our resources. But our mission to provide local journalism has remained the same, even if the positions inside our newsroom – mine included – have changed.

I’ll get to what that means in a second.

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Covering the Sioux Falls community that I, too, am a part of

I’ve lived in South Dakota my whole life. The towns I lived in before moving here had populations of anywhere between 700 and 28,000 people. Sioux Falls was always considered the “big city,” a fun weekend destination for special occasions.

But living here made me realize it's so much more than that.

One thing I see time and time again from my reporting is how incredible the Sioux Falls community is as far as growth and support goes, and how many things there are to write about.

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And the reality is I, too, am a part of this community. I’m one member of our amazing team on the ground, writing about issues that intersect with and personally affect us, too.

For example, I am one of the many local residents who knows how hard it can be to find a good, affordable place to rent as South Dakota as a whole continues to try and address its ongoing affordable housing crisis.

And local journalism is important to highlighting such issues, because without it we miss sharing those parts of the community. I believe this is one of the great needs our city has, and I believe it’s my job to help elevate the voices of those affected, so that we might find viable solutions.

I'm excited to use my new position to do just that. I want to cover it all – the good, the bad and the better − but I’m only one person. There is only so much I can do.

So, I want to use my resources to go beyond just telling what’s happening, to share why it’s important and answer questions about how a situation directly affects those who live here, with proper context.

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Lookout for big businesses, development, housing and the fun side of Sioux Falls

If you’ve read my article on the top business stories to watch for in 2023, you’ll know that part of my coverage will be following along with those topics, such as the state's childcare crisis and ongoing changes to Empire Mall.

You’ll notice some of my coverage will start to overlap with our city and county reporter, Trevor Mitchell, a bit more as he tackles how a “booming city” of more than 200,000 handles such growing pains as it stretches across two counties.

The development part of my beat will also have me focus on news about major projects such as the Steel District and Cherapa Place and even the new Riverline District, with an emphasis on how they shape the business and economic picture of our city.

More:New Riverline District development will expand downtown Sioux Falls to the east

But it’s not limited to downtown. Big business news like Amazon and the Sanford/Fairview merger also fall under my purview, and who knows what the next big business coming to the town will be.

I'll also be to diving more into issues surrounding the housing market, affordable housing, evictions and the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness –something my personal coverage has yet to reach.

Other things you can still expect from me are the weekly Top Homes report and a monthly by-the-numbers look at where the Sioux Falls housing market is at.

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Then, of course, I want to share the fun side of Sioux Falls business: the human-interest pieces like the local man who ate all 32 burgers from the Burger Battle in 16 days or the rooster who keeps residents company at a Good Sam senior living center.

We may be a smaller newsroom than we once were, but don’t think we’ve gone anywhere.

This work is important to me, and I know the topics are important to many of you. I will keep trying to do this job to the best of my ability. This community deserves it.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Why Sioux Falls real estate, development will be a focus for our news