NEWS
Project Updates and Community Impact
Progress on Rapid City’s New VA Clinic
Progress continues on the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic on the corner of Highway 16 and Catron Boulevard. The new VA clinic will replace an aging facility that is half the size of the future clinic. Services offered at the new VA clinic will include primary...
Monument Health Children’s Expansion Campaign Raises $4.1 of 7.1 Million
It’s been 40 years since Monument Health Rapid City Hospital built its labor and delivery rooms. For families across a 250-mile radius who have babies born from 1983 to 2023, the physical atmosphere has remained much the same. What hasn't remained the same are the...
Dream Design’s 2022 Executive Team Additions
Dream Design was blessed with another year of growth in 2022. Beyond growth in the progress of the projects themselves, the Dream Design team itself grew this year. In 2022, we hired a CFO, Director of Design, marketing team, and a housing specialist. Here are the...
Harvard Fellow Joins Dream Design Team
Salem Al Qudwa has joined Hani Shafai’s growing team at Dream Design International as a Construction Manager and Housing Specialist. Salem, a native of Palestine, is an architectural engineer with experience in emergency architecture and affordable housing. He earned...
2022’s Top 10 Highlights
2022 was one for the books. Dream Design was blessed with another year of growth and progress as we worked with our public, private, and non-profit sector partners on community transformation projects in Rapid City, Box Elder, and Spearfish. Here are our top 10...
Mike Stanley Named 2022 ASLA Fellow
Mike Stanley, Dream Design’s Director of Planning, is one of 27 landscape architects to be named to the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2022. Only 1,428 landscape architects have ever been elevated to the Council of Fellows in its...
People To Remember This Holiday Season
There’s no busier time than the holidays. In December, our days get filled with office parties, family get-togethers, baking, shopping, and observing traditions. Though the days fly by, there are people whom we should take the time to remember during the holiday...
Dream Design Celebrates New Location
Hani Shafai cut the ribbon on Dream Design International and KTM Design Solution’s new offices at 18 E. Kansas City Street this week. The teams celebrated the relocation and the growth of the company by holding an open house to kick off the holiday season. During the...
Dream Design Forging Into The Future
It all began 24 years ago when Hani Shafai, a new father of twins, left his job as city engineer to start an engineering firm in his home. Fast forward to today, Dream Design serves as a parent brand to multiple companies which employ a total of around 70 individuals...
Crate is the Newest Addition to Dakota Market Square
Crate will be open for business at their new Dakota Market Square location at 1111 E. North St. in Rapid City starting at noon on Black Friday. The upscale liquidation outlet’s new space will be quadruple the size of the Century Road location and will have crates of...
Dream Design Donates Land For Box Elder Children’s Museum
The future Black Hills Children’s Museum will be located in Liberty Plaza thanks to a donation from Dream Design International. The museum concepted by the City of Box Elder is to be the only children’s museum within 400 miles and is expected to be a major attraction...
Rapid City’s New VA Clinic Will Be In Full Use Next Veterans Day
It was on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 that all fighting ceased in the first world war. The day later known as Armistice Day became a national holiday for Americans to celebrate the conclusion of the conflict that was to be “the...
Sky Ridge A “Huge Component” of Addressing Workforce Housing In Spearfish
Workforce housing is Spearfish’s second biggest challenge, right behind workforce and just ahead of daycare, according to Kory Menken, Executive Director of Spearfish Economic Development. The three issues play into each other. Businesses want to grow but they can’t...
Hani Shafai Helps Launch SD Ukrainian Refugee Effort
Thousands of Ukrainian refugees could secure asylum and work in South Dakota thanks to a new effort launched by community and private sector leaders. Dream Design International President Hani Shafai is championing the launch of Freedom’s Haven for New Americans’...
Box Elder’s New Downtown Sees Steady Progress
Buildings and homes are going up fast at Liberty Plaza in Box Elder. With the B-21 bringing in approximately 1,500 service members to the community, Liberty Plaza is a project to create the city’s first Main Street with retail, restaurants, coffee shops, and a new...
Rapid City’s Largest Native American Org Preparing For Growth
In 2010, Rapid City Central High School’s dropout rate amongst Native Americans was an astonishing 63%. In other words, students of Native descent were more likely than not to call it quits on their high school education. That was until Rural America Initiatives came...
State Officials Join DDI For One-Stop Ribbon Cutting
Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden cut the ribbon on the South Dakota One-Stop Facility on Friday, Oct. 7. He along with BOA Commissioner Scott Bollinger, DSS Secretary Laurie Gill, and President of Dream Design Hani Shafai spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the...
Dept. of Health’s New Location Better Positions Agency For Future
As of September, the Department of Health became one of seven state agencies to move into the new Rapid City One-Stop State Facility on Mall Drive. The agency’s new location has more spacious exam rooms and hallways that can better accommodate visiting families and...
Phase 1 of East Anamosa Street Expansion Nears Completion
The East Anamosa Street expansion is beginning to take shape with concrete curbs and asphalt being put down over this week. With finishing touches to the road happening over the next 30 days, East Anamosa should be open for public use in the coming months.
Pauline Sumption Joins Dream Design As CFO
Rapid City’s former Finance Director steps into her new role as Chief Financial Officer of Dream Design today. After spending 23 years in municipal government working for the City of Sturgis and City of Rapid City, Pauline Sumption will have the opportunity to impact...
4 Reasons Why Civil Engineering Is Trending
College graduates who majored in engineering are the least likely to regret their field of study, according to Federal Reserve data that was shared by the Washington Post last week. With the number of science and engineering degrees almost doubling in the course of 18...
Shepherd Hills Sees Progress on First Phase of Project
Sewer, water and storm drainage for Phase 1A of Shepherd Hills is nearly complete. The Dream Construction crew is now working on packing down the road to get ready for paving that is projected to start early October. Learn more about the project by going to:...
Grading Starts on Black Hills Industrial Center Site
As of September 9, 2022, land grading has officially started for the Black Hills Industrial Center. Those who drive on Old Folsom Road, south of Catron Blvd. in Rapid City, will see large trucks driving on the site including scraping, discing, and blading equipment....
New Location Improves the Dialysis Experience in Rapid City
Dialysis is a growing need in Rapid City. The community’s dialysis population is increasing 3 percent per year, outpacing what other cities are experiencing. With a jump in population between the last two censuses, growth is part of the reason. The other is a...
Dream Design Breaks Ground on Historic Industrial Park
Local officials and members of the public gathered in a field south of Catron Boulevard and broke ground on a 700+ acre industrial park that will be the first of its kind in western South Dakota. The Black Hills Industrial Center will be home to companies in the...
First State Agency Moves In To One-Stop Building
South Dakota Lottery is the first agency to set up shop in the new state One-Stop Building. Lottery employees moved in last week and as of Monday, August 29, their new office is now open to the public 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. By the end of September, the...
A Photo Tour of Dream Design’s New Digs
This is where it all started. A sleep-deprived new father of twins left his job as city engineer to start an engineering firm in his home. After taking on his first projects and seeing some early successes, he was soon able to hire his first employee, Renee Catron....
How OneHeart’s Unprecedented Approach to Poverty Was Built
A single mom found herself in an abusive relationship she needed to escape. Breaking out of abuse wasn’t her only monumental task, however. With only part-time employment and no savings account, her economic situation added an immense layer of complication....
Privately Funded Road Will Connect Southeastern Rapid to Rushmore Crossing
When President Trump mentioned “tapping into private-sector investment” to help fund infrastructure projects in his 2018 State of the Union Address, a centuries-long debate was ignited. Privately funded roads were once commonplace in America. More than 2,000 companies...
First-Grade Teacher Becomes One of Sky Ridge’s First Residents
Twenty-nine-year-old Megan Haag can cross off one of the big goals on her “things to accomplish before I’m 30” list. As of mid-July, she became a homeowner and one of the first to purchase a house in Spearfish’s new workforce development at Sky Ridge. Originally from...
The Vision For The Black Hills Industrial Center
Despite being the second most populous county in South Dakota, Pennington County ranks 30th in the state for median household income. Combine that with the facts that the U.S. just reached a four-decade-high-level of inflation and that Rapid City is one of the most...
Box Elder: From Whistle Stop To SD’s 3rd Fastest Growing Community
Box Elder began as a whistle stop. In 1907, trains on the newly-built Chicago and North Western line whizzed by the town, only stopping in the community if the engineer received a signal. As South Dakota Magazine puts it, “[Box Elder] was the spot where passengers...
Meeting Abraham Lincoln’s Promise With Rapid’s New VA Clinic
Forty-one days before his life was taken, President Abraham Lincoln was sworn into office for the second time. Among the pivotal remarks he offered that day as the Civil War neared its end was the call to “care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow...
New Affordable Neighborhood for Spearfish’s Working Middle Class is Taking Shape
There’s no doubt Spearfish is one of South Dakota’s up-and-coming communities. It’s been dubbed “the coolest small town in South Dakota” by Far & Wide, one of the “10 most beautiful towns in South Dakota” by Culture Tripp, and a “top 100 best small town” by...
Hani Shafai Adds Former Daugaard Communicator and a Real Estate Pro to Dream Design Team
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Kelsey Pritchard and Deborah Larson have joined Hani Shafai’s growing team at Dream Design International, Inc. Pritchard will lead marketing and communications for the company and Larson will be working with clients and providing administrative...
2021 Year in Review | Sky Ridge Home Construction Begins!
Another big highlight of 2021 was the work on our Sky Ridge Development in Spearfish.
Sky Ridge is located off Exit 17 and Colorado Boulevard in Spearfish and will have up to 150 homes when the project is complete. The development will also feature a sports complex with soccer fields, softball/baseball, and a mountain bike track.
2021 YEAR IN REVIEW | Major Transformation at Dakota Market Square
All of the work on Dakota Market Square’s renovation really shined in 2021, with the former Kmart building getting a major facelift and new façade to match the uplift from Phase 1. Paving and landscaping were also a focus on the exterior renovations for this phase.
Inside, the Dream Construction team poured countless hours into a remodel for The Salon Professional Academy [TSPA] – the cosmetology school formerly known as Black Hills Beauty College and helped develop a gorgeous 12,500 sqft state-of-the-art salon that was so successful, it will be used as a model for future salon franchise renovations!
Plans for downtown Lead could soon become a reality
LEAD, S.D. (KOTA) – Its Lead reimagined.
“A lot of excitement in the room. A lot of positive energy and we’re looking on building from that and getting these plans actually into a building mode,” said Gordon Phillips, New Facility Coordinator for the Black Hills Mining Museum
Plans unveiled during a December meeting showed ideas for downtown Lead starting with the Black Hills Mining Museum.
However, components to the overall plan aren’t exactly new.
2021 YEAR IN REVIEW | Buildouts at Buffalo Crossing
In 2021 the Hope Court Strip Mall at Buffalo Crossing was the source of all the action with all five units closing to individual buyers.
The Dream Construction team helped general the buildout for Unit 5 – a second location for our friends at the Gyro Hub 2.
2021 YEAR IN REVIEW | Shepherd Hills Homes, Apartments, and East Anamosa Extension
At the end of Anamosa Street just behind Menards, the 700 acre Shepherd Hills subdivision is starting to take shape.
Single family homes are underway all along Philadelphia Street and in 2021, builders began constructing homes in cul-de-sacs on the south side of Philadelphia.
2021 Year in Review | 31 Scotland Hills Lots Close
The Scotland Hills subdivision at the west end of Minnesota off 5th kept us all busy this year, with the Dream Construction crew installing utilities and the Dream Design team wrapping up letters of intent and purchase agreements on 31 of the 34 available luxury home lots.
The property was platted, readying the lots for sale and the road was paved and the street lights installed to help polish the development off just in time for many of the lots to close on July 31st.
2021 Year in Review | KC Lofts Large Group Move-Ins
A major project for the Dream Design team in 2021 was the construction of the KC Lofts Mixed Use complex on the corner of Kansas City Street and East Boulevard.
The KC Lofts is a four story, 51,600 sqft complex with three stories of residential apartments and four commercial suites on the main level.
The Dream Construction team was highly involved with the project helping to make all of the decisions for a complex like this – paint colors, material types, unit layout, etc., and our crews even got their hands dirty doing a ton of the framing and finishing on the apartment units to race to our August 1 finish line.
2021 Year in Review
2021 brought a lot of growth and change to the Rapid City area, with the need for more housing taking center stage.
The Dream Design team had the honor of partnering with many local builders, realtors, construction crews, bankers, lawyers, title companies, architects, engineers, bookkeepers, suppliers, City and government leaders, and more to help address the housing shortages and bring new home lots, apartments, townhomes and single family homes to the area.
Piles of dirt, in the brisk winter weather, all for an important cause
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Police officers, construction workers, firefighters. The workforce in the Black Hills continues to grow but affordable housing and workers’ pay are not following the same trend.
But one city is on the path to a solution.
“Spearfish, like other places in South Dakota, is experiencing a rapid rise in housing prices and we do know that local wages are not keeping pace with that so this is in an effort to create affordable, nicely designed neighborhoods for our citizens and for our workforce,” said Jayna Watson, city planner for the city of Spearfish.
Sky Ridge, a workforce housing development and sports complex, broke ground for the first home.
Construction begins on 1st homes at Sky Ridge
SPEARFISH, SD – Construction for the first home at Sky Ridge, a workforce housing development and adjacent sports complex near Exit 17, began Thursday morning during a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating this milestone to create affordable housing for Spearfish.
Rapid City sees a record breaking year in building permit valuation totals
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — Rapid City is seeing its busiest year yet with building permit valuation totals.
Contractors and developers in Rapid City have their hands full with construction projects.
“2021 was a very busy year for us. Rapid City is growing and we’re extremely honored to be a part of that growth. Just behind us, we have a building going up that we will lease to the State of South Dakota, about 100-thousand square foot office building. But throughout town we have many different buildings and developments that we’ve worked on throughout the entire year,” Kyle Treloar, VP of Dream Design International, said.
Eye on KELOLAND: Preparing for the B-21
BOX ELDER, S.D. (KELO) — As South Dakota’s 12th largest city, things are only getting busier for Box Elder, as the town prepares for an influx of people moving in the next few years. The B-21 Raider will soon call Ellsworth Air Force Base home.
“So the B-21 Mission is exciting for Ellsworth, it’s exciting for the area and for the state so we are working closely with our military leaders to ensure that as a community we are helping them in all the different ways that need help,” Lynn Kendall, Ellsworth Development Authority, said.
Major projects on road to completion in Rapid City
RCJ – Dream Design International is racing against Mother Nature to get asphalt, concrete and everything in-ground completed on major developments before winter takes hold.
The company is working on the South Dakota One-Stop Complex, Veterans Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic, Liberty Plaza and Shepherd Hills Subdivision among other projects, all of which are in “crunch time,” Vice President Kyle Treloar said.
More apartments on the horizon for Rapid City
RCJ – East Rapid City will be seeing another 212 apartments that make up more than half of the city’s September building permit valuation.
The city issued 289 building permits in September with a valuation of $34,626,013. The apartment buildings make up about 63.76% of that, totaling $22,078,360.
Box Elder construction for Liberty Center is ahead of schedule
BOX ELDER, S.D. (KOTA) – Over in Box Elder the Liberty Center Project is underway and about 30 days ahead of schedule.
The roughly 110-acre project is planned to have mixed uses for the town with a community center that will act as an anchor to the rest of the development which will include a couple of hotels, a bank, a convenience store, and roughly 800 residential units.
Monument Health to Build Box Elder Urgent Care
BOX ELDER, S.D. (KOTA) – Monument Health is building a new urgent care clinic in Box Elder to accommodate the health needs of our growing community and the health care needs that come with more people.
In their announcement, Monument Health stated that this new clinic, which will also provide family medicine and primary care services, will be built on a 2.15-acre parcel of land that Monument Health recently purchased near the planned Liberty Plaza mixed use development project.
Battery manufacturer to build new facility in Rapid City bringing as many as 1,500 jobs
RCJ – A battery manufacturer based in Joplin, Missouri, has selected Rapid City as the site for its new 600,000-square-foot gigafactory that eventually could create as many as 1,500 jobs.
According to the company’s president, Rapid City prevailed over 20 other communities that it was considering for its new facility.
Dream Design breaks ground on Rapid City VA outpatient clinic
everal officials joined Dream Design International Friday morning to break ground on the new Rapid City Veterans Administration Community-based Outpatient Clinic, which will replace the current facility on Fifth Street.
Dream Design’s President/CEO Hani Shafai welcomed the crowd, which included state and local elected officials, along with U.S. Sen. John Thune, members of the VA Black Hills Health Care System, Black Hills Works and others during the ceremony.
Monument Health to move dialysis clinic to Dakota Market Square
Monument Health’s outpatient dialysis clinic is moving to a larger and more accessible location this fall.
The former Kmart shopping center at Dakota Market Square at East North and Cambell streets is currently undergoing renovations for the new clinic, which is expected to be open in October.
Monument Health to Move, Expand Dialysis Clinic
RAPID CITY, S.D. (April 22, 2021) – Monument Health has announced it will move its outpatient dialysis clinic to a larger, more accessible storefront location in the Dakota Market Square retail complex at East North and Cambell streets in Rapid City. The move is tentatively planned for Oct. 20.
Dakota Market Square, formerly Kmart shopping center, is currently undergoing major renovations to create a new retail center.
PROJECT TOUR | Buffalo Crossing
So, here we are at Buffalo Crossing.
We’re located at the intersection of Highway 16 and Catron Boulevard, one of the busiest intersections that we have in Rapid City. One of our fastest growing and developing intersections. With the changes that have been made through the downtown corridor and off of the interstate, this is now our new, main tourism route into the Black Hills.
We’re just a stone’s throw away from Mount Rushmore, from Custer State Park, and right on the access to all of those great locations.
Liberty Center, Plaza projects underway with groundbreaking ceremony
Groundbreaking for the Liberty Center and Plaza in Box Elder could happen in as soon as 60 days, but state delegates and legislators gathered for the ceremony Friday morning.
Hani Shafai, Dream Design International president and CEO, said completion for the center is anticipated for July 2022.
Liberty Center groundbreaking to take place in April
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority (SDEDA) has announced the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Liberty Center recreation facility on Friday, April 9.
The ceremony will take place at the Box Elder City Hall and Community Center at 10:00 a.m.. Senator John Thune and Senator Mike Rounds along with other elected officials instrumental in the project will give remarks, followed by the ceremonial groundbreaking at 10:45 a.m.
New ‘South Dakota One-Stop Complex’ being built in north Rapid City
RCJ – West River residents will soon have a new centralized location to seek services from seven state agencies following a Friday groundbreaking of the South Dakota One-Stop Complex in Rapid City.
The two-story, 100,000-square-foot building will house offices of the Department of Social Services, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Revenue and South Dakota Lottery, the Bureau of Information Technology, and the Bureau of Administration. The complex will be located at 221 Mall Drive, between the Rushmore Mall and Lowe’s.
100,000sqft State of South Dakota “One-Stop” Complex Coming Soon
The team at Dream Design International, Inc. is proud to announce the official kick off for a new 100,000sqft facility for the State of South Dakota.
The South Dakota State “One-Stop” Complex will create one centralized service center for seven state agencies including the Department of Social Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Revenue and SD Lottery, Bureau of Information Technology, and the Bureau of Administration.
GSA Awards Lease for New Rapid City Community-Based Outpatient Clinic
RAPID CITY, S.D. – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently awarded a 20-year lease to Dream Design International, Inc. to build a new Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) planned to be accepting patients in early 2023.
Legislation to spend $3.2 million for Liberty Center in Box Elder awaits Gov. Noem’s signature
PIERRE | It took a circuitous route through the Legislature, but funding for the Liberty Wellness Center in Box Elder got final legislative approval Tuesday afternoon.
The bill originally seeking the state’s $3.2 million for the facility, HB1019, was killed by the Joint Appropriations Committee. During each session legislators introduce a variety of vehicle or placeholder bills, sometimes called hoghouse bills. One of them, HB1166, was amended to include the facility funding and has made it through both the Senate and House.
PROJECT TOUR | Diamond Ridge
Diamond Ridge is an off shoot of our Shepherd Hills property. It’s on the far south side of the larger, 600 acre parcel. If you can kind of look up to the north, you can even see some of Shepherd Hills development off in the distance there.
This is the south side, we’re just off of Homestead Street. We’ve got North Valley Drive just to the west of us here.
Our Diamond Ridge Subdivision is essentially an extension of the Johnson Ranch concept, where we felt that it was necessary for us to continue to provide that workforce, entry level housing. That first-time homebuyer’s level, keep it under the $250,000 range.
Sky Ridge development in Spearfish will provide affordable housing for the community
PEARFISH, S.D. — A new affordable housing development in Spearfish is in the process of going up.
Construction began last September. Sky Ridge is on Colorado Boulevard, near Highway 85. A 2013 study showed the need for more affordable housing options in Spearfish.
The city brought in Dream Design International of Rapid City to create a public-private partnership to build affordable homes.
PROJECT TOUR | Scotland Hills
This is our premiere subdivision in Rapid City. This is one of the most fun subdivisions I’ve ever had the chance to be a part of.
We were able to take 120 acres that was hidden right inside of Rapid City on these beautifully forested slopes just next to the Hospital right away from Highway 16 and just off of 5th Street.
What we had here was a series of ridges that extended up and through this area. Heavily treed forests, heavily treed gulleys, amazing wildlife -deer, fox, all sorts of things, turkeys all over the place.
PROJECT TOUR | Orchard Meadows
Orchard Meadows is a project that we started in 2013, almost 7 years ago.
Here, you can see how our original vision and master plan actually becomes a real living community and what evolves from that.
We started with a concept and a deal with the City of Rapid City for a land swap to take what that time was an unused campground. And, we looked at it – we had floodplain issues, we had wetland issues, we had access issues off the highway, and we looked at this, we evaluated the needs on the east side Rapid City, here and put together a mixed use master plan that included commercial, residential, and apartment uses.
PROJECT TOUR | Johnson Ranch
This is Johnson Ranch.
Johnson Ranch is one of my personal, favorite developments that we’ve ever done.
It started with an idea and a round table discussion where it was “What can we do to create workforce, affordable level housing inside of Rapid City? What can we do that doesn’t require subsidy?”
In other words, we don’t want to take money from the State Housing Development, we don’t want to take grant money, we don’t want to ask the City for TIF funds or additional dollars. What can we do to make this happen within the terms of the property and the zoning code that we have here?
PROJECT TOUR | Dakota Market Square
Here we are at Dakota Market Square. This has been an amazing project. This is a true rejuvenation project where we were able to take an existing building that was in disrepair, it was in the process of being emptied out and unoccupied.
We started by remodeling the east half. We had 90,000 sqft that you’re looking at now. We put brand new fronts on the entire building and we’ve moved from east to west. Every suite on the west side of the building has been filled up.
PROJECT TOUR | KC Lofts
This is the Kansas City Lofts.
This is a four story mixed use apartment building. We have commercial suites on the main level, and then we have three stories of apartments above that… The project itself is a mixed use project. And, what we’ve done is we’ve tried to incorporate all of the work that the City of Rapid City has put into the East of Fifth rezoning and redevelopment of this entire side of town.
JOIN US ON A PROJECT TOUR!!
The best way to really get a handle on the projects at Dream Design is to hop in the truck with Hani and Kyle and drive the project tour – getting the real time narrative to see what’s coming, what stage of development we’re in, what are the project challenges, and what awesome new services a project is able to bring to the area.
…In the midst of COVID this year, those project tours are a lot more infrequent and a bit more tricky to pull off, so we’ve pulled together a VIRTUAL project tour, so now, we can bring the project tour TO YOU.
Affordable housing becoming more elusive for locals
South Dakota’s status as a relocation destination is a boon for the region’s construction industry, but a challenge for some locals shopping for homes.
Gov. Kristi Noem touted the robust housing industry in her 2021 State of the State address, calling South Dakota the perfect place to “live your life as you see fit.”
“Residential home sales are up all across the state and home construction in South Dakota is especially strong. New home construction in South Dakota is more than one-and-a-half times greater than the national average. And over the past 10 months, construction employment in South Dakota is up 10% compared to a year ago,” Noem said.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | Dream Construction Utility Crew Builds Diamond Ridge Extension
The Diamond Ridge subdivision features four phases of affordable homes along Diamond Ridge Boulevard. Located off Homestead Street in East Rapid City, Diamond Ridge offers an extension of the Johnson Ranch concept with homes ranging from $170,000 to $235,000.
Homes feature 1-2 car garages, 2-5 bedrooms, and 1-2 bathrooms and offer NEW construction at an affordable price range which has been a big hit for Rapid City residents.
Sky Ridge, a new development going up in Spearfish
SPEARFISH, S.D. (KOTA) – It has a waitlist of more than 170 people.
“Just since the project has begun we’ve started a waiting list and you need to be pre-qualified to get the homes and we haven’t started that process but we did put together a waiting list for families and people that had a need for these homes and wanted to live in that area,” says Kyle Treloar from Dream Design International.
Skyridge Development in Spearfish will have 140 homes ranging in prices as low as $100,000 to $275,000.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | Johnson Ranch Residential Complete!
The Johnson Ranch project in East Rapid City is one of Dream Design’s most proud achievements. The project brought 77 affordable, newly constructed homes to the Rapid City market at an unprecedented starting point of $160,000.
Johnson Ranch offered Rapid City residents a beautiful, new, clean home in a polished subdivision they could truly be proud of and Dream Design prioritized what was best for the City and its residents over a padded bottom line. The result is incredible, with 77 homes sold and built out in less than three years.
Mild winter allows construction to continue without pushback from weather
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – From streets to buildings, construction is going on across the Black Hills. Vice President of Dream Design International Kyle Treloar says snow plays a big role in the amount of work that crews are able to do.
“The snow is not great for underground work and for mass grading style work,” says Treloar. “It can be done, you just have to be more careful so when you’re moving mass quantities of dirt you need to be aware of the frost in the ground. The frost doesn’t allow doesn’t allow for proper compaction and so you can’t compact frosty material.”
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | Spearfish Affordable Housing is a Big Hit
Late 2019, the Dream Design team submitted a response to the City of Spearfish RFP for a new, affordable housing project. Early 2020, Dream Design was selected to build the homes and the project has been incredibly popular from the get go. Though homes will not be ready until August 2021, over 175 people have signed up for the Sky Ridge waitlist, hopeful they will be among the first selected for these much needed affordable homes.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | Orchard Meadows Nearly Complete!
After 7-8 years of heavy work master planning, designing, grading, constructing, selling, and leasing, the Orchard Meadows subdivision is nearly complete!
The Dream Design team sold out all but one final lot at Orchard Meadows (Lot L), with the final remaining 16 home lots sold off, the Tract A apartment land sold off, Lot F and Lot K, Lot H, and Tract L sold as well.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | KC Lofts Bring Revitalization East of Fifth
The Kansas City Street Lofts at the corner of East Boulevard and Kansas City Street were well underway in 2020, bringing three stories of residential and one floor of commercial suites to the School of Mines corridor and Rapid City’s “East of Fifth” designation.
Crews completed all the dirt work, foundations, and began framing in 2020 for move-in to the complex slated for mid-2021.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | Scotland Hills Hits a Sweet Spot
While 2020 certainly made some industries slow down, there were major surges in other areas. Residential lots and homes – in every price range – were hard to come by with homes flying off the market before they could even be posted.
The luxury home lots at Scotland Hills were no different. Though these were not pre-existing homes, and are, in fact, simply lots to be built on, this luxury home market certainly struck a chord with Rapid City residents.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW | Dakota Market Square Remade this Year
A major highlight of Dream Design’s 2020 Year was the complete renovation of Phase 1 of “Dakota Market Square.”
Dakota Market Square is the 185,000 square foot complex at the corner of Cambell Street and East North that many grew up knowing as the “Northgate Plaza Shopping Center.” It was the home to the infamous Stargate Theater and the Gigglebee’s/Peppy’s Pizza hangout complete with laser tag, pizza, and a talking coyote to deliver your meal.
These iconic spots were transformed this year after a long time in disrepair and a lack of much needed TLC. Take a look at their drastic before and afters and see how much the whole complex has changed.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
At Dream Design International, we have been abundantly lucky this year that in the midst of so much COVID craziness, economic uncertainty, and turmoil throughout the country, that construction in South Dakota was an industry that kept moving, kept working, and could safely continue without interruption.
With numerous projects throughout Rapid City and the Hills, we were able to provide projects to keep hundreds of crew members, superintendents, vendors, contractors, and subs working steadily all year.
The Pennington County Commission approves a massive project in Box Elder
BOX ELDER, S.D. (KOTA) – Box Elder, a town getting ready for the arrival of the massive B-21 program at Ellsworth Air Force Base along with a new development to help the community grow called Liberty Plaza.
“We don’t really have a Main Street, we don’t have a good center to the city,” says Box Elder Mayor Larry Larson. “This is going to, this is going to be it.”
Right across from City Hall, the development spans 110 acres and will cost more than 100 million dollars.
Hani Shafai from Dream Design International says Liberty Plaza will feature a staple community center with shopping and hundreds of places to live from townhomes to apartments.
Sky Ridge takes shape
SPEARFISH — The Sky Ridge housing development has hit a major milestone as rough grading has been completed – the first step to developing the 156 square acre workforce housing project.
“The softball fields are graded in as well as the soccer complexes and the roads,” said Spearfish City Administrator Mike Harmon during Monday’s council meeting.
Harmon said crews are now working on installing underground utilities such as water and sewer mains as well as storm drainage, which will continue through the winter in preparation for construction to begin in the spring.
Construction on Box Elder Liberty Plaza project could start within 45 days, developer says
RAPID CITY, S.D. (RCJ) – Grading for the Liberty Center and plaza area may begin in the next 30 to 45 days, Hani Shafai, president of Dream Design International, said Friday.
Shafai said the 110-acre property will feature the 50,000-square-foot recreation Liberty Center along with a plaza, townhomes, single-family houses and mix-use buildings.
Spearfish Affordable Housing: FAQs + Join the Waitlist!
Many of you have asked some great questions about the incoming homes. While the project has fully kicked off, many of these answers are still in progress and details will become more concrete by Spring.
Rest assured, at this time – if you sign up for the waitlist, you will have FIRST ACCESS to any available homes.
Crews demolish old Hardee’s building at Dakota Market Square
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Crews got to work on Wednesday, demolishing the old Hardee’s building in Dakota Market Square.
This is the next phase of Dream Design International’s large urban renewal project at Dakota Market Square.
When the project is complete, it will house a 10,000 square foot hospitality and commercial retail space that people can rent out.
The director of planning for Dream Design says they’re currently working with quite a few interested parties.
Johnson Ranch, 52 acres featuring both residential and commercial properties.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 7.2 million affordable housing units are needed across the U.S. and Rapid City is not immune.
Right off of St. Patrick Street and Highway 44 is a new development, Johnson Ranch. The 52 acres featuring both residential and commercial properties.
Dream design international started the project more than two years ago and is putting the final touches on the last of eighty houses.
And homes won’t be the only housing in the development, the plans include a 150 unit complex next to a community park.
New housing development in Rapid City takes the outdoors to a unique level
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Scottland Hills, 120 acres secluded in a forest in the middle of Rapid City, now home to 34 lots costing between $92,000 to $1 million.
Dream Design is working with the fire department and Rapid City on doing fuel mitigation to keep the area safe.
Due to its unique area, the company sees a lot of people in the health care industry looking to buy due to its proximity to medical facilities and people looking to move back to Rapid City.
“Scotland Hills is an amazing project. It’s one that’s just been a pleasure to be apart of. You don’t get to work on a project like that that often. It was in a beautiful property located right in the middle of Rapid City,” says Kyle Treloar from Dream Design International.
Orchard Meadows, an upcoming development near Rapid Valley
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Right off of Highway 44, Orchard Meadows is an upcoming commercial development in Rapid Valley with plans to offer health care, a church, and even a restaurant.
Going up around it, $140 million worth of housing, including 130 single-family homes,102 townhomes, and 800 apartments.
And with the influx of people and the employees at the new facilities, nearby development company Dream Design is also putting in a daycare.
Dream Design International says this project has been seven years in the making and all of the lots are already sold.
New development projected to bring in thousands to Rapid City
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Shepherd Hills, a 600-acre development on the east side of Rapid City.
“That 600 acres, that’s a lot of property to be working with and master planning,” says Hani Shafai from Dream Design International.
And Dream Design International has a plan, almost 1,000 apartments and 1,500 single-family homes.
But with that influx of people, a new school is needed.
$18M project brings new businesses into Dakota Market Square
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – The K-Mart shopping area is getting a makeover and becoming Dakota Market Square
“The first phase of that project has been completed, and it’s all completely 100% occupied and it includes as I mentioned before retail and office, the next phase is just starting,” says Hani Shafai from Dream Design International.
The next phase includes remodeling the large K-Mart building and splitting it into education, health care and retail spaces.
“The era of big boxes is gone,” says Shafai. “Right now, we are in the small business and mixed office and retail combination type deal even residential if the chances or the opportunities present themselves.”
New Buffalo Crossing development forms in south Rapid City
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) -The south side of Rapid City is being reimagined along Mount Rushmore Road and Catron Boulevard.
Buffalo Crossing, a new and upcoming development project with 60 homes and many businesses with many of the lots already sold.
The area used to encompass hills, canyons and even an amusement park and Dream Design International came in and flattened the area.
Rapid City is rapidly changing with growth all across the city
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Dream Design International says they have ten projects going on just in Rapid City ranging from the construction of 1,600 apartments, a large number of houses, and many businesses all valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
The development company says they are using most of the major contracting companies in the Black Hills and even one from Wyoming bringing in many jobs to help develop the Black Hills area.
Three New Housing Communities Coming to the Black Hills
The Dream Design team is excited to announce three new housing projects coming to the Black Hills: Sky Ridge in Spearfish, The Marcotte Project in Sturgis, and Scotland Hills in Rapid City. These projects hit a wide range of price points and home styles to help meet the varied needs of our residents and all aim to highlight the best of what the Black Hills has to offer: outdoor recreation opportunities, incredible views, and access to City parks and services.
Spearfish’s new workforce housing development officially starts construction
The Sky Ridge development is part of the city’s active effort to provide “affordable housing options in Spearfish,” the press release said. These homes have income qualifications. Buyers must be in the 12% or 22% federal income tax bracket.
In 2019, the city laid the groundwork for the project and purchased the property. The mayor and City Council established a public-private partnership between Dream Design International, Inc. to move forward with this project.
The building project is located south of Colorado Boulevard and west of U.S. Highway 85 in the Exit 17 area, off Interstate 90.
Brand New, Affordable Housing Community Officially Underway!
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, the Dream Design team was joined by the Honorable Mayor Dana Boke, Spearfish City Administrator Mike Harmon, and numerous representatives from the City, Spearfish Economic Development, local employers, the HDR design team, and Zandstra Construction for an OFFICIAL Groundbreaking on the new Sky Ridge Affordable Housing Community in Spearfish, South Dakota.
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