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 highlights for the year.

1: Rapid City State One-Stop

A little over a year after the project broke ground, we completed the Rapid City State One-Stop Facility on Mall Drive. We wrapped up most of the construction by the spring and coordinated furniture arrival and landscape additions during the summer.

South Dakota Lottery was the first agency to locate in the space in August and all agencies moved in by the end of September. More than 100 people attended the ribbon cutting event on October 7 that included remarks from Hani Shafai, the Lt. Governor, BOA Commissioner Scott Bollinger, and DSS Secretary Laurie Gill as well as a native blessing from Robert Rattling Chase of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

2: Black Hills Industrial Center

On Tuesday, September 6, local officials and people of the community joined Dream Design to break ground on the Black Hills Industrial Center. In total, Zandstra Construction will move 1.9 million cubic yards of dirt. Located at the southeastern corner of the city, the site will check all of the boxes for manufacturing companies by having a reliable, high-quality power source nearby as well as rail that will run through the property. Being adjacent to the Heartland Expressway and near I-90, businesses will have easy access to transport goods to various markets.

The 700-acre industrial park will provide 2,000 professional, high-paying jobs. By the end of 2022, Dream Design had secured four commitments from companies for the park, including nickel-zinc battery producer Aesir Technologies Inc.

3: KC Lofts

Dream Design and KTM outgrew their office space at 520 E. Kansas City Street in 2022. To meet the growing teams’ needs, Dream Design leaders established plans to occupy the majority of the first floor of the KC Lofts building. Construction to tailor the space took place throughout the winter, spring, and summer, and staff moved to the new office in mid-August.

Dream Design and KTM held a holiday open house event on Nov. 30 to welcome the community to the new office. Hani Shafai shared some remarks about Dream Design’s commitment to the community, and drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served. Around 150 people attended the event.

4. OneHeart

In the summer of 2022, Hani Shafai completed his commitment to give $1 million over the course of three years to OneHeart. This year was OneHeart’s second year of operation. In its first year, the campus served 200 people, provided over 20,500 nights of safe living, and facilitated 8 family reunifications.

5. Liberty Plaza

This year, Phase 1 of Liberty Plaza in Box Elder was complete and Phase 2 – the construction of apartments and homes – began. As of December, 142 houses were in progress along with the Union apartments. When finished, Liberty Plaza will include 148 single family homes and 498 apartments; a Wyndham Hotel, Monument Health Clinic, and Black Hills Community Bank Branch; a children’s museum, restaurant, and convenience store; and space for offices and retailers.

Also in 2022, Liberty Center was completed and opened to the public in November. Liberty Center is a recreational center that serves as the focal point of the new downtown. Members of the military, military families and civilians are able to utilize the new facility. Liberty Center includes an indoor track, space for exercise equipment and weights, two basketball courts, group instruction rooms, and space for community and military events. Liberty Center will be utilized by service members for physical training and certification.

6: Dakota Market Square

We installed new plants and welcomed two new tenants to Dakota Market Square in 2022: Oaye Luta Okolakiciye and Crate. Oaye Luta Okolakiciye is a Lakota-based non-profit that provides substance abuse prevention, intervention, and recovery services. The non-profit utilizes 9,200 square feet of space on the west side of the building between the Light of the World Church and China Star Buffet.

Crate is on the east side of the building next to the Monument Health Dialysis Clinic. Work to tailor the space for Crate took place throughout the summer and fall, with the store opening on Black Friday.

7: Shepherd Hills

The work to extend Anamosa Street beyond Philadelphia Street began in July of 2022, with Zandstra Construction completing the grading of 1.12 million cubic yards just prior in the spring. Dream Construction finished with the balance of the infrastructure within 100 days before weather turned cold.

In total, the installation of utilities includes:

• 5,700 feet of 20-inch water line
• 5,700 feet of 16-inch water line
• 760 feet of 12-inch water line
• 170 feet of 8-inch water line
• Several fire hydrants
• 5,400 feet of 12-inch sanitary sewer
• 3,100 feet of 8-inch sanitary sewer
• Around 5,000 feet of stormwater
• Two major regional detention ponds

The project is the last stretch of undeveloped major arterial road for the entire city and it will connect southeastern Rapid City to Rushmore Crossing. The East Anamosa construction is expected to be complete by Spring 2023.

Also at Shepherd Hills, Dream Design worked with the Rapid City School District to set aside a portion of land for a school site. The school district purchased 60 acres of land with the help of a $378,000 donation from Dream Design.

8: Veteran Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic

The major pieces of construction on the new VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Rapid City took place in 2022. By the summer, the interior framing was complete, the drop-off canopy was installed, and the inside of the building began to visually take shape. In the fall, we enclosed the building by installing windows, finishing the masonry, and adding metal panels to the exterior. By the time winter settled in, much of our work was focused on the interiors and a quarter of the space was bearing near completion. The building will be turned over to the Department of the Interior in Spring 2023.

9: Sky Ridge

Dream Design started construction on the homes at Sky Ridge in early 2022. The first owner closed on their home in July and 14 others closed by mid-December. When it is finished, the development will include a total of 140 homes near a new 40-acre sports complex with softball and soccer fields.

As a partnership with the City of Spearfish, Sky Ridge homes are meant to be for first-time homebuyers who are a part of the local workforce. In 2022, the homes were sold at prices much lower than equivalent options on the market in Spearfish – giving those individuals and families a chance at homeownership that they might not otherwise have had.

10: Ukraine Refugee Fund

After Russia invaded Ukraine, a group of business and government leaders met in July and formed the concept for the Freedom’s Haven for New Americans’ Workforce fund. The idea was to help thousands of Ukrainian refugees secure asylum and work in South Dakota. In the fall, Hani Shafai championed the launch of the effort in the Rapid City region through a $50,000 matching donation. Funds raised go toward defraying costs for local sponsors who will ensure refugees have housing and support.