GEOGRAPHIC AND INDUSTRY EXPANSION

BY SLATER BARR

Three major projects underway in Sioux Falls, S.D., are part of another year of record-setting construction in the area and stand out as examples of the elements fueling the consistent progress of the Sioux Falls metropolitan area. A $30 million mixed-use project in the heart of downtown, a $125 million medical innovation center on one of our two health care campuses and infrastructure development at the state’s first economic development megasite illustrate the diversity of growth in South Dakota’s largest city.

The revitalization of downtown Sioux Falls, marked by the rehabilitation of historic buildings alongside the construction of modern loft condominiums and a blossoming of retail shops, has brought a new focus to this part of the city. More than 15,000 people now work downtown, with 5,000 downtown residents adding to the mix. Services from an upscale green grocery to a state-of-the-art drug store retrofitted into a historic corner are happening in the downtown area, catering to downtown loft occupants. With destinations like the Washington Pavilion, one of the community’s main cultural attractions, and a growing diversity of restaurants and nightspots, downtown draws a crowd every night of the week.

Capitalizing on that excitement is the Washington Square project. The $30 million, eight-story mixed-use building across from the Washington Pavilion will feature 22 luxury condos, 7,000 square feet of retail space, 22,000 square feet of office space and nearly 200 additional public parking spots. From its luxurious rooftop terrace to new dining options on the street level, Washington Square is a groundbreaking concept for Sioux Falls, with places to work, live and play all in one location.

Construction activity at Sanford Health and Avera Health has consistently added tens of millions of dollars to the building permit totals annually. The 72,000-square-foot, $25 million Avera Emergency and Family Health Center, located west of Interstate 29 in Sioux Falls, is wrapping up construction this fall. In addition to an innovative freestanding emergency center to serve the fast-growing western sector of the city, the clinic will house family practice physicians and OB-GYN services, including mammography and maternal-fetal ultrasounds.

The 102,000-square-foot Imagenetics building, now rapidly going up on the Sanford Health campus, links health care to research, genetics and education. Imagenetics will be home to medical geneticists as well as genetic counselors to address health care in a bold new way. The $125 million project will house an internal medicine clinic, cytogenetics lab, molecular genetics lab, radiology, clinical lab, clinical research, patient access management and dialysis, with a planned completion date in fall 2017.

Slater Barr

In northwest Sioux Falls, construction is moving forward in Foundation Park, South Dakota’s first economic development megasite. With 820 acres divided into sites in a wide variety of sizes, the park features railroad service, access to Interstates 90 and 29 — the crossroads of America — and proximity to the regional airport and Port of Entry. As the sculpting of terrain and the development of infrastructure proceed, companies are already lining up to be part of this next major corporate address in Sioux Falls.

The diversity of these projects, in downtown Sioux Falls, on medical campuses and in a rapidly growing, newly developed corner of the community, is one of the reasons for consistent economic growth in Sioux Falls. Construction projects like these, which are making 2016 another year of record-setting building activity, will continue to fuel economic development in Sioux Falls throughout the last half of this decade.

Slater Barr President Sioux Falls Development Foundation Sioux Falls, S.D. slaterb@siouxfalls.com

A MARKSWOMAN. A SISTER. A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL. A CROCHETER. AN EDUCATOR. ACKERMAN-ESTVOLD.

Meet Cameon. At Ackerman-Estvold, she’s busy shaping our future while preserving our past as a GIS analyst and registered archaeologist. However, we know there is much more to Cameon than digging and data. Away from the maps and artifacts, she’s taking aim as a three-gun competitive shooter and firearms educator. As a Young Professional, Rotarian and volunteer, she’s definitely making her mark in our community.

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