Dream Design International is developing the 280,000-square-foot, four-story building at Dawley Farm Village and leasing it to the state.

It’s designed by Co-op Architecture and being built by McGough Construction.

The building will be “very similar” to one that Dream Design built for the state in Rapid City, founder and CEO Hani Shafai said.

“They’re super happy, and they have seen, even though there was some reservation that it is at the edge of town, the number of customers went up by 25 percent for some of those departments,” he said. “Those are people who, No. 1, did not feel comfortable going to the old location and, No. 2, they did not know some of the services existed.”

The agencies relocating to the Sioux Falls facility encompass a wide spectrum of vital services, including:

• Bureau of Human Resources and Administration
• Bureau of Information & Telecommunications
• Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources
• Department of Corrections
• Department of Education
• Department of Health
• Department of Human Services
• Department of Labor & Regulation
• Department of Public Safety — Driver Licensing
• Department of Revenue
• Department of Social Services
• Governor’s Office of Economic Development

The city of Sioux Falls also is adding a bus stop that will be “right in the parking lot, right in front of the building,” Shafai said, adding the project will include a covered waiting area “to make it more comfortable for people.”

While there will be some public traffic into the building, primarily it’s an office designed for full-time employees with more modern features than they have today, he said.

“There’s outdoor patios, and we’re trying to connect a walking trail system in the back to the apartments and are working with the city on that,” he said.

Dawley Farm Village was a logical choice for multiple reasons, Shafai added. He pointed to the nearby amenities for employees, the wide variety of housing in the area and the connectivity that will come citywide with the completion of Veterans Parkway.

“This building is intended to serve the community for probably the next 100 years, and when you look at that area, you’ve got Brandon on one side and a lot of other communities and growth,” he said.

The plan is to begin moving employees into the building in early 2025, continuing through midyear, with a focus on freeing up the downtown Department of Social Services and Department of Labor & Regulation building at 811 E. 10th St., which the city has identified as a potential redevelopment area.

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