Liberty Plaza — a 110-acre mixed use project in Box Elder, and one of many underway to prepare for the incoming B-21 Raider mission — is going vertical.
The Dream Design International project, announced in December 2020, will not only serve to accommodate incoming airmen, but create a downtown district that will connect the city in a way it's never seen before.
The plaza will include the city’s first ever Main Street, and has already seen the completion of the Liberty Center — a $12.6 million, 60,000-square-foot recreation facility shared by Ellsworth Air Force Base and the Box Elder community.
As construction progresses, residents are beginning to see vertical construction climb into the beginnings of a downtown skyline. Most of the visible progress within the Liberty Plaza, located off Liberty Boulevard, is housing.
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Perhaps the most prominent is an apartment building called The Union, to be completed next year. Overall, the plaza will include about 800 residential units, to include apartments, single-family homes and townhomes.
Hani Shafai, president and founder of Dream Design International in Rapid City, estimated some of the apartments and homes will be ready for move-in within the next 45 days.
In addition to housing, confirmed businesses within the plaza include a Wyndham hotel, a bank, a Monument Health clinic, a Boston Market restaurant and a convenience store. Shafai hinted at a possible specialty grocery store, as well, and an additional restaurant.
A housing study released by the city in August revealed an “immediate need” for housing in Box Elder. Base housing had a 150-name waiting list, equating to about a six-month wait. With airmen often having to resort to hotels, a hotel within Box Elder, which will provide extended stay rooms, could help alleviate the housing need as development progresses.
“You have some folks who have critical missions that they have to be within a certain distance of the base, so this will provide them options,” Shafai said.
The planned hotel will include 30 extended stay rooms and 80 normal occupancy rooms. Shafai estimated the design phase for the hotel will be complete by March, when construction could begin.
The project, being completed in phases, has wrapped on its first —infrastructure. What Shafai described as the first phases of apartment and housing construction is currently underway and a Phase 2, of sorts, for the overall project. Phase 3 will include road connections, planned for next spring.
Neither Liberty Plaza's schedule nor budget were exempt from inflation and supply chain issues that plagued the rest of the country. The project's initial budget projections have seen a 30% increase for infrastructure alone, Shafai said.
“We try to do whatever we can to overcome those without really cutting corners or compromising on the quality or the size of the project,” he said.
Supply chain issues have also created design adjustments, Shafai said, and additional soil remediation processes to ensure soil is suitable to build on. They have also had to accommodate revising property lines, to include their recent donation of five acres of land to the city’s planned children’s museum.
The museum is part of the city’s larger vision to enhance the quality of life in Box Elder — for the community and base alike.
“Besides housing and infrastructure we have been working on things that will make the quality of life better for the military families and the community of Box Elder,” said Box Elder Mayor Larry Larson. “The Liberty Plaza is one of those areas that will accomplish this.”
Larson called the children’s museum an “exciting project” that will make Box Elder a destination for western South Dakota. The museum will be located northeast of the Liberty Center, in the heart of the city’s brand new downtown.
The incorporation of a downtown district is also the creation of a brand new culture in Box Elder. Liberty Plaza will create a heartbeat for the city, pulsing through a connected community, economic development and, the city hopes, a regional draw.
Larson, who has lived in Box Elder since 1974, is witnessing a new era in his city.
“When I talk to people about all the exciting things happening in Box Elder, many of them say ‘where is your Main Street?’” he said.
While Box Elder has experienced steady growth over the past decade, the city lacked planning, Larson said, and businesses were spread out.
Liberty Plaza’s location comes directly off of Liberty Boulevard, a road that also connects directly to Ellsworth’s main gate.
“We are lucky to have the opportunity to build from the ground up a center to the city that will be vibrant and exciting with all the things the community and Ellsworth want,” Larson said.
And for the first time ever, Box Elder will have a Main Street.
“Downtown typically is the heart of a community,” Shafai said. “I think Box Elder needed one for many years, and hopefully, the Liberty Plaza will provide downtown atmosphere for the city for many, many years to come — and many generations to come. And hopefully it’s something the community can be proud of.”
The creation of a downtown district will enhance an already unique culture created by having an Air Force base in town.
“Airmen that come into Ellsworth — some of them are single, some of them are married, some of them have kids,” Shafai said.
Liberty Plaza will provide "several components," he said, that will not only improve their quality of life, but connect them with the community.
“Hopefully it will be a great asset to the region and to Ellsworth,” he said.
Shafai said a project of this magnitude would not be possible without exceptional working relationships, recognizing their partnerships with the city of Box Elder, Ellsworth, the South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority and Pennington County.
