By Jodi Schwan

A signature three-story office building is coming to Minnesota Avenue near Interstate 229.

Van Buskirk Cos. will move its office from southwest Sioux Falls to the new 46,000-square-foot building at 49th Street and Minnesota Avenue. The development, construction and property management company just started marketing the rest of the space to tenants but is finding strong interest, Steve Van Buskirk said.

“This is a marquee spot for Sioux Falls. It’s a gateway to Sioux Falls,” he said. “We’re looking at it in that context and trying to do something special there. We really think this could be a transition moment for Minnesota Avenue going north.”

The office market is expanding far enough south – with several new offices at 85^th Street – “that it’s starting to get inconvenient to get to downtown, so we thought this was an opportunity to refocus attention on being close to downtown and close to access points,” he said.

Van Buskirk Cos. will take about 8,000 to 10,000 square feet on the third floor. The company has outgrown the offices near 69th Street and Western Avenue where it has been for about 10 years.

“We’re out of room,” Van Buskirk said. “We’ve found every nook and cranny in the office and are in two buildings now, so we want to get everybody under one roof again.”

A tenant already is interested in part of the second floor, and a portion of the first floor is designed for a bank branch.

“We think it would be a good location. That’s the busiest section of I-229 with traffic counts,” Van Buskirk said. “People funnel in and go down Minnesota, and that’s how people get downtown. So we thought it would be a good location for a bank branch or a main-floor medical office. We’ve got really good parking ratios for a medical office or some type of professional service like that.”

Van Buskirk Cos. will build this three-story office building at Minnesota and I-229.

The building will include underground parking and likely will add some shared services for tenants such as a coffee shop.

Construction won’t start until more leases are done, but the hope is to open in the fall of 2018.

“What we’re up to is really resonating with people,” Van Buskirk said. “This is comparable to a downtown location because it’s so close, but it’s just easier with the parking and in and out. That’s really what people want in offices any more is that the staff can have easy access to things and run errands over lunch and keep life functioning while you’re at work because we’re all so busy.”

Van Buskirk Cos. is looking for other tenants to join it in an office building planned for 49th Street and Minnesota Avenue.