It was a busy summer of construction on campus and throughout Brookings, with crews finishing up existing projects and starting new ones.
On campus, a new parking lot added 253 spaces for drivers on the northeast side of campus. Additionally, phase I of a $4.9 million sanitary sewer project was completed this summer.
The South Dakota Board of Regents approved SDSU’s request for a new parking lot in September 2024 and construction began in May. The total cost of the lot was $900,000 and was paid for with revenue from parking permits, according to Derek Peterson, assistant vice president of business services. The lot was built with the expectation that long-term resident parking needs will be taken care of.
“We’re super happy with the speed that the project got accomplished,” Peterson said. “To have this available when the students came back is amazing from a timeline perspective.”
Phase I of the sanitary sewer project began near Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium and ended by Wagner Hall and Bailey Rotunda. The project is being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.
David Law, director of project management and engineering, said SDSU was awarded $10 million for water, storm sewer and sanitary sewer upgrades. Phase II of this project, which will stretch between Mathews Hall and the Student Union, is set to begin in summer 2026. Summer 2025 was the third of four summers that ARPA projects were completed.
“We knew we were in a position to be really close to finishing right up against Meet State weekend, so we’re kind of in the position we expected,” Law said. “It’s hard to emphasize that enough, how much we accomplished this summer.”
Off campus, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in May for the Brookings Marketplace. The marketplace is a $57 million investment set to have a Target, ALDI grocery store and Kwik Star gas station. The site is located on the east side of Brookings, near sixth street and Interstate 29.
Target and ALDI have been placed on the community members’ wishlists for a long time. According to Brookings public information officer Sherry Fuller Bordewyk, Target has been the top retailer requested by Brookings Economic Development Corporation survey respondents since 2013.
“If you look back as far as 10 to 15 years ago, many surveys have been done with the community, and the number one desire of the community was always Target,” City Manager Paul Briseno said. “The number one grocery store and the number two desire of the community was always ALDI.”
According to Briseno, Ryan Companies U.S. has been working with Target, ALDI and other companies to develop the marketplace. Ryan Companies U.S. is a real-estate development company based in Minneapolis that is responsible for the 18.53-acre Brookings Marketplace site. Ryan Companies will either lease or sell the land to retailers. Retailers will then be responsible for their own building process.
The Brookings Marketplace’s anticipated completion is July 2026, with Kwik Star’s construction beginning spring 2026. The projected timeline includes Ryan Companies’ land preparations, such as water sewer, storm sewer and roads. According to Briseno, ALDI may be on track to finish construction early, depending on weather conditions.
The closest Target and ALDI locations to Brookings are currently 47 miles Northwest, in Watertown, South Dakota.
“This (the Brookings Marketplace) will ensure that not only can people afford to stay here in the community, not have to spend that money on gas to leave the community, but those sales tax dollars stay here locally to help us afford things that this community desires and loves,” Briseno said.
