Hepar Bioscience Complex

[siouxperland]

North Sioux City's planning and zoning has given approval to the first building in the 50 acre Hepar Bioscience complex in the Flynn Business Park on city's north side. The building will be 3 stories and about 30,000 square feet, sitting on about 7 of the 50 acres in the property. The company bought the 50 acres (of the total 160 acres) in the business park last winter. While no official word on the use of the building has been announced, it is believed to be the start of a large complex of future buildings and possibly 300-400 employees.

There are also rumblings that the nearby Graham Field airport which has been unused for a decade, will be rebuilt with a new an extended runway (5000') capable of handling private jets and would be called Union County Executive. It would include several new hangars, an FBO and a large tie down tarmac for visiting aircraft. Just by coincidence, Hepar's property would be near the end of the extended runway... The airport could house several planes & jets of nearby Dakota Dunes residents who pay a pretty hefty property tax to Iowa for keeping the planes at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City.... (like Hepar who maintains a large hangar and fleet of aircraft). Things that make you go "hmmmmmmm".

[siouxperland]

The first building in the new Hepar BioScience complex is going up... No steel on this thing apparently but some massive concrete beams. Sorry I couldn't get much closer than this but what's showing so far is fairly impressive. This is going to be much larger than the 30,000 square feet they initially said. I know that they (Hepar) have gone to the county and received a height variance which means they are going above 36'. Several flatbed trailers have shown up today with pieces of a large swing boom crane. Still no official word on what will be going on out here.

[siouxperland]

Some better pics (and a better camera than my phone) of the first building in the new Hepar BioScience project. I've never seen a rendering of the expected result but with all this smooth concrete, likely a glass/metal skin. The large portico out front hangs over a drive that leads from the main street to a side parking lot. Can't really get any other angle, private property to the north and the project site has security and large NO TRESPASSING signs.