18-acre vocational school campus to be built in south Des Moines

A nonprofit vocational school for troubled men is getting a new home: a large-scale “urbanist” campus with apartments, retail space, gardens and a training facility a mile south of Des Moines International Airport.

A self-described "therapeutic community,” Harvest Academy provides housing and job training for men experiencing homelessness or who are struggling to move beyond addiction or criminal offenses. Currently located in Indianola, the academy ― supported by its own moving company, Harvest Academy Movers ― had been looking to get a fresh start in Des Moines with more space for its growing enrollment.

The project’s zoning requests received unanimous approval from the Des Moines City Council. The mixed-used campus, projected to cost $6.5 million and take five years to construct, will occupy an 18-acre lot near the intersection of Fleur Drive and County Line Road.

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The nonprofit says it has commitments for $1.6 million in assistance, much of it provided by leading Des Moines philanthropists Nixon Lauridsen, who owns the Ankeny-based Lauridsen Group health and food conglomerate, and his wife, Virginia, and University of Iowa Hawkeyes football coach Kirk Ferentz and his family.

“We’ve funded many good causes, but Harvest Academy is the first where we feel like our impact is exponential,” a Harvest Academy brochure quotes Lauridsen as saying.

From a historic home to a multi-million dollar project

Harvest Academy in 2019 sought to move into a historic home at 4507 Grand Ave. near the Des Moines Art Center that serves as a bed and breakfast. However, it pulled its offer to purchase the house after neighbors reacted negatively to the plan on the neighborhood social networking site Nextdoor.

This time around, there was no opposition. Harvest House CEO Tim Kruger said the new location, which isn’t a part of a neighborhood association, was remote enough to keep even nearby residents happy.

“Not that there’s nothing residential within a mile, but we’re not in anybody’s backyards,” Krueger said.

He added that the chance to build a new campus instead of taking over an existing property allows the group to pursue a goal it has had from the start.

“The long-term dream was being able to have all that in one location, around more people, around commerce,” Krueger said. “A lot of times, you have a dream, but in reality, everybody will laugh at you. …It’s gone better than we thought.”

City staff noted in a report to the Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission that the center would provide opportunities for residents to live, work, and play in a self-contained, walkable neighborhood. Besides space for the academy’s moving business and vocational training, it also could accommodate enterprises such as a thrift store, restaurant or coffee shop.

The program takes two years to complete with the option to sign on for a third, after which, Krueger said, former students may be able to set up their own businesses in space provided by the academy.

“In the U.S., unfortunately, we segregate groups,” he said. “But what we’ve seen is, the more our guys feel like they’re a part of a community, the more it adds to the learning experience. It's much more than a job to them. It's their life.”

The project will be completed in phases as fundraising continues, beginning with a community center and facilities to support the academy’s moving business.

New campus will be built to grow

Single-family-style homes are planned with six to seven bedrooms. Each residence will be shared by 24 students and one staff member. There also will be multi-family housing for graduates.

A thrift store is expected to open by 2025, with additional housing for women in 2026. Kruger also envisions a "makerspace" with room for vocational training and an education center.

When construction if complete, Harvest Academy will go from housing 12 students to upwards of 80. Krueger said that if the new location is a success, the academy and its donors will be interested in building another two or even three more facilities like it.

“It's long term, and it's hard work. There are no quick fixes. But (the academy) is doing better than we ever thought,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Harvest Academy to build campus in south Des Moines