Could a Nationwide office building house the Des Moines Police Department? A study says yes.

A Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. office building in heart of downtown Des Moines should serve well as the new home of the city's police department and other city services, architects hired by the city to study its suitability have concluded.

Now the question is how many other city offices can be consolidated there ― perhaps including some in the current City Hall, though there's no plan yet for any to move.

Over the past few several months, the architects have conducted a Pre-Design Space Needs and Test Fit Study to investigate whether the city should purchase the Nationwide building along with its parking garage to house multiple city departments under one roof.

The deal ― $30 million for the office building, $10 million for the garage, plus an estimated $16 million in initial renovation costs ― would give the city the five-floor, 360,000-square-foot insurance building at 1200 Locust St., which, once renovated, could serve as a new police headquarters and house city workers operating in the deteriorated, century-old Argonne Armory on the east bank of the Des Moines River near City Hall.

The Nationwide building's neighboring parking ramp, at 1200 Mulberry St., could serve as a space for police cars and employee parking, as well as for some other police facilities.

Nationwide began seeking a tenant for the 1200 Locust St. building in 2020 after it became clear there would be no rapid return to the office for employees who'd worked at home since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kieran Sherry, Nationwide's senior vice president of corporate real estate, told the Des Moines Register in 2022 that the company had not managed to sign a deal for any of the building's five floors.

Deputy City Manager Matt Anderson said the move would be an opportunity to consolidate city services and modernize operations. It would also allow the city to avoid shelling out an estimated $160 million to rebuild or retrofit existing buildings at a time when construction costs are climbing.

While the city's deal with Nationwide would put more workers downtown — a win for shops and restaurants that have seen an exodus of weekday foot traffic since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — it also would give hungry developers a chance to repurpose the emptied city buildings along the riverwalk.

Here's what we've learned from the feasibility study's executive summary.

What is the takeaway?

The 1200 Locust St. building and 1200 Mulberry St. garage are large enough to house both police and multiple city services under one roof, the study, conducted by OPN Architects and McLaren, Wilson & Laurie Architects, concluded.

"It proved that there is a way for those two distinct uses — police and administration — to function in the same building and have a secure flow of both visitors and employees," Anderson said. "So the building checked all those boxes just fine."

Anderson said clustering various departments there also would help facilitate employees' request for better collaboration.

Who would move to the building?

While the final decision isn't set in stone, Anderson said the police department, currently located in a more than century-old building at 25 E. First Street, and employees in the armory building — including information technology, development services, neighborhood services and the litigation department — could be among the building's new occupants.

The Nationwide building also could host housing department employees now at Polk County River Place, 2309 Euclid Ave., about 5 miles north of City Hall.

Other potential occupants include some of the departments at City Hall, among them the clerk's office, the engineering division, finance and city lawyers.

What are the two main options?

The report breaks down two possible options.

One option would keep certain city administrative offices at City Hall, including the city manager's office, clerk and council chambers, while moving the police department and other city staff to 1200 Locust St.

The second option is an "all-in approach" that would move all of the city staff to the Nationwide complex, the study said.

Anderson said both are viable. But while it's more efficient to have everyone under one roof, the city doesn't yet have a reuse strategy for City Hall.

"And there isn't a lot of appetite to, you know, shut the doors of City Hall and vacate it," Anderson said.

For both scenarios, the 1200 Mulberry St. parking ramp, which has about 1,690 spaces, would serve as parking for police and city vehicles, as well as staff parking. The first floor of the ramp would serve as a fitness facility and for police storage.

What are some of the cons?

One issue is that the building is not currently compatible with the need for a police sallyport, a secure entrance for bringing in people who have been arrested and to deliver sensitive evidence from crime scenes, the summary said.

A possible solution would be to use the south courtyard for a new sallyport and arrestee processing area, eliminating the need to repurpose the existing dock or add a new service entry.

Additionally, the police academy, the firing range and the Metro Special Tactics and Response unit would have to remain in their current quarters at the Des Moines Police Academy, 433 E. Army Post Road, the summary said.

What does it mean for Des Moines residents?

With several city services under one roof, Anderson said, community members can expect smoother operations.

"The more one-stop customer service hub that you can have, it certainly makes it clearer and easier for people to understand where to go to get their service," he said.

Costwise, he added, there are "tremendous savings."

The city initially approved a $30 million purchase agreement for the 1200 Locust building last September. The city also would pay $10.6 million for the parking garage. The deal includes a window of time for the city to complete the study to determine the building's feasibility, with a closing date of Sept. 29 for the office building and Dec. 31 for the garage.

Another benefit, Anderson said, would be access to public transit. Both buildings have direct access to the downtown skywalk system and the DART free route that runs along Locust Street, according to the summary. For those accessing the 1200 Locust building by car, about 400 metered street-level parking spots are available within a 1.5-block radius of the northern public entry.

What's next?

The City Council will vote Aug. 7 to set a public hearing on issuing bonds for the project.

The city plans to hire designers to produce a detailed architectural plan for the buildings, a process that could take the rest of this year and next year, Anderson said. The City Council would have to approve the architectural contract, but Anderson said there's no firm timeline.

Employees would be phased in by department, likely starting with IT from the Armory building.

Construction could start as soon as late 2024 or 2025.

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Nationwide building a viable fit for Des Moines Police Department