Urbandale plans to build a new police station. Find out where:
Phillip Sitter- Urbandale has a plan for a new police headquarters, projected to be completed in 2028.
- The project, estimated to cost $50 million, would require voter approval in a 2026 bond referendum.
- The new headquarters would be built on a 4-acre site the city purchased in 2024.
Urbandale has a plan for a new police headquarters, but it may ultimately need approval from voters in 2026 before it can move forward in earnest.
Urbandale City Council on July 1 approved an agreement with a consultant, Sidekick Development LLC, to act as an owner's agent — someone who can help a city manage designs, requests proposals for architects and contractors, and coordinate during construction to stay on schedule and budget, according to council documents. Its services would be used for the construction of a new Urbandale Police Department headquarters the department says is needed to keep up with growth in its staff and to have more secure spaces.
The plan outlined in council documents calls for a more than 70,000-square-foot new police headquarters to be located on a 4-acre site the city owns at the southwest corner of 100th Street and Douglas Avenue. The project was also included in the city's Capital Improvements Program list approved in January.
The city expects residents would vote on a bond referendum for the estimated $50 million project in the Nov. 3, 2026 election. If approved, the new Urbandale police headquarters could be completed in 2028.
Why do Urbandale police need a new building?
Urbandale Police Chief Rob Johansen said in capital improvements discussions that the department's present-day about 23,000-square-foot facility at 3740 86th St. does not have the capacity for its current operations.
And the department's staff is expected grow.
The building was constructed in 1981 with about 12,000 square feet of space with an addition in 2008 to reach its current size, according to city documents.
The police station currently is home to 60 sworn officers, 12 reserve officers and nine civilian employees, but that's expected to grow over the next decade to 72 sworn officers, 12 reserve officers and 10 civilian employees.
Johansen and the department would like for the new station to have enclosed and secure parking for police vehicles, a shooting range, a secure employee parking lot and a large community room.
A previous space needs study indicated it would not be feasible to just continue adding on to the current police station. Instead, the old station would probably be repurposed for other city uses.
How much would Sidekick be paid as an owner's agent?
Sidekick would receive a professional services fee of no more than 1.75% of the project's total cost. And Sidekick will not receive more than $100,000 through Nov. 3, 2026 for site analysis and preliminary design services.
Other metro cities have used an owner's agent for their public safety projects. Urbandale staff met with Clive and Waukee officials about their experiences.
Waukee involved Sidekick in their construction of the city's new public safety building that's just been completed at 815 N.W. 20th St.
Urbandale assistant city manager Curtis Brown told City Council on July 1 that Sidekick also is working on the Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire District's new fire station.
What's been at the proposed site?
Urbandale City Council approved in May 2024 buying the 4-acre proposed site at the southwest corner of 100th Street and Douglas Avenue for $2.5 million from Dynamite Marketing Inc., according to county property records. The city considered the property blighted because of the poor condition of the land.
The Business Record reported in May 2020 that Dynamite Marketing had demolished and hauled away the materials from a metal-sided office building, warehouse, sheds, storage silos and underground concrete slabs. The Idaho-based food, vitamin and supplement company had made some of its products in Urbandale but moved operations to Idaho and put the property up for sale after the production became unprofitable.
Brown told City Council a new police station would probably entail 18 to 24 months of construction.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. Find outmore about him online in the Register's staff directory.