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Urbandale board hears options to renovate, rebuild or defer Rolling Green administration offices
Summary
Architects presented three options for the Rolling Green administration office — renovate the existing 35,500 ft² building, demolish and build a purpose‑built administration office with more parking, or defer repairs — and recommended the board consider costs, lifecycle and community use before deciding at the July meeting.
Architects from DLR Group presented three paths for the Rolling Green administration office Tuesday, telling the Urbandale Community School District Board the two leading options — renovating the existing 35,500 ft² building or building a smaller, purpose‑built office — are closer in cost than members expected.
The presentation laid out a renovation option that would repurpose roughly 24,000 ft² of the existing facility, keep more immediate capacity but carry renovation unknowns and potentially higher lifecycle costs, and a new‑build option that would provide a tailored layout, more daylighting for office spaces and about 51 on‑site parking stalls (plus two ADA stalls) for community events and professional development. A third option offered was to defer major work and make only weather‑tightness and short‑term repairs to preserve the property while the district considers long‑term strategy.
District staff said the renovation preserves community character and provides immediate growth room; DLR argued the new build could produce lower long‑term operational costs and better daylighting and workflow for staff. DLR’s Andrew Van Lewin said the hard construction estimates for the two favored options were within a few hundred thousand dollars of one another once contingencies and soft costs are included. "Right now the edge goes to building a new facility," he said, while cautioning that site and design choices and unknown renovation conditions could change the calculus.
Board members asked about zoning and community reaction; DLR said the Rolling Green site is currently zoned R1S, which permits educational use, and the city’s community development staff signaled willingness to work with the district to preserve that zoning if the project retains educational/community uses. DLR also outlined a typical construction schedule: about 12–18 months from ground‑breaking to completion and a window that would allow the district to avoid extending current lease arrangements beyond January 2028 should the board act promptly.
No final decision was made. The architects urged the board to review the packet and financial scenarios and to either decide or defer at the July 13 board meeting. "We put the information in front of you tonight so you can sleep on it and ask questions," Van Lewin said.
Next steps: the board has the DLR packet and indicated July 13 as the next opportunity to take action on Rolling Green options.
