West Des Moines to look at warehouse as site for immigration center

4:14 AM, May. 10, 2011
Written by
MARY STEGMEIR
mstegmeir@dmreg.com

A vacant West Des Moines warehouse has been added to the list of sites being eyed as a potential federal immigration enforcement center.

A real estate agent has submitted pre-application documents for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at 1824 Industrial Circle, city officials said.

The building is in the southeast part of the city, near Raccoon River Sports Complex. It was previously used as a warehouse for Profile Foods Inc. and is the latest in a list of area properties considered as a site to process and temporarily detain alleged illegal immigrants.

West Des Moines city staff will discuss the proposed project next week with the applicant, CB Richard Ellis agent Jeff Spence.

"The pre-application meeting is something we do for all projects, even on very speculative projects," said Chris Shires, the city's development planning and inspection manager. "It helps us vet out if there is some insurmountable code issue or if we see any other problems with the building."

A preliminary review of West Des Moines ordinances shows that the city's board of adjustment would have to hold a public hearing and approve a permitted conditional use permit before an ICE facility could be opened at the address, Shires said.

The property is now zoned for general industrial use, but West Des Moines City Councilman Kevin Trevillyan said he was concerned by its proximity to the park and residential areas along South 19th Street.

"When word gets out, I would anticipate there will be people who are unhappy about it," said Trevillyan, who represents Ward 1, where the facility is proposed.

"I'm not saying I'm opposed to placing it anywhere in West Des Moines, but at this point, with the information I know about, I don't think it's a good fit," he said.

The city would need more information about the facility before deciding whether to endorse the project, Councilman Ted Ohmart said.

"We really don't know exactly how they're going to use it," he said, noting that city officials had not yet learned how many people the center would employ or how long detainees would remain at the facility.

ICE officials have spent several months trying to find a location for a new facility. They hope to have a site secured by October. The agency is now located in Des Moines' Neal Smith Federal Building, but it appears to have outgrown its space.

West Des Moines is the fourth metro community to receive inquiries about opening an ICE facility.

A real estate broker approached Clive officials about possible sites nine to 12 months ago, but no official application was submitted, said Community Development Director Doug Ollendike.

A proposal to locate the facility in an Urbandale warehouse was rejected in November by that community's Planning and Zoning Commission after heavy protests by residents. Requests by two Des Moines property owners to allow development of the facility on their lots are scheduled to be discussed at the city's May 25 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting.

Ruth Schultz, a Latino community organizer with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement in Des Moines, said her members do not support plans for a new detention center in West Des Moines or elsewhere. "We need common-sense immigration reform, not more jails," she said, noting that the number of immigrants deported has steadily increased over the past several years.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... ion-center