The Ankeny City Council tonight will consider scheduling a public hearing on a development agreement with Community State Bank, the next step needed in the bank’s vision of building a new headquarters near the Costco store in northeastern Ankeny.

Community State Bank has proposed building a four-story, 71,000-square-foot building on 5½ acres at the corner of Northeast 36th Street and Northeast Four Mile Drive.

According to city documents released ahead of tonight’s meeting, the city will consider a development agreement in which Community State Bank will make the financial investment and expand employment in the community, and the city will provide financial assistance in the form of property tax rebates.

If the resolution is approved, a public hearing on the development agreement would be scheduled for July 1.

Kurt Gibson, president and CEO of Community State Bank, said that the project is still in its preliminary stages and that the bank hopes to close on the purchase of the site in the next two weeks.

The bank is working with Simonson + Associates Architects on the design of the building, with much of the internal layout and design yet to be finalized, Gibson said.

He said the site along 36th Street provides access to Interstate Highway 35 for both bank customers and employees.

“There weren’t as many spots that had high traffic and great growth potential, and this is the ideal spot for that,” Gibson said. “There’s a lot of other development planned in that area, so I think it’s going to be a great area.”

The new building would include a Community State Bank branch, but not consolidate any of its existing nine branches, Gibson said.

It would consolidate some of the bank’s approximately 150 employees and another roughly 40 employees of a multi-bank holding company, called QCR Holdings, that Community State belongs to. That entity operates three banks in Iowa and one in Missouri, and the new headquarters would bring more of those employees under one roof, Gibson said.

“This gives us a great opportunity to integrate the company as a whole into one location, which would help efficiencies,” he said. “Day one it’s going to be north of 130 spaces available with room for growth.”

Only about a quarter of the bank’s employees work remotely, and the design being considered would make it attractive for those workers to return to the office.

“We want to make sure to understand the value of that and the flexibility around that, but our philosophy is we build a space that meets the needs of our employees: They’re going to want to come back or have the ability to have their own space available to work from the office or at home as their role allows. Having people in the office builds relationships and helps culture, and having that flexibility within the space we’re designing will create the opportunity for them to come back.”

He said that current space within the bank’s network doesn’t exist.

The vision for the new headquarters is for it to be open and collaborative and provide amenities that are important for employee attraction and retention, Gibson said.

“We know that amenities are going to be important to our employees, but we also know there’s going to be a lot of amenities adjacent or in that area that we can leverage, too, and that’s part of the value of that area,” he said. “Balancing what amenities make sense, we’re working on that now.”

If all proceeds as planned, ground on the site could be broken in early August, Gibson said.

“Because we’re a community bank, and we value our role to support the communities we serve, this not only is good for our clients but there will be some community space available, too,” he said. “We think that it meets all the criteria of accessibility, and with the growth that’s happening, it’s going to help meet clients’ needs, and we think that’ll be a center point for the community as Ankeny continues to grow.”