When Minneapolis-based Norwest Corp. acquired Wells Fargo & Co., changed its name and moved its headquarters to San Francisco, there was concern that Greater Des Moines would be gutted of workers and investment dollars.

Three years later, how refreshing it is that the company has done exactly the opposite.

Wells Fargo Financial finished work on a $90 million, 350,000-square-foot building downtown last fall. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, also trying to consolidate some of its operations, opened a similarly large building in West Des Moines in the summer of 2000.

Now comes news that the company could once again be looking at constructing a large building somewhere in the metro area. Last week, the company said executives at the home mortgage division, which has been riding the national boom in home buying and refinancing, were looking at ways to bring together 2,300 workers at six leased sites in the area into a single building.

In some ways, such a move would simply finish the task the first building in West Des Moines, which Wells Fargo owns, was intended to accomplish. Indeed, the mortgage boom began just before that building was completed, and the company quickly outgrew it.

Another large building would be welcome news for Greater Des Moines. Big buildings that are owned, rather than leased, by their main occupant tend to provide a kind of gravity to the local neighborhood. That stability often persuades smaller business owners to take a risk and open nearby.

Consider what has already happened in the area that surrounds Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s Westown Parkway building. Within walking distance are dozens of service-oriented businesses, including dry cleaners, a mail delivery company and many restaurants.

One of them, Noodle Zoo, has proved so popular that its owners have opened a second location in Des Moines’ East Village and, the last time we spoke with them, were considering selling franchises in the business.   Wells Fargo Home Mortgage isn’t responsible for the presence all of this development, of course. No doubt it is partly responsible.

None of this is lost on Wells Fargo executives, who have made an effort to share their company’s wealth.

Wells Fargo Financial chief Dan Porter feels so strongly about supporting local vendors that he dictated his downtown building be created without a meaningful cafeteria or any kind of gym. He wants his workers to spend their money around town.

It’s exciting that Wells Fargo officials are thinking about tying their company more closely to our city. We hope they go ahead with the new building.