Redevelopment Of Former GRC Campus Is Ongoing Process

With two new access roads off Highway 34 nearly complete, demolition work on the former Glenwood Resource Center campus could begin by the end of the year.

Larry Winum, spokesperson for the Glenwood Redevelopment Corporation, the non-profit organization established to oversee redevelopment of approximately 250 acres of the former GRC campus, said work is actually ahead of schedule on the two new roads that will offer both access to the campus for heavy demolition and future residential traffic.

Originally slated to be completed by the end of September, the east entrance near 240th Street will likely be done this week while the Orchard Drive entrance near Levi Road is not far behind.

The state shuttered the facility that housed and provided care for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities in 2024. In early 2025, the redevelopment corporation entered into an agreement that would have their volunteer board overseeing the redevelopment of the campus as future residential neighborhood.

A preliminary redevelopments plan would have a mix or 900 apartments and single-family dwellings with additional mixed use potential for retail and commercial businesses in addition to recreational areas and walking trails.

About 90 percent of the current 100-plus buildings on the campus are slated to be demolished as part of an agreement between the State of Iowa and the redevelopment corporation.

Site readiness work began on the campus, which has been largely closed to the public since last October, more than six months ago with archeological and environmental testing and studies. In July, environmental remediation began with asbestos abatement in several buildings and demolition commenced on the cottages on the southeast edge of the campus.

Demolition bid packages for the remainder of the building slated to be razed went out last week. The three contracts, according to Winum, will ask companies to bid separately on demolishing all the single-story buildings on the property, the multi-story buildings and then the tearing out of all the tunnels, utility lines and roads that are obsolete.

Winum said the goal is to have that work under contract by the end of the year. A utility “spine” is also planned to run water, sewer, electric, gas and internet to the campus to be used for future development.
The demolition phase is expected to take nine months to a year.

The cost of the environmental mitigation, the new roads and utilities and the demolition work comes with a multi-million-dollar price tag, according to Winum.

“By this time next year, all the work should be about done and that site should be ‘development ready,’” Winum said. “That then starts the next phase, which is a long process. A master plan is being developed for residential and potential light retail and light commercial (businesses).”

When it was announced the GRC would close and its ownership handed over the Glenwood Redevelopment Corporation, state of Iowa initially intended to demolish every building on the campus, except the structures that are part of the Glen Haven Village complex. The group, however, was able to persuade them to spare about 10 buildings.

Winum said the group fought to keep much of the buildings in the central campus area intact including the 103 Central building, the girls and boys cottage to the north, the administration building, the Meyer Building, chapel, the former fire station and a couple more buildings to the east of the station.

The Glenwood Community School District recently completed a $2 million renovation to the 103 Building and will continue to use it as its central office and early childhood development center.

The remaining buildings were selected and spared from demolition after consultants determined them to have the best long-term potential for conversion into residential housing.

“We were able to salvage about seven buildings near 103 (building) where all the roads kind of run into, and a few other buildings,” Winum said. “Eventually there will be a master plan to come out, which is the second phase, but we had to develop some kind of a plan now because it’s hard to tear buildings down if you don’t know which ones you’re going to keep. It’s an initial plan that is helping guide us through this phase.”

Winum admits the plan to demolish nearly 90 percent of the property’s buildings has taken some criticism since it was announced. But he thinks the community is coming around.

“I hear people say, ‘I wish we were saving this building’ or that building and I understand that” Winum said. “The truth is, it’s unfortunate this place (the Glenwood Resource Center) closed. That’s really the problem. The state was pretty adamant, when we were negotiating, that they wanted to level them all. But we knew there buildings up there that definitely had use so we were fortunate we could keep some of those buildings.”

The Glenwood Redevelopment Corporation has been working with Omaha-based HDR Engineering for more than two years to orchestrate the property’s transitional development. Last July, the group entered into a partnership with Woodbine-based Arch Icon Development as the master developer for the site.

“The state has told us they will work with us to secure historic tax credits that will help us preserve those buildings and make modifications to them they need,” Winum said. “Everybody thinks we can just convert these existing buildings a lot less expensively than building a new one and the school found out that isn’t the case. You have to tear out asbestos, put in all new utilities and meet new codes. Remodeling buildings is a very expensive process.”

All the funding the Glenwood Redevelopment Corporation receives from the state is designated for specific purposes, from the new roads to the new utility lines to the demolition.

Any future development on the site will be privately funded and likely take decades to come to fruition, Winum said

“We’re talking about the potential for 800 or 900 units,” Winum said. “That’s multi-family, single family, low to moderate income, all different levels of housing. It’s going to be a phased in process. It could take 20 years. It could take longer. You’re talking about adding almost as much new housing as half the size of Glenwood.

“Developments don’t happen that fast. This will be a unique development that will maybe be a little different than standard residential that could be attractive to people from lots of different places. Glenwood is a great place to live but not a lot of people know that for whatever reason. Maybe this attracts people to come make Glenwood home.”

More information about the project, the proposed master plan and schedule and history of the site can be found at glenwoodredevelopment.com.