Casey's planning $35 million office expansion in Ankeny

Iowa's favorite place for gas station pizza may be getting a bit bigger in Ankeny.

Casey's General Stores Inc. is planning a $35 million office expansion of its headquarters at 1 Southeast Convenience Boulevard, according to public documents. The proposed project will span 60,000 square feet and its total assessed valuation is $10 million.

Casey's is seeking tax credits from both the city and state, said Brian Johnson, senior vice president of store development.

"We’ve been in a growth mode for quite a while," Johnson said. "We’re really out of space here in our existing building."

The convenience store chain recently opened its 2,000th store and Johnson said the growth isn't stopping there.

More on Casey's (and their pizza):

Iowans love Casey's pizza — and for good reason

Barstool Sports tried Casey's legendary breakfast pizza. The verdict: 'too bacony'

When you gotta go, Casey's is the place

Iowa's official food: Convenience-store cuisine

The headquarters in Ankeny employs 860 people, not counting warehouse employees or truck drivers, Johnson said. With the expansion, he expects Casey's to hire at least 80 more office workers in the next five years. The new space would look similar to its current headquarters and would allow workers to be under one roof. The company is currently leasing extra space, due to lack of room.

While Casey's recently opened a distribution center in Terre Haute, Ind., Johnson said the company chose to expand its office space in Ankeny instead, due to the employee talent in the Des Moines metro and the city's support of the project.

"The fact of the matter is Ankeny has been such a great location for us," Johnson said. "It just seems like a logical fit."

A public hearing for a development agreement between Casey's and Ankeny is planned for Jan. 15. The details of the development agreement have not been finalized yet, according to public documents.

The project is eligible for Ankeny's industrial property tax exemption and local business investment policy tax rebate incentives.

Ankeny's industrial property tax exemption provides a phasing-in of the increase in taxable property valuation. It starts with a 75 percent exemption of additional taxable valuation, phasing into a 15 percent exemption by the fifth year.

The city's local business investment policy gives up to a 10-year package of industrial property tax exemption, property tax rebates, grants and loans.

Casey's demolished a recently-acquired warehouse just north of its corporate office along Interstate 35 to make room for the new office space and parking.

Construction could start this summer and complete by winter in 2019.