DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The federal government has decided it wants to build a new courthouse in Des Moines on the former riverfront site of a YMCA.

The General Services Administration said Tuesday in a news release that the planned $137 million courthouse will “complement the character and context of the surrounding structures and amenities, interact with the Principal Riverwalk in a way that facilitates pedestrian activities and outdoor recreation, and include publicly accessible space.”

The government will have to acquire the site from Hubbell Realty Co., which released plans Monday for a luxury condominium development there. The city had wanted to reserve the land for private development.

Officials say courthouse construction is scheduled to start in fall 2019, and the building would open the following year.

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