City Reach Family Therapy Expands Services with New Counseling Space

This January, City Reach Family Therapy celebrated an open house and dedication at its new location at the northwest corner of Merle Hay Road and Franklin Ave in Des Moines. Story Construction’s Small Projects Group was proud to partner with City Reach Family Therapy on the design-build renovation that transformed the former Video Warehouse into a warm, functional environment supporting counseling and staff operations.

Designed by Story’s in-house team of architects and designers, the project moved efficiently from concept to construction. Design documents were completed in mid-March 2025, allowing construction to begin in April. The renovation took place while a portion of the building was occupied by City Reach staff, requiring close coordination and thoughtful planning to minimize disruption to ongoing operations.

The new space includes seven private counseling offices, a welcoming reception and lobby area, a kitchen, three new restrooms, storage and janitorial spaces, a staff training room, and both staff and mechanical mezzanines. Finishes were carefully selected to seamlessly match the existing occupied areas, creating a cohesive look and feel throughout the facility.

One of the project’s unique challenges was accommodating a staff mezzanine within the building’s bow truss roof system. The mezzanine location was carefully designed to maintain required clearance heights in compliance with the City of Des Moines building code. In addition, portions of the existing concrete slab were removed to install new underfloor plumbing for the restrooms, kitchen, and mezzanine footings.

The project also included strategic problem-solving to avoid unnecessary utility relocation. An existing water meter located within the new kitchen footprint was integrated into the cabinet design, eliminating the need to move the meter while maintaining accessibility.

New windows were added to each counseling office and the kitchen to bring in natural light. This required selective removal of masonry walls, installation of steel lintels, and careful masonry restoration to create clean, finished window openings. Interior construction utilized metal stud framing with insulated walls and sound-rated gypsum board to enhance privacy. Acoustic ceilings with additional insulation were installed in the offices to further reduce sound transfer between spaces—an essential feature for a counseling environment.