Kading Properties, a family-owned real estate development, construction and property management company, is more than doubling the size of its corporate headquarters in Urbandale to accommodate its growing staff.

Kading’s original office opened in the early 2000s, a few doors down from the family home near 67th Street and Madison Avenue in Urbandale. “This area is our original stomping grounds and we’re excited that we’re able to keep our roots right here,” said Karie Kading Ramsey, CEO of Kading Properties, which was started by her father, Rick Kading, in 1977. “We’ve been adding employees and we’ll continue to do so.”

The company has about 65 employees, 20 of whom joined the team within the past five years. Kading Ramsey expected the company to add another 20 employees in the next five years.

“Housing is in such high demand in Iowa right now. We’ve expanded our territory which means we’re growing at a higher pace,” Kading Ramsey said.

Kading Properties builds workforce rental housing in communities around the state. Originally, the company built in communities within a 60-mile radius of Des Moines. It has expanded its territory, recently launching projects in Cherokee and Charles City.

“We’re going into communities that have a lot of job opportunities,” Kading Ramsey said. “It’s been the employers who are asking us to come.”

Homes built by Kading generally are leased by people who later buy a house in the community or by people who no longer want to mow lawns or shovel snow, she said. “We have a really nice, diverse tenant pool.”

The company’s growth has meant the need for more office space, Kading Ramsey said. Before the 11,000-square-foot expansion begins, the company’s original office at 7008 Madison Ave. is being demolished. The Urbandale City Council recently approved a site plan for the project, which includes an 8,561-square-foot first-floor addition and a 2,695-square-foot second-story addition.

The project, which will take up to one year to complete, is an important part of Urbandale’s efforts to revitalize its downtown, the city wrote in its newsletter. “It represents continued reinvestment in a key redevelopment area and preserves opportunities for future connectivity as broader downtown improvements evolve.”

The city has been working for several years to redevelop its downtown district, roughly located between 64th and 75th streets along Douglas Avenue. The Kading property is on the northern edge of Urbandale’s downtown.