Status
Shoreline opens the doors to its new City Hall/Civic Center at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17.
Overview and History
At its final meeting of 2007, the Shoreline City Council unanimously approved the development agreement with Opus Northwest for the construction of a new city hall.
The "Gross Maximum Price" (GMP) was approved for $28 million with a total project cost of $30.5 million. This total includes design, construction, contingency, furniture and equipment plus finance charges. The project includes a building with 67,000 square feet, a parking garage and some enhanced civic design elements for the building.
"In keeping with Shoreline’s conservative financial policies, the Shoreline City Council has been setting aside money for this project since incorporation," says Shoreline City Manager Bob Olander. "Financially, it is the right thing to do. It is more cost efficient in the long-term for the City to invest in a facility rather than continue renting office space."
The City set aside $9.5 million towards the building project and already purchased the property with cash. This allows the City to pay for half of the land and construction costs in cash and finance the rest.
"If you think about this in terms of having 50 percent down on your mortgage you can see this is good position for the City to be in," explains Shoreline Finance Director Debbie Tarry.
"This is an exciting time for all of us with benefits for both staff and residents. The design will not only help us provide services more efficiently but will provide better access and multiple uses to the community," says Olander. "For example, the parking structure could be used for a farmers market on weekends and the Council chambers opening onto the courtyard could be used for concerts. We hope it will be a focal point that brings the community together."
In the broadest terms, it is the intent of Council that the civic center/city hall development be one that is smart in design with a focus on customer service, transparency and accessibility to the entire community. In addition, the City would like to pursue a proposal that reaches the highest level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification feasible. Many features such as onsite rainwater reclamation, solar and alternative energy source power solutions, energy efficient lighting and climate control tools will be considered in this project.
Finally, this development will serve as an anchor to further the connectivity with the Interurban Trail, mass transit along 175th Street and Aurora Avenue and new public gathering spaces such as a park between Midvale Avenue and Aurora Avenue.
For more background details of this project please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.