The City Hall Advisory Committee has scheduled community meetings with the City Hall project architects to engage the public in different neighborhoods of the city. The second community meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 20, at Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Avenue W. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with the program beginning at 6:30 p.m. The project goal is to develop an affordable concept design and cost estimate in support of a new City Hall at the Civic Center.
For the April 20 community meeting, ARC Architects will have three concepts of a City Hall layout with a location away from the corner with a public plaza out front near the 232nd/58th intersection. In addition, ARC will have updated cost estimates along with the concepts to seek public input and support in preparation for the third community meeting on May 10.
At their April 6 meeting, ARC Architects presented the City Hall Advisory Committee with initial results from space planning meetings. The first glance at space and cost estimates resulted in a rough estimate of about $16.5 million based upon 22,864 square feet in a new City Hall that includes about $1.8 million for a remodel of the current Police Station. The committee provided direction to keep refining the space needs and efficiencies to get the early cost estimate down.
The committee also reviewed draft vision statements consisting of five key words that rose to the top at a visioning exercise at the March 28 community meeting. The five words were welcoming, functional, common, family and community. The committee asked the community to provide input on four draft vision statements and provide input for the April 20 meeting.
On April 7, city leadership met to discuss department adjacencies as well as efficiencies and shared spaces for the initial layout concepts.
Two other community meetings are scheduled for May 10 at Cedar Way Elementary (doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.) and an open house on June 5, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Interim City Hall, followed by the committee’s recommendation to the City Council as part of the Council meeting.
An online comment form is available on the City Hall Advisory Committee webpage at www.cityofmlt.com/1899. The city encourages everyone to participate. Regular project updates continue to be posted.
For more information, please email cityhall2017@ci.mlt.wa.us or call Community Relations Director Virginia Olsen at (425) 744-6206.
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