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Government center site plan revised to reduce rec‑center parking loss; roundabouts, timeline discussed
Summary
County staff reported changes to the consolidated government center site plan after a new traffic impact study: the design now reduces recreational center parking loss from about 50 spaces to 20 by shifting the building footprint and consolidating roundabout access. Staff outlined a planning timeline (special use permit in early May, final site-
The county27s project manager for the proposed consolidated government center briefed supervisors April 21 on an updated site plan, new traffic recommendations and a construction timeline.
Project changes and traffic design Project staff said a recent traffic-impact analysis recommended two roundabouts on Depew Drive: one at Long Hill/Depew (a multi-lane roundabout) and one single-lane roundabout at Ashbury/Depew to serve the government center access. The revised plan shifts the building slightly north, which county staff said increases wet‑pond depth and reduces stormwater impacts. That shift also reduced the predicted loss of recreational-center parking: under the new layout the recreation facility would lose about 20 parking spaces instead of roughly 50 in earlier designs.
Why it matters: staff said consolidating county offices in a single facility yields operational and maintenance efficiencies (shared conference space and services), but the project requires careful traffic and stormwater design to limit impacts on surrounding uses.
Timeline and approvals County staff presented a near-term schedule: the special-use permit is scheduled to go before the planning commission on May 7, 2025; final site-plan approval is targeted for September 2025; and staff anticipates construction-phase funding and site work to begin in late 2025 if approvals and funding align. The manager cautioned that geotechnical and winter-site work constraints could shift the start of some site activities.
Cost management and sustainability Staff said they are exploring cost reductions intended to trim several million dollars from current estimates without affecting core functions, and they are weighing commissioning levels and other value-engineering options. The team indicated discussions with the electric utility about rooftop solar installations and said geothermal heating/cooling was not pursued because the site constraints would make that option prohibitively costly.
Board discussion Supervisors asked about LEED certification costs, energy strategies and parking implications for the recreation center; staff said certain site and program efficiencies will reduce long-term maintenance and operations costs and reiterated that one-time construction choices affect future operating budgets.
Ending The county will continue detailed design and public outreach; staff will return with next-step approvals (planning commission and site-plan milestones) and additional cost-control recommendations.
