City to repurpose South Lake Stevens office complex into city hall campus; council chambers moving and parking added downtown

City staff presented plans to convert an office complex in South Lake Stevens into a new city hall campus, saying the former owner's new, larger office across from Burger King will free up the current site for municipal use.

The presenter said the plan calls for moving most administrative departments and the council chambers to the South Lake Stevens campus adjacent to the police department. The presenter said freeing the current council chambers would allow that space to be rented more often rather than being used only for occasional events.

The presenter described exterior refresh and interior rework to make the buildings function as civic facilities. Funding for that project was described as percentage-bond funded with some grants; no specific bond amount or grant program name was provided in the presentation.

Board members asked about expanding parking into adjacent parkland and the presenter confirmed a downtown parking lot will be created because parking is the district’s largest deficit on busy days. The presenter also noted some tenants in the city-owned properties will remain, including Subway in the one building that will continue as an occupied retail storefront.

The board received this as an informational update; no formal vote or ordinance was adopted at the meeting. The presenter asked for and received board questions and clarified that interior redesign will happen to accommodate departments and that the council chambers relocation will be part of the conversion process.

No formal action was taken.