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La Mesa reviews space-needs analysis for new City Hall and library expansion; consultant estimates $35 million, mid-2029 occupancy
Summary
Consultants recommended a new City Hall to enable a larger library and relocate the post office; a roughly 30,950 sq ft building (including a 5,000 sq ft post office) is estimated at about $35 million, with occupancy targeted for mid-2029. Councilors pressed staff on parking, phasing and fiscal risk.
Consultants presented a space-needs analysis on Sept. 23 that recommends constructing a new City Hall to allow a significant horizontal expansion of the La Mesa Public Library and the potential relocation of the post office.
“Kyle Peterson, principal with HMC Architects, said the study yields a future City Hall square footage of approximately 26,000 square feet and a total building size of about 30,950 square feet when including a roughly 5,000-square-foot post office,” according to staff. Peterson said the target date for occupancy is mid-2029 and estimated the project cost at about $35 million when accounting for construction, soft costs and contingency.
The presentation outlined three earlier options (vertical expansion, horizontal expansion, new building) and described why staff and consultants favored a new facility on the Civic Center site east of the police station. Peterson described design goals including accessibility, flexible public spaces, clearer separations between public and staff areas, and interdepartmental adjacencies informed by staff workshops.
Council members focused on parking, phasing and fiscal exposure. Peterson said parking approaches are scalable — from no structured parking to multiple subterranean levels — and that adding a parking structure could “at least double” the $35 million project cost. Vice Mayor Casares noted the project would be subject to the city’s project labor agreement and expected the project to exceed the $1 million PLA threshold.
Council Member Dillard and others raised phasing questions and urged plans that preserve or expand public parking and EV charging. Peterson said the city’s roughly 2.5 acres of vacant land affords flexibility and that staff anticipates phased construction and the possibility of a developer partner to manage phasing.
No formal action was taken; the presentation will inform future budget and design decisions. The project timeline, phasing strategy and parking program will be part of subsequent meetings and budget reviews.
