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Advisory board outlines next steps to evaluate town‑hall site redevelopment
Summary
Staff told the Economic Development Advisory Board that community open houses and outreach yielded roughly 70% favorability for evaluating redevelopment of the town‑hall site and that a high‑level financial/space analysis will be returned to the board by February to inform any RFP and council decision.
Steve, staff member, told the Economic Development Advisory Board on Dec. 24 that the town is advancing due diligence on the town‑hall parcel after community input and an EDAB workshop. He said outreach included two open houses (August and Nov. 6) where staff collected input cards and ran three topic stations — project overview, desired uses and design/look-and-feel — and that turnout was roughly 65 at the first event and about 15 at the second.
"When we did the open houses, it was right around, 70% of the folks felt that this was the right thing to do," Steve said, describing the result as a non‑scientific estimate gathered to gauge community preference. He said that about 15% of participants favored a community space and another 15% favored office or other uses, and that many participants expressed interest in restaurants, bars and local retail rather than large national chains.
Why it matters: the parcel is town‑owned, which gives the municipality tools to shape development through a redevelopment area, development agreements or ground leases. Steve said those tools allow the town to retain control over permitted uses and long‑term conditions.
Board members pressed staff about the sequencing of actions: whether the town should define administrative space needs for town hall first, prepare the site (grading/leveling) to attract tenants, or issue a broad RFP that allows developers to propose multiple financial arrangements. Steve said staff will evaluate several scenarios — purchase, lease, ground lease and development agreement options — and can make an RFP as broad or as prescriptive as the council directs.
On timing and deliverables, Steve said the immediate priority is the financial and real‑estate analysis that will estimate revenue potential, lot‑coverage scenarios, space needs and rough cost comparisons for purchasing versus building. "My goal would try to get you guys something back ... by February for sure," he said. He characterized construction‑cost context as preliminary: "we're probably looking something like right around $44,000,000," presented as a rough estimate and not a budget authorization.
Staff described site considerations that would shape any proposal: inclusion of Sunshine Way in footprint planning to increase lot utility, use of part of the site to help with town‑center parking, preference among participants for low‑profile (two‑story max), outward‑facing architecture and outdoor components that take advantage of views. Staff also reported ongoing conversations with potential private operators and lenders to assess commercial interest.
Next step: staff will return with a high‑level analysis of uses, lot coverages, revenue modeling and space‑needs options to help EDAB and the town council decide whether to move forward with a formal competitive process or to wait for market opportunities. Any formal RFP or disposition would come later and would be brought to the council for decision.
