Will new plans for City Hall be a ‘game changer’ for Bradenton? Here’s the latest
As Bradenton leaders continue moving forward with plans to sell City Hall, a possible location for the building’s replacement has been identified.
Following two unsolicited offers in January to buy the property, city officials began the process of officially advertising that the building is for sale. Bradenton posted a nationwide advertisement earlier this summer and received five offers.
The Bradenton City Council plans to host several community meetings to receive feedback on those proposals before making a final decision, but city officials say they already have a clear idea of where they might relocate.
The city owns property along 14th Street West, where the Bradenton Police Department has a defunct substation. Police Chief Melanie Bevan previously told the board that the building no longer fits the needs of her officers.
That 1-acre property at the intersection of 14th Avenue West and 14th Street West is the strongest contender for a brand-new City Hall building, city officials said.
“Assuming the substation is demolished, you have that whole block from 14th to 15th Avenue,” said Public Works Director Jim McLellan. “There should be plenty of space for City Hall on that site.”
In a recent space study, a firm hired by city leaders concluded that Bradenton has outgrown the City Hall building. About 16,000 square feet of office space is available in the current building, but the city needs an additional 11,000 square feet of space to meet future needs, according to the study.
New City Hall could spark redevelopment
Speaking during a public workshop meeting on Wednesday, several council members said they supported the idea of relocating the city’s administrative operations to 14th Street, which they believe would help spark more redevelopment in the area.
“I just see this as an opportunity to really do something in the 14th Street corridor (that is) meaningful,” said Councilman Patrick Roff. “Private money follows local money.”
14th Street is a part of Bradenton that leaders have long sought to redevelop. Two incoming apartment complexes — 199 units at the Met and 15 units at the Epic — are slated to provide affordable housing as part of that goal.
Councilwoman Pamela Coachman also said she supported building City Hall on 14th Street, noting that it aligns with the advice provided by a pair of economic consultants hired by the city.
“The consultants gave us some meat to chew on by telling us that putting City Hall in an area that’s depressed can elevate it,” Coachman explained. “The 14th Street site, I feel, is ideal at this point.”
“I want to see a catalyst and a game-changer in our community,” Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey added.
A preliminary design rendering shared during the meeting showed how the new City Hall building might look. Early design plans call for a two-story building along 14th Street, with a parking lot on the west side of the property.
After looking at the proposed design, Councilman Bill Sanders urged his fellow council members to slow done, arguing that a final decision hasn’t been made.
Selling City Hall would also mean relocating the police department’s headquarters, which is also housed in the same building along the Bradenton Riverwalk downtown. City leaders are proposing to split the two entities, building the government headquarters on 14th Street and a new police department building along Sixth Avenue West near First Street West.
“I think I must’ve missed a couple of meetings,” said Sanders, who expressed opposition to the spending required to build a new police station and a new city hall. “We haven’t voted to sell City Hall yet, have we? It seems like we’re doing an awful lot of planning before we make an assessment on if we can afford to build new.”
City Administrator Rob Perry noted that nothing has been finalized. Board members have already approved requests for city staff to begin hiring firms to design a new City Hall, he said.
“We’re trying that next step. There’s been a lot of votes to process through things and find out. You can’t start cold turkey,” Brown said.
The Bradenton City Council did not vote Wednesday to approve any official action, but board members did agree to pursue community outreach and feedback from residents.
The next steps will involve reviewing the bid offers and public presentations from the developers. Those meetings will be announced at a later date.
