Where will Bradenton’s new City Hall go? Clock is ticking on search
A year after agreeing to sell City Hall, the future home of Bradenton’s city headquarters is still a lingering question for local officials.
In July 2024, City Council agreed to sell the current City Hall for a “transformational” development. The $14 million sale is expected to close sometime in 2026, and once it does, the city will need to find a new home base for its operations — a decision yet to be made by officials.
But city officials are exploring their options, Mayor Gene Brown said. That includes locations to build a new, permanent city hall or, if necessary, a temporary spot until city headquarters find a permanent home.
“If we needed to move tomorrow, there’s quite a bit of office space that we could work out of until we really make this final decision,” Brown said.
The development project, The Vias, will replace City Hall with a 20-story condo building, a hotel, apartments and a parking garage along the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton.
City Hall, located at 101 12th St. W., Bradenton, is where the city’s public meetings are held, city staff work and residents can access services like paying utility bills and viewing public records.
The City of Bradenton shares space in the nearly 30-year-old building with the Bradenton Police Department (BPD).
The future home of the police department is already decided, with construction of a new police headquarters at 705 Third St. W. underway since March. The $35 million building is expected to be finished in fall 2026 and will include a parking garage and a 50,000-square-foot office building.
Until the police department relocates, city operations will remain at the current location.
“It all comes down to the police department moving into their building,” Brown said.
Where will Bradenton City Hall move?
According to City Administrator Rob Perry, staff expect to bring several new City Hall options, including permanent and temporary locations, to the City Council and Brown within the next couple of months.
When the city explored options in 2023, estimates to build a new City Hall were between $10 million and $30 million, depending on whether the city wanted to continue the shared space with BPD or have its own building.
“The economy was in a different place, costs were starting to soar,” Brown said. “In my opinion, and the council agreed, we weren’t in a position to start getting hard numbers.”
Brown said it seems construction prices are starting to drop, and he hopes that trend continues as the city looks to build its next city hall.
When talks of the sale of City Hall began around 2022, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency authorized a study by an economic firm. It concluded the best place to build a new City Hall would be on 14th Street West.
At that location, the development of a City Hall could generate $53 million in economic output, according to the study.
But as discussions on where the city should move its hall pick up in the coming months, Brown said his ideal spot hasn’t changed.
“I’ve always said I want to stay downtown,” Brown said.
What’s replacing Bradenton’s City Hall?
In July 2024, the Bradenton City Council unanimously agreed to sell the 4-acre City Hall property for $14.1 million to L&L Development Group.
The development group presented plans for The Vias project, which includes a 20-story building with 95 condos, a 14-story hotel with 130 rooms, an eight-story building with 350 apartments and an eight-story parking garage. The project also has 20,000 square feet of retail space and 8,600 square feet of restaurant space.
The Herald previously reported that the developer plans to purchase the land in 2026 and begin construction within two years. A goal for the development was to connect Barcarrota Boulevard to the Riverwalk with more restaurants.
Brown said discussions with the developer have been ongoing, and the company is willing to work with the city on a smooth transition as the new police station wraps up construction and the city moves out.
