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Largo to borrow $62M+ for a new, modern City Hall
Largo City Commissioners will borrow roughly $62.4 million through municipal bonds toward constructing a new five-story city hall building and the reconstruction of the Parks Division Administrative Complex.
The recent approval of using the majority of the bonds for the new City Hall, which will be built between Fourth and Fifth Streets, comes during a time when the market is favorable for the city as it has a strong AA rating.
A rendering of the new City Hall. All renderings are credited to ASD|SKY.
The plans for a new facility hatched in 2019 after the current building on Highland Avenue, which is over 46 years old, was deemed no longer suitable for use with little to no resistance to storm damage and flooding, and the repairs needed.
The latest estimated cost for the City Hall was $60 million. Due to the rising material costs and labor costs, the current estimated total project cost is now approximately $62 million. Those costs include the City Hall land purchases [which was roughly $3 million], the City Hall construction, the reconstruction of the Parks Division Administrative Complex and bond issuance costs of approximately $500,000.
The new City Hall will have 18,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, a public plaza and a parking garage with more than 300 spaces. The modern building will be outfitted with hi-tech features and finishes including solar panels, a water harvesting system, a multistory living green wall that can be seen from the lobby, digital signage, large windows that will allow natural light to flood in, collaboration rooms and retractable walls that will create an indoor and outdoor experience.
The new City Hall will be “one of the most exciting projects the city has ever done,” Largo City Manager Henry Schubert previously said about the new project. “It is going to be the lynchpin, we believe, for significant redevelopment in our downtown area.”
The city expects to break ground on the project this year, and is expected to open the building in late 2023 or early 2024.
The city is working with architectural firm ASD|SKY, which was part of the design team for the new St. Petersburg Pier District. Biltmore Construction is the general contractor.
Evening view..
Ma
January 8, 2022at3:51 pm
Get rid of the darn red brick road by largo high school. Stop patching it up and put a regular pavement down. That road is bad. You just keep patching and filling holes. Do it right already. Say good bye brick road and give us a smooth road.
Ray Raulerson
January 8, 2022at11:35 am
Too much spending! Once again Largo Commissioners have no clue what is really going on, just because you can do it you don’t! Largo is not going to expand in land mass, nor do they have to maintain ANY major roads (such as Alt 19, State road 686, 688 or even the County Roads). Once again politicians who want to just spend, spend + spend.
Keith Johnson
January 7, 2022at5:29 pm
Why do they need something like this? All They’re doing is spending the tax payers money this is Ridiculous!!