Lakewood City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting - January 30, 2026

This Committee of the Whole meeting of the Lakewood City Council convened at 6:00 p.m. on January 30, 2026, in the City Hall Auditorium. The primary focus was a presentation by Liberty Development and its project team (architect Berardi Partners and contractor John G. Johnson) regarding the proposed purchase and renovation of the former Board of Education building at 1470 Warren Road for use as a new City Hall administrative center, with the current City Hall to be converted into a police and justice center. Council members raised questions about project costs, parking, employee space needs, building condition, and whether this was the right solution overall. No formal votes were taken; further discussion was scheduled for the following week.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the January 26, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting without a reading. (Motion carried unanimously)

Discussion Items

Presentation by Liberty Development and Project Team

• Tom Calouris (Liberty Development) introduced his team and provided background on their experience with historic adaptive reuse projects (e.g., the Bulkley Building in Playhouse Square). He emphasized that Liberty has owned the Warren Road building for several years, allowing them to understand its condition intimately. The renovation cost estimate from Liberty for the BOE building (including a small addition) is $16,250,700 (or $445 per square foot), significantly lower than the earlier estimate of $24,152,848 (or $662 per square foot) from Weber Murphy Fox / PMC. The total project (BOE renovation plus City Hall justice center renovation) is estimated at $31,818,797 versus $39,720,945 under Option 3. The presentation included conceptual floor plans for the first floor (public-facing departments: building, public works, vital statistics, water, finance) and second floor (City Council chambers, mayor's office, law department). The design emphasizes historic preservation, new accessible main entrance, gender-neutral restrooms, and an elevator.
• Mike Weber and Anthony Valencik (John G. Johnson Construction) discussed their pre-construction and construction experience with municipal projects and their familiarity with the Warren Road building from previous work. They stated the cost estimate is based on detailed knowledge of the building's conditions, including roof, basement waterproofing, and HVAC plans (forced air split systems). They noted that prevailing wage and union agreements are standard for them.
• Chief of Staff John Story stated that the administration is compiling answers to councilmember questions and will present them next week. He emphasized that the mayor's intent has always been to find a global solution for all city employees, not just police.

Council Questions and Concerns

• Councilmember Strebig asked about the employee needs survey conducted by Drew Siley (Liberty). Angie Hamilton Steiner (Administration) confirmed that each department was interviewed about headcount, storage, work style (e.g., building commissioner prefers open plan), and adjacencies. She noted the administration will provide per-department square footage comparisons at the next meeting.
• Councilmember Strebig also asked about parking: the site plan provides approximately 66-70 spaces. Administration indicated they will provide visitor counts and employee parking ratio analysis next week. The team noted that not using historic tax credits allowed more parking on site. Calouris mentioned structured parking could be added but at significant cost (~$35,000 per space).
• Councilmember Hamilton Steiner raised parking concerns for employees and visitors, and asked about employee ability to work from home. Administration noted some flexible schedules exist, but many departments (income tax, water, building) are public-facing and require on-site presence. She also asked about the parking for the existing north building tenants (quilting bee).
• Vice President Baker questioned whether the city actually needs this project and expressed desire for third-party analysis of police space needs and broader justification. He noted the proposed building provides about 8,000-12,000 more square feet than current admin space at a time when office space per employee is declining. He also raised practical questions about roof, foundation/basement, and HVAC conditions. The team responded that the roof would be replaced with 30-year warranty materials, basement waterproofing on one wall, and forced air HVAC systems.
• Councilmember Bixenstine asked about adaptability of the space for future public gathering uses (community living room). The team confirmed the building's infrastructure can support flexible layouts, including removal of walls for events, and that the building could serve other uses if office needs decline.
• Councilmember Evans expressed skepticism that this solution is the right one, despite acknowledging the team's competence.
• Councilmember Bullock asked about landscaping details (not yet developed), total square footage vs. current (admin space would increase from about 28,000 sq ft to 35,000-36,000 sq ft), future-proofing (demountable partitions possible), ADA accessibility (100% accessible via new entrance and elevator), and energy efficiency (continuous insulation, new windows, climate action plan considerations). He noted that these are important factors for city investment.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken on any of the bond ordinances or the City Hall space proposal.
• Council will continue the discussion at the next Committee of the Whole meeting on February 2, 2026, with the administration expected to provide additional data on: employee count vs. parking, visitor counts per department, per-department square footage comparisons, and analysis of police space needs.
• Council President Kepple requested that the administration provide information on the proposed renovation of the current City Hall for police/justice center use, as that remains the primary driver for the project.