City Manager Stephen Carter presented an informational review of an unsolicited proposal under the Virginia Public-Private Education and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) to build a new city hall, replacement parking garage, and public plaza on a city-owned site behind the public library between King and Court Streets. The presentation emphasized that no decisions were required at this meeting and that the council retains full control with multiple exit points throughout the statutory process. The proposed team includes Ripley Hewalp (lead developer), MEB (general contractor), and Clark Nexon (architect/engineer). A preliminary cost estimate of $86 million was cited, with an additional estimated $7 million for financing, totaling approximately $93 million (excluding furniture and moving costs). The meeting also served as a prelude to scheduling a public hearing.
Good evening, citizens of course with everyone who is here in present. Thank you for joining us today for our public work session here on February 9th. I want to take a moment to acknowledge our city staff who's here with us. Thank you all for being here and the citizens joining us here in the work session. Also want to acknowledge Mr. Stephen Carter, City Manager, you know, city attorney, Mr. Terry Challenger, and of course it's white. Of course. Oh. And also, Mr. Edwards. My eyes didn't see you. I got it. Thank you for joining us. Mr. Evans. Thank you for reminding me, Mr. White. You're welcome. Would you please call the law? Yes, sir, Ms. Brian. Mr. Hugo. Mr. Moody. Here, Ms. Thomas. Here. Mr. Telley. Here. Mayor Claudia. Here. Thank you. Mr. Carter. Thank you, Mayor. We only have one item on the agenda this evening and that is a review of an unsolicited, unsolicited proposal for a new city hall and fucking garage. Alright. Tonight's presentation is just informational. There's no requirement or ask of any decision to be made this evening. This is just information so that you uh and our citizens be aware of what this process is. Uh what we're doing, why are they hope to make sure I uh explain tonight is what this is and what it is not. Um this is a statutory process, so we we have rules about how this goes along. And what I would be explaining is what those rules are, where we are in the process, and what is the expectation in the coming weeks. I want to be very clear that this is uh is an evaluation exercise really what we're doing today. Uh so this is not uh is not uh a foregone conclusion that anything will happen. Is that this council of the city, the leadership of the city uh remain in full control of the whole process? So we will, as we walk through this, you're seeing their decision points all along the way where you get to this determined yay and nay remove or we don't move.