Construction on the new Fayetteville City Hall has come a long way, and project managers say city personnel will move into the new building by the summer of 2021. So what will happen to the old City Hall on South Glynn Street when those personnel move out of it?
“That’s the big question we’ve gotten a lot this year,” said Fayetteville City Manager Ray Gibson. “The first question we’ve gotten for the last two years is, ‘When are you going to be in the new City Hall building?’ And lately, more people want to know what we’re going to do with our existing one.”
The city in late October issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to gauge interest from organizations, whether public or private, developers or non-profits, in leasing or purchasing the existing City Hall building and grounds. The deadline for proposals has been extended to Monday, January 4, 2021.
The Adaptive Reuse of Current City Hall RFP document, which can be found at www.Fayetteville-GA.gov/ActiveSolicitations, lists restaurants, retail shops, and even business incubators as possible future uses, but city leaders say they are not limiting ideas at this point.
“We would love to see the existing City Hall reused in a way that fits with our vision for a walkable, enjoyable, revitalized Downtown Fayetteville,” Gibson said. “The proximity to the Historic Courthouse Square and to the new City Hall will become a greater and greater advantage as we continue to redevelop the entire downtown area.”
The existing City Hall was built in the 1940s as a public school building after the previous one in the same location burned in 1938. The City of Fayetteville, which previously had a City Hall building located a few blocks away near the municipal water tower, purchased the school building on South Glynn Street in the early 1990s. It was opened as the current City Hall in 1995.
The existing City Hall fronts on 4-lane Ga. Highway 85, is about 12,500 square feet in size, and it has approximately 50 parking spaces. The interior was remodeled to turn classrooms into offices, and the portion that houses the City Council Chambers was newly built, opening with the remodeled original building in 1995.
“This is really a local landmark,” said Downtown Development Director Brian Wismer. “We’re excited to see what will become of this building in its next cycle of life after having served as our community’s City Hall for more than a quarter of a century and as one of the community’s main school facilities going back 80 years.
“This corridor within our downtown contains numerous historic buildings that have been preserved and repurposed, and I believe the adaptive reuse of the existing City Hall is one of our more exciting opportunities,” Wismer said.
Organizations interested in the RFP are asked to view it online (www.Fayetteville-GA.gov/ActiveSolicitations) and contact Program Manager Steve Mauro with any questions: [email protected]. — Story provided by the city of Fayetteville.
