VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Stay put...or move several miles northwest?
That's the question the Virginia Beach City Council faces as it considers the future of City Hall.
The city says the aging building is too small and it is experiencing a number of problems, including asbestos, and it needs to be completely renovated or rebuilt.
Tuesday City Manager Dave Hansen laid out a proposal from Armada Hoffler to include a new City Hall building in the developers proposed $100 million expansion of Town Center east over Constitution Blvd.
The agreement includes a land swap that would place a new City Hall on the site of the current Regal Cinemas location.
Last month, Moseley Architects presented council with seven options for City Hall, six of which included renovating or building a new City Hall near its current location of Princess Anne Road.
The seventh would move City Hall to property currently occupied by an Infiniti dealership on Independence Blvd., near Town Center.
Each of those options would cost the city at least $55 million for a new City Hall building alone.
Armada Hoffler says its proposal would land in that range as well.
In May, Mayor Will Sessoms told News 3 city council hopes to make a decision on City Hall's future in the fall.
