Plans for the early stages of Alexandria’s new City Complex project with an estimated cost of $23.1 million, were presented at Thursday’s City Council meeting.
Council member Stacey Graus expressed the need for the new complex due to the multiple shortcomings of the current city building. The building is in an old church and currently houses the police department and an attached community center, and he said it has little room for storage or offices.
Mayor Andy Schabell’s office, for example, is what was once the office supplies closet.
“We’re outgrowing this facility,” Schabell said. “It’s a nice building, it’s done well for us over the years, but it’s really time to move on.”
An upcoming meeting, Graus said, will allow building engineers to present plans to the public.
The complex will be an improvement of functionality for all aspects of the current city building, and there will be room for growth, he said.
“It’s going to be something we can be proud of. We’ll be able to use it for at least the next fifty years, probably longer,” Graus said.
While the plans for building the complex are not officially decided on, council members and Schabell said at Thursday’s meeting that they are ready to move forward.
The complex would be located on Constable Drive in Alexandria on property purchased in 2020.