In the bustling city of Livonia, the Civic Center campus is all set for a grand makeover! The 27-acre campus, sitting at the crossroads of Five Mile and Farmington roads, is pegged as the city’s primary focus in its 2021 master plan. The goal? To transform it into a chic, brand new downtown.
However, the blueprint requires some heavy-duty work first. Many city facilities like the Livonia Senior Center, Livonia City Hall, an old courthouse, and the Livonia Police Department will have to be relocated for this grand plan to be set into motion. Livonia’s Mayor has vocalized her intent to get the wheels turning for moving the city hall in the coming year.
“This will pave the way for us to mold something that resembles a downtown, which is exactly what the good folks of Livonia expect,” she added.
Making room for ‘downtown Livonia’
The Mayor has been an ardent champion of building “downtown Livonia” without burdening the taxpayers. In a unanimous agreement, city council members approved an intent to opt for a bond (a loan similar structure) for $42 million earmarked for a brand new city hall. The Mayor is confident that the new facility will justify the budget. To pay back the bond, the city plans to tap into approximately $2.4 million from the savings of retiree healthcare plans, ensuring that taxes won’t be affected.
With the potential relocation of the senior center and city hall on the cards in the upcoming year, the city plans to develop roughly 10 acres of land at Five Mile and Farmington for housing and commercial establishments. While both the city hall and the police department are planned to stay within the Civic Center, most likely they will be moved nearer to the Civic Center Library.
The main Livonia Fire Department on the campus, as well as the four ancillary stations in the city, will also receive a facelift but remain at their present locations.
A smaller, yet more adaptable city hall
The Mayor foresees the new city hall as a compact and more reachable space compared to the present setup, which dates back to the late 1970s. Top-notch security features are also on the wish-list. “We strive to be more accessible,” the Mayor noted. “We’re really keen on flexible space. The present structure is rigid — auditoriums, for instance, are strictly arranged. They offer limited scope for hosting anything other that meetings. We are in search of a multi-functional space.”
Beyond the potential economic perks that relocating city hall could bring, the Mayor state that a new building would boost reliability for city staff. A capital needs assessment conducted last year approximated that about $30 million would be needed for improvements or repairs on current city hall in the coming nine years.
“Keeping the building limping along is more expensive than building a new one,” the Mayor concluded.
