West University Place council members Nov. 11 discussed alternative options to phases 2 through 4 of the Facilities Master Plan, which includes the construction of a new city hall, fire station and civic center.
The setup
City council originally approved the master plan in 2022 . The plan consisted of four phases:
- Phase 1: New public works facility
- Phase 2: New senior center, library and community building
- Phase 3: New fire station
- Phase 4: Municipal building renovation and police station expansion
However, according to the Nov. 11 agenda packet, city officials reevaluated phases three and four, and brought two alternatives to the table.
The proposed alternative scraps the new fire station and instead constructs a new city hall in the current location of the library, community building and senior center; and repurposes the current municipal building into a public safety building.
The new city hall would house city administration, public works administration, community development, municipal courts, finance and human resources in a two-story building at the corner of Rice Boulevard and Auden Street.
The public safety building would host both the reconstructed fire station and the expanded police department along with the emergency operations center and IT department. This alternative would allow both departments to remain onsite and fully operational during the construction, according to the agenda.
The specifics
Details of the alternatives were shared by Jeff Gerber, a representative from the architect firm Pierce Goodwin Alexander and Linville, or PGAL. For the public safety building, two options were presented:.
Option A: Renovating the public safety building with the existing footprint
- Space: 41,801 square feet
- Cost: $13.3 million
Option B: Renovating and rebuilding the public safety building
- Space: 39,801 square feet
- Cost: $18.19 million
In both options, the station would provide full space program requirements for a modern fire station except with three apparatus bays only.
More details
Council members also revisited the design plan for the civic center in October—which includes the new library, community center and senior center.
The six options for the civic center include:
- Two options that prioritize green space over parking availability, with each including 49 parking spaces and either 27,300 square feet or 29,600 square feet of green space
- Two options that prioritize parking availability over green space by adding approximately 40 on-site parking options more than the existing amount and green space totaling either 15,000 square feet or 16,600 square feet
- Two options that prioritize parking availability with 84 parking spaces, as well as maximizing green space with either 19,400 square feet or 22,600 square feet, which would be achieved by modifying Milton Street
Public input
A handful of residents spoke during the public comment period of the meeting to share their opposition against phases two, three and four.
Kay Bryan, a resident of Tennyson Street, said in a written comment that she would rather have the city focus on building a new wastewater treatment facility than a new senior center.
"The wastewater treatment facility is vital to every single citizen of West U," she wrote. "I was extremely dismayed to discover that none of my neighbors knew about the plan to patch our end of life wastewater treatment plant and instead prioritize the rebuilding of a new senior center and library when both are fully function and well run."
One detail of the civic center project that residents spoke heavily against on Nov. 11 was the shortening of Milton Street.
"If you change the one-way street that's always been a one-way street it's going to confuse people," Lacey Moses, a West U resident said during the meeting. "Plus, excessive traffic is a major concern. I would prefer the streets to stay the same way."
Other residents said they did not want the new fire station mentioned in Phase 3 while some just called for it to be moved from its proposed location on Rice Boulevard and Auden Street.
West U resident Jane Pearson said when she found out about the new fire station location she had two concerns—safety and the impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
"That corner is just overrun with kids and people at least twice a day," she said. "The other concern is the impact it would have on the people who live in the 3800 block of Rice. It's a block full of houses and families. I would encourage the city council to consider other alternatives from putting a fire station right there on that corner."
If the alternative option for Phase 4 is approved, the new city hall building would replace the fire station at that intersection.
Keep in mind
No action was taken during the Nov. 11 city council meeting. A town hall was also held Nov. 12 to hear feedback on Phase 2 of the Facilities Master Plan.
To learn more about the master plan, residents can visit the West University Place website.
