UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. – University City is backtracking on a multimillion-dollar plan to move their historic City Hall to an abandoned library.
The plan is under fire from residents, including former Mayor Shelly Welsch. She says some who have pushed for the project may be getting sticker shock after seeing the numbers.
“(The plan) came in at, I’m told, $10 million over the estimate, which is not surprising based on the cost estimates we got eight years ago,” Welsch said. “I think the city in our situation have to really consider whether it’s worth spending $30 million to basically move around offices in City Hall.”
University City’s City Hall was built in the early 1900s. Residents passed a bond issue to renovate the historic buildings around 2004, including the council chamber.
In 2021, Gregory Rose, the city manager, said the reason for moving the council chamber was to better meet the needs of those who are disabled. It was said there was only one elevator that reached the fifth floor, where the council chamber was located.
“At this time, no decision has been made on whether the council will continue to utilize the current chambers or use the proposed multipurpose space in the Trinity Building redesign,” the city said in a statement released Tuesday.
The project is scheduled for bidding in February.
“If they are rethinking and stopping, I think that is good for the city and the taxpayers of U-City,” Welsch said.
