When will Stockton's new $74M city hall be finished?

It's been 16 years since efforts to relocate Stockton City Hall began.

It's going to take at least two more.

After multiple delays and price hikes, officials now say Stockton's new waterfront city hall is expected to be fully operational by fall 2025.

City employees will begin moving into the Waterfront Towers at 501 and 509 W. Weber Ave. next summer, city spokeswoman Connie Cochran said.

The city purchased the Waterfront Towers for roughly $25 million in 2017, with the intent to renovate the towers and consolidate city services under one roof. Years went on. A pandemic raged, and the project tripled to $74.5 million. Public Works Director Jodi Almassy attributed the price increase to escalating costs for labor, oil, and materials after the pandemic.

The move to the new city hall will happen in phases, Cochran said, with the information technology (IT) department being the first to call the building home. Public meetings likely won't be held at the towers until the end of 2025.

The IT department is currently housed at 400 E. Main St., along with several other departments such as administrative services, economic development, finance and human resources.

"All of the departments that are currently at 400 E. Main St. will be some of the first to move," Cochran said. "They're currently in a leased space."

The third city hall

The city bought the building on Main Street for $35 million in 2007, with plans to move city offices and renovate the building to accommodate the city council chambers. That didn't go as planned.

The city lost the building during bankruptcy in 2012. However, the city was permitted to rent it from a creditor for about $950,000 per year.

The failed attempt at relocation is what has led some critics to refer to the Waterfront Towers as "the third city hall."

"We're all spread out, all over downtown," Cochran said. "The reason for moving is to co-locate into a modern building ... being co-located, we gain those efficiencies of being near the people you need to interact with all the time. It's not just efficiencies for us, but for our customers as they come interact with us."

The historic city hall building at 425 N. El Dorado St. houses the city attorney's office, the city clerk's office, the city manager's office, and the office of violence prevention. It is also home to the city council chambers and council member's offices.

Across the street, at 345. N. El Dorado St., the business licensing, community development, and fire prevention offices remain. The Stewart Eberhardt building in downtown Stockton houses code enforcement, police, and public works administrators.

Another reason for the move, Cochran said, is to address the concerns that come with aging buildings. The historic city hall was built in 1926 and has a number of issues. The air conditioning and heating system is "not reliable," as Cochran puts it, and the building has raised health concerns over the years.

Former council members Christina Fugazi and Paul Canepa referenced mold and rat infestations at the 97-year-old building in past meetings. City Manager Harry Black said the building could not be heated in the winter and the city is being cited by California Division of Occupational Safety and Health "on a regular basis."

Plus, the technology is outdated, Cochran said.

"None of these buildings are built for running wiring ... the council chambers is a great example of not being adequately sized or doesn't have the technology that it needs to be able to effectively run meetings or allow people to attend," the city spokeswoman said.

No more than 70 people are allowed inside the council chambers, with just two accessible seats. Cochran said Stocktonians can expect to see more accessible seating and more room for attendees inside the chambers at the new waterfront city hall.

Future of historic city hall

The future of the historic city hall on North El Dorado Street remains unclear. In 2019, Stockton City Council voted to give exclusive negotiating rights to Cort Companies, a group that sought to turn the government building into 35 housing units.

But Cochran said the city currently has no concrete plans for the building once employees move out of it. She welcomes residents to contact her with their suggestions on how the historic city hall can be repurposed.

"Over the next year, we're going to be exploring what are the best uses for this building, particularly since it's going to take some time to actually vacate," she said. "In order to make this building ready for another purpose, it's going to require some significant modifications and upgrades."

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton's $74M waterfront city hall still 2 years from being done