Prairie Village’s new $30 million city hall and police department project may be built on a nearby church property.
On Monday, the Prairie Village City Council during the council committee of the whole meeting got a first look at how a nearby church property — that the city council previously directed city staff to buy — might play into the project to build a new city hall and police department headquarters.
City staff recommends building a new city hall on the church property at 7820 Mission Rd. This option calls for renovating the existing municipal complex at 7700 Mission Rd. for the police department and municipal court.
If the city council moves forward with the city staff’s recommendation, then the cost for a new city hall and renovated police department will be between $31 to $35 million.
At the lower end of $31 million, this option is the same price as the city’s current plan to build a new city hall at the southern end of the circle drive parking lot and renovate the existing municipal buildings.
No decisions or in-depth discussions took place on Monday, but the city council is expected to discuss and make decisions on moving forward at the next two city council meetings.
What are the options?
City staff presented several options to the city council on Monday ranging from buying the $4.5 million church and turning it into green space, to renovating it for a new city hall or police department.
The options presented are as follows, as outlined in city documents:
- Option 1: Build nothing at 7820 Mission Rd. This is accomplished either by not purchasing the church property (at no cost to the city) or purchasing it and turning it into green space, which is an estimated $6 million.
- Option 2: Relocate city hall to church property. This option may cost between $31 to $35 million if a new city hall is built on the property, or between $32 to $38 million if the church itself is renovated for a city hall.
- Option 3: Relocate the police department to 7820 Mission Rd. This option costs an estimated $38 million for a new building or $41 million to renovate the existing church.
Under option 3, city hall and all municipal offices would be relocated into the police department building and court and council chambers will exist where it currently does today.
City staff recommends moving forward with the new building scenario under option 2, also called 2A in city documents. This is staff’s preferred option because it is the least drastic change from the $31 million proposed project that’s been discussed already.
The church’s congregation is expected to move in about a year, meaning any construction on the church site itself could begin in late 2025 or early 2026.
Why does it cost more to renovate the church?
- City Engineer Melissa Prenger told the city council that there are a few reasons why it costs more to renovate the church than it does to build a brand new city hall, including renovating a 30,000-square-foot building versus building an 18,000-square-foot facility.
- She said another expensive factor is the construction that is needed on the exterior of the church building to make it look less like a church and more like a city building.
- City staff also brought down the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design standards for renovations from a platinum certification — required for new municipal buildings under council policy — to a baseline certification.
- LEED certifications are more difficult and expensive to obtain through renovations compared to new builds, she said.
- Councilmember Nick Reddell pressed Prenger on how the renovation estimates are more expensive than new construction estimates, and the architect working with city staff said they would share those estimates and how the estimates were calculated with the city council.
How will this impact the city’s bond rating?
- Prenger said the city’s AAA bond rating should remain unaffected by borrowing the necessary funds to complete the new city hall and renovate the police department.
- Finance Director Jason Hannaman said the city already has $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds earmarked for this project.
- The city also set aside $1.15 million in the 2024 and the 2025 budgets to pay off future debt related to this project, Hannaman said.
- With those funds on hand, the city is anticipating borrowing anywhere from $27.2 million to $31.2 million for the option city staff has recommended that includes purchasing the church property.
- City Administrator Wes Jordan said the city is “hovering somewhere between $30 and $35 million to keep the AAA bond rating.”
Next steps:
- The approved project that calls for a new city hall to be built on the current parking lot to the north of the church property, right by Harmon Park skate park, is on hold.
- The city council is expected to digest the information presented on Monday and come back to the Nov. 18 city council meeting for a discussion and direction on a preferred path forward.
- A formalized vote reaffirming the Nov. 18 direction is anticipated for the Dec. 2 city council meeting.
- City council meetings start at 6 p.m. at city hall, 7700 Mission Road.
Go deeper: Watch the city staff presentation and the city council’s entire discussion online here starting at 1:06:25.
