City Council last week made a few changes to a review board’s conditional approval of the upcoming City Hall and Market Square project.
On Jan. 13, City Council considered an appeal of the Board of Architectural Review’s approved certificate of appropriateness with conditions for the City Hall and Market Square project on Nov. 19, 2025. The Council voted to remove the review board’s recommendation to maintain decorative chimneys on the south-facing side of City Hall, as well as colonial-style windows at the center entrance pavilion.
The Council also removed a study on incorporating 1871 building elements into the Market Square shade structures and reversed the board’s recommendation that didn’t permit lighting on the roof for a fifth-floor addition, a change intended to meet building and safety code requirements.
“There’s like 90 percent of things that we agreed upon here and I think have been able to get some clarity, and I think the majority of what we voted on affirms the BAR’s recommendations,” said Mayor Alyia Gaskins. “At the end of the day, this is a good project and a project that we should all be excited about.”
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley emphasized protecting the building architecture of City Hall, which was constructed after the former hall was destroyed in an 1871 fire. A 1961 renovation to City Hall added a colonial revival-style addition on the south side.
Councilmember John Taylor Chapman’s motion to keep the review board’s recommendation for colonial-style windows and chimneys was not approved by the Council. There was some disagreement over keeping decorative chimneys, which city staff said were first added in the 1960s.
Staff indicated it would cost $200,000 for the decorative element.
“Every penny counts — $200,000 is something we could use to bring on staff. $200,000 is another program that we could create,” said Councilmember Canek Aguirre. “Two hundred thousand is something we could send to the schools who are desperately asking us for more money. I am vehemently against having the chimneys.”
Chapman said the project had other added costs from interior changes, like relocating City Council meeting chambers and elevator shafts and adding more energy efficiency.
‘”I struggle with the idea that we’re worried about money with this particular project because we’ve made some significant changes to the inside of this building that have a huge cost — a lot more than $200,000,” Chapman said.
Bagley said the energy and meeting chambers relocation provide functionality, but that the chimneys are an aesthetic element.
“The energy efficiency and the decisions there are more expensive, and they’re going to get us a more energy efficient building designed for the future, for the next 50 years,” said Bagley. “The energy investments we are making are functional.”
On relocating the City Council meeting chambers, Bagley added. “We have repeatedly emphasized that we want this to be a more functional space for people to walk in and have ease,” referencing issues with the former chambers’ functionality and access.
Construction on the project is expected to begin today (Tuesday), according to a city pre-construction meeting held earlier this month.
As of Jan. 5, more than 300 city employees had already relocated to temporary swing spaces to accommodate the project, with City Council now convening on the first floor of the Del Pepper Community Resource Center at 4850 Mark Center Drive.
