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Wildwood to lease building for City Hall in Town Center

By Adam Lampel

Officials for the city of Wildwood are close to signing a lease agreement to move their City Hall into a Town Center location while they consider long-term solutions for a new City Hall facility.

On June 23, the Wildwood City Council did a first reading on a proposed ordinance that gives Wildwood Mayor Tim Woerther the authorization to execute a contract with the property owner.

Officials said that over the past several weeks, negotiations with Koman Properties have progressed to the point where the City Council is prepared to authorize the execution of the agreement.

The space the city is looking to rent, located at 183 Plaza Drive (south of Manchester Road, just west of Taylor Road), contains more than 12,000 square feet of rentable space that is divided in two levels, giving city staff the necessary space to adequately house the city’s operations.

The current facility on Old Manchester Road has approximately 7,000 square feet of rentable space and costs the city $130,000 a year.

“Wildwood has a very limited number of commercial and office-type buildings within the community of the size and suitability for City Hall municipal organization functions, and still fewer that are available for occupancy within the timeframe required by the city,” Wildwood City Administrator Daniel Dubruiel said.

The new site was chosen because of its high visibility location, good public access, convenient parking and sufficient floor space. The space also has attractive high ceilings and windows and the entrances are not shared with any other building tenants, which include National City Bank.

The city had been working with CresaPartners, a consultant hired to determine the available options because the lease on the current City Hall property is set to expire at the end of the year.

“Based on the analysis by CresaPartners and city staff as to the cost and suitability of alternative properties, the City Council narrowed the list of properties for further consideration,” Dubruiel said.

The city also conducted meetings with the property owners that they received proposals from in order to better understand the terms that were being offered.

The terms of the lease will include a five-year agreement with termination rights after years three and four. The city will pay $247,783 annually at the start of the lease, with that number increasing after years three and four to a maximum of $262,321.

The city also may spend an additional $500,000 on tenant improvements to pay the costs of design and installation of build-out improvements that city officials deem necessary.

City officials recently formed the Wildwood City Hall Steering Committee to help determine a long-term plan for the operation facilities of the city, which may include a new home for the St. Louis County Police Department’s Wildwood precinct.

Last year, residents voted against continuing with the plan that was in place at the time to build a new City Hall because it was too expensive and many felt that residents were side-stepped in the process.