The 301-day design-build project will relocate the City Clerk's Office to the ground floor and add a grab-and-go food area, funded partly through Measure Z reserves.
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The 301-day design-build project will relocate the City Clerk's Office to the ground floor and add a grab-and-go food area, funded partly through Measure Z reserves.
The City Council on Tuesday approved a $2.28 million plan to renovate the City Hall lobby for the first time since 2008 – bringing the City Clerk's Office to the main floor and adding a new grab-and-go food service area.
The city said the project is intended to create a more active, updated public space in City Hall and to support services residents use directly, rather than leaving the lobby underused.
City staff also said the renovation should make it easier for residents to reach key services such as election and passport services without navigating deeper into City Hall.
The project also calls for relocating the concierge desk closer to the elevators, which city staff said should improve foot traffic and make it easier for employees and security staff to help visitors.
Officials said the renovation will also include the clerk's office expansion, a grab-and-go food area, concierge desk improvements, and new furniture and lighting – while a planned multi-purpose room remains deferred because of funding limits.
The council action includes a $1.98 million construction contract with Cal-City Construction Inc. of Cerritos under a 301-day design-build contract – plus $297,414 in change-order authority – bringing the total authorization to approximately $2.3 million.
To pay for the work, the city will use $1.73 million from General Fund infrastructure reserves and shift $550,000 from other accounts, including $300,000 from a transfer switch project and $250,000 from Measure Z deferred maintenance, according to a staff report.
The renovation also comes amid a broader public debate over city spending.
At the Gazette's Ward 4 candidate forum on April 29, candidate Jessica Qattawi questioned whether a City Hall renovation should come before road repairs.
"Okay, so if I were to cut any budgets…right now we've got City Hall is about to get renovated. Is that a priority for us, or would it be better for us to go and fix some of our roads? That might be something I would cut the budget on," she said at the forum.
Incumbent Chuck Conder, however, clarified at the forum that City Hall was only renovating the first floor and said the city has kept core services funded.
The City Hall renovation will also use $250,000 from Measure Z – a 1 percent tax approved by voters in 2016 to support public safety needs – as Riverside is facing questions over how it has used Measure Z revenue, with some critics saying the money has gone beyond emergency services.
The city has placed a ballot measure on the June 2 election ballot, asking voters whether it should raise the tax to 1.25 percent and extend Measure Z indefinitely beyond its 2036 sunset.
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