Visioning City Hall/ Driftwood Library

1984. Ronald Reagan was running for re-election. Oregon's timber industry was recovering from an economic slump, and the Rajneeshpuram commune was thriving outside of Antelope, Oregon. The radio was spinning vinyl recordings of artists like Prince, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. And construction on the new office building at 801 US Highway 101 was completed. Were you in Lincoln City then? Were you even born yet?

Our City Hall/Library building has come a long way since then--hosting City Council meetings and the municipal court. It houses our Administrative, Public Works, Finance, IT, and Planning/Building Departments, and our Urban Renewal Agency. On the 4th floor is our Explore Lincoln City visitors center, and the 2nd floor is filled to the brim with our highly beloved Driftwood Library. Visitors and residents stock up on daily supplies at McKays employee-owned grocery store--or do you still call it the Price-n-Pride?

Please join our Community Conversation about where we go next. Daily operations and deferred maintenance costs have reached a level that we need to talk seriously about whether we can afford to stay in our existing space, or if we need to build something that will take us another 40+ years into the future. Either way, we know that it will impact our community and we want to hear from you about your great ideas and your serious concerns and of course, we want to answer your important questions as we make this once-in-a generation kind of decision.

EXISTING CONDIITONS

The current building totals 110,000 square feet. This exceeds the City's needed space for the Library and City offices by over 78,000 square feet! This is space that we pay to maintain and operate--costing taxpayers more than $1 million annually. Deferred maintenance issues are compounding each year and include water intrusion, rusty window frames and other metal surfaces, and extremely outdated HVAC systems. Images of just a few the current conditions are shown on this webpage (Examples of Current Conditions of City Hall/Library), and more information can be found in our FAQs.

OPTION 1 proposes to renovate existing City Hall/Driftwood Library. Required work includes the full renovation of the existing building to meet current building code standards, seismic upgrades, and needed site improvements. It also includes a Tsunami Evacuation Road.

OPTION 2 proposes to build an all new City Hall/Library on our existing site. Required work includes demolition, site work, a new smaller building, and seismic upgrades for the McKay's building. It also includes a Tsunami Evacuation Road.

KEY ISSUES:

• McKay's building will need significant investment dollars for structural and mechanical renovations
• All current uses, including City Hall, Driftwood Library, and McKay's grocery store would need to relocate to a temporary location.
• Cannot sell the site
• Inadequate parking area
• No resolution of parking and access issues

TOTAL BOND REQUEST: $45.1 million (revised 6/29)

OPTION 3 proposes to all new City Hall/Library on a property to be acquired. Required work includes construction of a new building to house City Hall and the Driftwood Library and related site work. It also includes construction of a new public street to serve the area.

KEY ISSUES:

• Fewer site limitations--building can be "right-sized" and efficiently designed to meet community needs
• Project allows for future development of a north-south alternative to Highway 101, a high-priority emergency evacuation route
• Opportunity to co-locate needed water reservoir
• Opportunity for future private development for housing or commercial uses
• Existing property made available for desired residential/commercial development

TOTAL BOND REQUEST: $58.0 million